Emilia-Romagna boasts some of Italy's most hospitable people, some of its most productive land, its fastest vehicles and most soul-satisfying food.
With its lyrical landscapes, world-class art and a superb cucina contadina (farmer's kitchen), the Tuscan experience is perfectly in symbiosis with the land.
Green slopes cloaked by olive groves and sun-ripened wheat fields, castle-topped medieval towns and snow-capped Apennine peaks. Not Tuscany but Umbria, its quieter and less-trodden neighbour, and Le Marche, one of Italy's great unsung regions.
With ancient treasures, medieval towns, remote hilltop monasteries and volcanic lakes, Lazio is one of Italy's great surprise packages.
Despite its proximity to Rome and its long history of tribalism and pre-Roman civilisation, Abruzzo sits well down the pecking order of Italian regions in terms of touristic allure.
These are the top experiences and sights in Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Marche, Umbria, Lazio & Abruzzo, according to Lonely Planet.
