American Airlines announced it is adding four weekly non-stop flights from Philadelphia to Italy’s Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport. Those in the Italy vacation know, know that Bologna is the capital of the Emilia Romagna region. The region is well known for its fine food, home to luxury Italian sports car manufacturers Ferrari and Pagani, has a rich cultural history where Verdi, Toscanini and Pavarotti all called Emilia Romagna home, and is where Europe’s first university opened in 1088. The airport is named after Marconi, who was born in Bologna and invented the radio. Students still make up much of the city’s life, giving modern Bologna a pleasant combination of medieval history and modern tempo.
Aficionados of life’s finer things will now have a convenient way to fly into Bologna and the surrounding northern Italy area without need to go through a European connection. This makes Bologna the newest city in Italy with nonstop flights from the United States. Other cities in Italy served by non-stop flights from the United States include Milan, Naples (United Airlines recently added flights between Newark and Naples), Venice, and Rome.
Flights on the route will depart from Italy on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. arriving in Philadelphia at 4:05 p.m. On Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, flights from Philadelphia will depart at 7:45 p.m. arriving the next day at 9:20am in Bologna.
In addition to Bologna, the region has excellent cultural attractions.
Ravenna is where Byzantine Mosaics thrived under the emperor Justinian. The walls of Ravenna’s Basilica of San Vitale and the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare display these masterpieces.
Food holds a special place in the region. Parma (parma ham and parmigiano reggiano cheese), Medina (balsamic vinegar) and the family of Lambrusco wines are all native to the region.
Legal scholars at the University of Bologna revived Justinian’s Roman Law and Thomas Becket brought those scholars to England to establish that law there. Geoffrey Chaucer visited Francesco Petrarch, who taught language at the university in Bologna. Enzo Ferrari began his automotive designs in the region and the Ferrari Museum is located in Modena today.
Besides the four American flights from Philadelphia, Emilia Romagna can be easily accessed from Milan (Malpensa International Airport) and Venice (Marco Polo Airport) as well as by rail and road. For more information about visiting the region, click Emilia Romagna.