Agricultural wealth and advanced industries
The fertile soils of the Po plain are ideal for growing cereals (wheat and corn), vegetables, fruit trees and vines. The region is home to a number of top-quality products with designations of origin: cherries from Vignola, pears and peaches from Emilia-Romagna, garlic from Voghiera, green asparagus from Altedo... It is also Italy's leading producer of sugar beet. Lambrusco, Sangiovese, Albana and Trebbiano grapes are used to make quality wines, though they are less well known than their Tuscan or Veneto neighbors. Cattle and pig farming are also highly developed.
As for industry, all sectors are represented, led by a mechanical industry whose reputation has long since spread beyond the country's borders: car and motorcycle manufacturers, coachbuilders and tuners are based in the provinces of Modena, Reggio Emilia and Bologna, with Ducati, Ferrari, Italjet, Moto Morini, Maserati, Lamborghini and others. Other sectors represented in the region include the food industry in Parma with Barilla and Parmalat, textiles in Carpi, ceramics in Faenza and Sassuolo, chemicals in Ravenna, biomedical in Mirandola, etc.
A discreet but dynamic tourism
Tourism plays an important role in the regional economy, and it's the Romagna Riviera that attracts the majority of travelers: the Adriatic coast is visited every year by around 10 million holidaymakers, most of them Italian, German and Dutch. The cities attract art lovers, many of them foreign, while the quality of Emilia-Romagna's cuisine and products make it an increasingly popular destination for wine and food tourism.
All the way to the left!
In Italy's political landscape, Emilia-Romagna has historically been a very left-wing region. Since 1970, successive regional presidents have all come from left-wing parties, starting with the Communist Party from 1970 to 1990.
Previous president Stefano Bonaccini, from the left-leaning Democratic Party (PD) elected in 2014 and 2020, gave way to Michele De Pascale (also from the Democratic Party) in Bologna following the November 18, 2024 elections, while he was elected in the neighboring region of Umbria (Perugia). A major blow for Giorgia Meloni's far-right and right-wing coalition, even though in Emilia-Romagna, a bastion of the left, victory was a foregone conclusion. Nevertheless, turnout was very low: only 46.42% of voters turned out to cast their ballot in Emilia-Romagna (-20% compared to the 2020 election).
