Thirteen Things About Reggio Emilia

Since I moved here four years ago, I've learned a few little facts about my new "hometown". Since Reggio Emilia isn't one of the more well-known cities in Italy, I thought I'd share them with you, today.

1) Reggio Emilia's roots extend as far back as 187 BC, with the construction of the Via Aemilia (the Roman road which still exists today) by Marcus Aemilius Lepidus. At the time, the city was a justice's administration center, with a "forum", known as Regium Lepidi.

2) Reggio Emilia has a special place in the hearts of educators, thanks to the "Reggio Emilia Approach" to teaching children. My husband attended the flagship school when he was a child, and the kindergarten was cited as one of the 10 best pre-schools in the world, by Newsweek.

Inside the "Asilo Diana" kindergarten of Reggio Emilia. This is the school my hubby attended. :)

3) Reggio Emilia has its own basketball team (here, however, the sport is simply called "Basket"), called Pallacanestro Reggiana, which features several American players. In 1989-91, Joe Bryant – father of Kobe Bryant – played for them.

4) The poet Ludovico Ariosto was born just outside the city. He wrote the poem Orlando Furioso, a sequel to Orlando Innamorato, by Matteo Maria Boiardo, also from the province.

5) The city's patron saint is Saint Prospero, and his day is November 24th. He is the city saint because in the year 452, he prayed for the city's protection against the approaching Hun army, and a blanket of fog covered the city, obscuring it from the invaders.

6) When a peaceful protest march against the apparent resurgence of the fascist party was held in the city on July 7, 1960, the Italian government sent police to quell the protest – and gave permission for the police to fire at will, should an "emergency situation" arise. Five unarmed people were killed in Reggio Emilia; ultimately, eleven people died all over Italy.

7) Luciano Pavarotti made his professional debut in Reggio Emilia's Teatro Municipale, in 1961.

8) Romano Prodi, former prime minister of Italy, was from the province of Reggio Emilia, in the city of Scandiano.

9)

Stefano Baldini, winner of the 2004 Summer Olympics Marathon, is from the province of Reggio Emilia, in the city of Castelnovo di Sotto.

10) The Italian national flag – the Tricolore – was created here on January 7, 1797.

11) If you enjoy Parmigiano Reggiano, this is the place to find it! (That's the real name of "Parmesan" cheese, by the way.)

12) Reggio Emilia's sister cities include Dijon, France; Girona, Spain; and Fort Worth, Texas.

13) Reggio Emilia is home to several fashion houses, such as Max Mara, Mariella Burani and Elena Mirò.

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Since I didn't have any eye candy specific to Reggio Emilia, I thought I'd share a shot of one the boys from Padua... What the heck, at least he's Italian:

Mirco Bergamasco - Italian Rugby player...

Ciao!