Emilia-Romagna is an administrative Region of Northern Italy, comprising the former regions of Emilia and Romagna. It has an area of 22,446 km², and about 4.4 million inhabitants.
Emilia-Romagna is one of the richest, most developed regions in Europe, and it has the third highest GDP per capita in Italy. Bologna, its capital, has one of Italy’s highest quality of life indices and advanced social services.
Emilia-Romagna is also a cultural and tourist centre, being the home of the University of Bologna, one of the first universities in the world, containing Romanesque and Renaissance cities (such as Modena, Parma and Ferrara), being a centre for food and automobile production (home of automotive companies such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Pagani, De Tomaso and Ducati) and having lively coastal resorts such as Rimini and Riccione.