Riccione Live Cam

It starts in the north, where huge fishing nets and tiny fishermen's huts dot the broad silent wetlands of the Po River Delta. To the south and west are the rich farmlands of Emilia Romagna, once the bread basket of the Roman Empire. If you're coming straight from the picturesque valleys of Tuscany, this seemingly endless flat terrain may appear uninteresting at first. And yet how appealing is each steeple and belltower as it rises out of the horizon; how personable is each town and city. Bologna, Parma, Modena, Reggio Emilia and Urbino should be on every visitor's itinerary.

If the local people don't charm you with their eccentric, fun-loving personalities, they'll get you with their music and their food. Nowhere do Italians eat more heartily, and nowhere do they love to dance as much. Venture out into the countryside on a Saturday night and you're bound to hear the strains of a polka or mazurka, played on a local invention: the accordion. Until the nineteenth century, Emilia and Romagna were separate Papal states. They were unified in 1946. Today, as one writer says, if you want to know which region you're in, pull up to any house and ask for a drink. If they give you water you're in Emilia; if it's wine you know you're in Romagna. Parts of both belonged for centuries to Constantinople, which left its Byzantine mark, notably on the magnificent basilicas of Ravenna. Today the region is colored by its politics, which are as red as its ragù, and just as uniquely Italian.

Farther south, sharing a common border with the miniscule republic of San Marino, is the even less familiar region of the Marches. Here the flatlands give way to vast green valleys ringed by snowy ridges. The slopes and summits are dotted with quaint hilltowns, formidable castles and revered shrines, many of which offer breathtaking views all the way to the shores of the Adriatic. The Marches have no reason to envy their more famous neighbors; if anything, they can boast of all the same glories, fewer tourists, less crowded restaurants and much lighter traffic, all of which add up to a host of good reasons to discover this little known part of Italy.

Ferrara to Bologna: Circling the Delta of the Po

From the 13th to 16th century, Ferrara was the stronghold of the great house of Este. Today it is often ignored by foreign visitors, yet it is a great example of the northern Italian city state and well worth a detour. It has a fairy-tale castle, a lovely cathedral, the exquisite frescoes of Palazzo Schifanoia, a great picture gallery (in the Palazzo Diamante) and notable medieval and Renaissance neighborhoods. The locals overwhelmingly use bicycles, which give it the air of a friendly small town. From Ferrara, you strike eastward, across the lowlands of the Po Delta. Take a detour for some birdwatching or head straight to Ravenna to see the magnificent Byzantine mosaics in its early Christian churches.

Surely Ravenna is one of the great overlooked miracles of Europe. The results can be seen in the church of San Vitale (pictured at right), the Baptistry of the Orthodox, and the tomb of Galla Placidia. Dante, Boccaccio and Lord Byron all adored the Basilica of St. Apollinaire; its mosaics are the last great Byzantine work completed before Charlemagne restored the West and Ravenna fell into obscurity. A visit to these churches is truly an unforgettable voyage back to the most luminous corner of the Dark Ages.

A few miles down the coast is the fishing village of Cervia, where you can sip drinks in the picturesque harbor or enjoy spa treatments at the municipal baths. From here the road to Rimini is lined with endless sandy beaches served by hundreds and hundreds of hotels. The hordes of summer visitors who use those hotels flock here for its recreational activities, yet Rimini also has a beautiful old town, where you will find the Malatesta Temple. Originally a gothic church, it was converted in the 15th century by Leon Battista Alberti, who modeled its façade on Rimini's Arch of Augustus (which marks the intersection of the ancient Roman Via Flaminia and Via Emilia). The Temple was thus one of the earliest classically-inspired Renaissance buildings. Travelers who choose to skip other regions of Italy in order to see Ravenna can make up for it somewhat by stopping at Italia in Miniatura, in Viserba di Rimini. It features hundreds of tiny replicas of Italy's most famous monuments.

Now is the time in your life when you can literally cross the Rubicon, a forlorn little stream you encounter at Savignano, on your way to Cesena. Here you will also start climbing away from the vast flood plains, up into the hills. From a distance, Cesena appears as an imposing fortress; when you drive in you find it is a charming medieval town. Visit its renowned library, built in the 15th century. Many of its 50,000 antique volumes and 400 manuscripts are on display.

The road to Forlì is lined with beautiful vistas, especially from Bertinoro. Forlì's illustrious native son is Melozzo, creator of the world's most angelic cherubim and seraphim. Only one work of his remains here today, the heroic portrait of a druggist which hangs in the Pinacoteca. Forlì itself is the most medieval of Romagna's towns, far more moody and temperamental than its neighbor Faenza, whose sunny character is much like the bright and carefree designs of its well-known ceramics. The streets are lined with charming façades, many decorated with ceramic plaques and tiles. Piazza Vittorio Emanuele is a wonderful sight too. Visit the cathedral, designed by Giuliano da Maiano in the early Renaissance style of Brunelleschi. For a rewarding side trip, take a very short detour to Brisighella, the quintessential hill town, with a 14th-century castle, an arcaded main street and great views of the valleys. Then head northwest again to Imola, which is perhaps most famous for its Formula Uno race course but also features a number of fine Renaissance palaces. As you drive north to Bologna you will pass the noble castle of Dozza, surrounded by picturesque vineyards, olive groves and cypress trees.

The Marches: Italy's East Coast Answer to Tuscany

This region is another of Italy's lesser-known wonders. Our itinerary gives you the chance to sample all of its treasures, be they natural or man-made.

Our journey begins with Urbino, hidden deep in one of the most remote corners of the peninsula. Among the most exquisite Renaissance towns in the world, it is protected by the picturesque slopes and valleys of the eastern Appenines, thus eluding all but the most determined visitors who are rewarded with the breathtaking sight of its beautiful skyline as it suddenly looms overhead. Still surrounded by the walls built in 1507, it is an erudite university town that boasts a first-class picture gallery, several stunning churches and piazzas, and the Palazzo Ducale, surely one of the world's most unforgettable edifices.

We follow the road out of the mountains and down to the fishing village of Fano, whose center is the Piazza Maggiore. There you'll find a glorious 16th-century fountain topped by a nude figure that turns capriciously with the wind. Just behind it is Palazzo della Ragione, built in 1299; the graceful tower was added in the 1700s. Fano also has a monumental Roman arch, an unusual circular cathedral, an imposing castle, and the porticoed church of Santa Maria Nuova. Here you will find a masterful altarpiece and painting by Perugino and a picture by Giovanni Santi, Raphael's father. Another of his works can be seen in the 14th-century Hospital of Santa Croce. Small as it is, Fano is a real treasure trove.

The coastal road to Ancona is not one of Italy's most picturesque, and many people find Ancona too much of a bustling seaport to be of interest, yet its harbor, dominated by the exquisite Byzantine-Lombard-gothic church of San Ciriaco, is definitely worth a visit. And if it's lovely little beaches and harbors you're looking for, head south now, to pristine Portonovo, Sirolo and Numana, perhaps with a stop in Osimo to view the impressive cathedral and its 13th-century sculptures. Just south of here is Castelfidardo, birthplace of the accordion: hundreds of styles from around the world are on display in the local museum.

Continuing on you will come to Loreto, one of Catholic Europe's greatest shrines. The object of worship is a tiny building said to be the house of the Virgin Mary, borne to this lovely spot by angels. Some of the Renaissance's finest artists - Bramante, Andrea Sansovino, Antonio da Sangallo - contributed to the buildings that now surround it; the church that protects it was decorated by Piero della Francesca, Luca Signorelli, Domenico Veneziano and others; Melozzo da Forlė's trademark angels vivify the sacristy. Set on a hilltop amidst olive groves, this is as picturesque a spot as any you'll see in Italy.

Just farther south is Recanati, another hilltown which looks out over vast dramatic valleys and faraway mountain peaks. While you are here, stop in the church of Santa Maria sopra Mercanti to see Lorenzo Lotto's haunting Annunciation. Then it's off to the fascinating walled village of Fermo, where you will be treated to more stunning views of mari e monti (sea and mountains). Pause at the city gate to visit the sanctuary of San Francesco, then climb up the town's narrow winding streets, past the unique long piazza to the 14th-century cathedral which crowns the hillside. If you believe in heaven, you will feel very close to it here.

From Fermo we drive to the southern border of the Marches, on the edge of the spectacular Gran Sasso National Park and the region of Abruzzo. Two Roman bridges lead into Ascoli Piceno, but you will use the "modern" approach, a bridge built in 1373. Just above it is the fortress, built a few decades earlier. The palazzos and belltowers of Ascoli stand out pale and pink against the mountains that form the city's backdrop, and busy Piazza del Popolo, with its lovely porticoed arcades, is a beautiful place to sit awhile. You will feel like a very smug foreigner indeed if you do.

Two more jewels remain on our itinerary. To reach them we travel north again, hugging the edge of the national park. We make a brief foray to San Severino to see Pinturicchio's stunning Mater Pacis, then we head west until we reach the great hill on which sits Camerino. Infused with the spartan values of the Capuchins, whose order was founded here, this is a melancholy town whose former treasures have mostly been plundered, except for that which no one can ever take away: its setting. Standing next to Porta San Giulia in the early morning or late afternoon, you see the landscape beloved of all the Renaissance masters from Perugino to Leonardo. Don't go to Camerino to see paintings; go there to become part of one yourself.