The center of Reggio Emilia is framed between Via Emilia, which runs through its historic centre and it is crossed by Via Roma. This ancient Roman city is a town of cultural interest with an interesting artistic and historical heritage, its strong cultural being tradition tangible everywhere.
A tour of this city can begin from Piazza del Monte, where we find Palazzo del Monte di Pietà; nearby, in Piazza Camillo Prampolini, in the heart of the city, are to be found the most important municipal and religious buildings. Here is the statue of the Cròstolo, dedicated to a torrent which flows in the province. The Cathedral rises in the square with its unfinished façade and it is full of works of art. One example is the ?Expulsion of the Laity from the temple? by Orazio Talami, a 17th century work.
Near the Baptistery there is the City Hall, with the room of the Tricolour, where in 1797 the representatives of Reggio, Modena, Ferrara and Bologna met in order to declare the Tricolor as the flag of the Cispadane Republic.
Among the most ancient churches of the city it is important to remember the Basilica of San Prospero beyond the Cathedral with frescoes by Camillo Procaccino and the Church of St. Augustine with paintings of different artists.
A careful visitor wouldn't miss the Sanctuary of the Beata Vergine della Ghiara, decorated with a large quantity of frescoes by important artists, including a beautiful painting by Guercino.
Churches, museums, palaces and historical galleries - Reggio Emilia swarms with unmissable beauties - such as the Valli Municipal Theatre, centre of the cultural life of the city and now named after the actor Romolo Valli. The theatre, of neoclassical architecture, is immersed in the green of the Public Gardens and is near the second theatre of the city, Ariosto Theatre, both always have full bills of shows.
Leaving the city, one can explore the plains of Reggio; in Reggiolo, there is the suggestive Fortress with the donjon, considered the main monument, set in greenery, while in Coreggio you cannot miss the renaissance Princes' Palace with the delightful portal and the municipal museum inside. Then there's the Basilica of the Saints Quirino and Michele, and the large number of Villas in the neighbourhood set in bright green vegetation.
A village impossible to miss is Quattro Castella which takes its name from four castles rising on four hills, Mount Vetro, Bianello, Mount Lucio and Mount Zane.
An avenue leads to the Castle of Bianello, where Countess Matilde of Canossa resided at different times.
Among the properties of the Canossa, don?t forget to visit the Castle of Carpinete, located in a scenic position with a huge sight on the Apennines.
In the town of Quattro Castella there is a great concentration of archaeological finds.
In Roncolo, Mangalano, Forche, Puianello, Campo Pianelli and Ghiardello different stone manufactured articles have been discovered dating back to the Palaeolithic period up to the Roman period.
The Apennines of Reggio had its highest period of splendour in the 11th century, with the town of Canossa at the centre of European politics. Of the Castle of Canossa, one of the most famous properties of the Countess, only few architectural structures remain today, but the landscape and the folk memories make it a place full of magic and suggestion.
It is impossible to list all the places to see but for sure it is impossible to forget Guastalla, with its Cathedral and Ducal Palace and Scandiano with its Fortress of Boiardo.
