Reggio Emilia

Reggio Emilia is the Emilia-Romagna city that even Italians sometimes overlook, tucked between its more famous siblings Parma and Modena on the same straight Roman road. That obscurity is the whole point. This is where the Italian flag was born in 1797, and where the world-renowned Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education was invented, so the place punches above its weight in quiet ways. But mostly it just gets on with being prosperous, safe, superbly connected, and affordable, the sensible, unshowy choice on the Via Emilia.