The via Emilia

In 187 B.C. the Roman state, under the command of Marco Emilio Lepido began the construction of the Via Aemilia, which connected Rimini to Piacenza.
Apart being an important way of communication, the via Emilia soon became the main element around which urban, social and economic projection of the region was organised.

Along this route a series of urban centres and markets arose at regular intervals and still today they exist: Caesena (Cesena), Forum Livii (Forlì), Faventia (Faenza), Forum Cornelii (Imola), Bononia (Bologna), Mutina (Modena), Regium Lepidi (Reggio Emilia), Parma.

In the countryside the road was usually made of gravel while inside the towns it was often paved with large stone slabs. Imposing bridges crossed the rivers and streams, such as the one near Castel San Pietro Terme, over the Gaiana Stream, which was destroyed during the Second War World.

The via Emilia
via Emilia