Emilia-Romagna's borghi are where you eat better than in any restaurant in Milan.
Plan a trip here →Via degli Asini (Donkeys' Road): an elevated covered walkway from the 14th century. Three hilltop landmarks: clock tower, fortress, sanctuary. Olive oil DOP. Pop: 7,500.
Ponte Gobbo (Devil's Bridge): 11 uneven arches over the Trebbia. Abbey founded 614 AD by St. Columban. The Trebbia valley was called "the most beautiful in Italy" by Hemingway. Pop: 3,500.
A painted village — murals cover every exterior wall, refreshed biennially since 1960 (Biennale del Muro Dipinto). Wine fortress enoteca inside the Rocca Sforzesca. Pop: 6,500.
Medieval hilltop intact: Rocca (€5), Piazza del Municipio, Romanesque Collegiata. Overlooking the Val d'Arda and Gutturnio wine country.
5. Compiano — castle, museum of Freemasonry, wild Taro valley. 6. Fontanellato — Rocca Sanvitale with Parmigianino frescoes. 7. San Leo — shared with Marche, Cagliostro's prison. 8. Vigoleno — tiny walled borgo, 300 inhabitants, Vin Santo di Vigoleno.
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