Emilia Romagna with the EUROBUS Deluxe team

Even as we are welcomed by Urs Zingg, our coach driver, we realise that in him we have not just a coach driver on board but a dyed-in-the-wool tour guide. This makes us even more eager for the trip to Italy, and we look forward to experiencing a great deal.

After a short stop in Lucerne we set off towards the Gotthard. But shortly before our coffee break in Erstfeld, something almost unbelievable happens! The wind – affectionately called the «oldest Uri man» by the locals – greets us with such force that a gust manages to blow open the front door of the coach at full speed. Surprised himself by the power of the wind, but quick to react, Urs moves onto the hard shoulder.

We continue the short, breezy ride to the newly renovated service area in Erstfeld along the hard shoulder, where we can still take our coffee break. Despite all of Urs's efforts, he ultimately fails to repair the door and we have to swap the coach. Safety comes first, after all, and is EUROBUS's top priority. It does not take long, though, before we are on our way again in the replacement vehicle through Lombardy, past Milan, to our destination for the day, Zola Predosa in Emilia Romagna. Towards evening we reach our hotel and are welcomed with a small welcome aperitif, then treated to a balanced, typically Italian dinner.

After a hearty breakfast, today's journey takes us towards Fico Eataly, the world's largest food theme park. We are accompanied by our local tour guide Elisabetta, a friendly and very cheerful Italian, who already gives us various tips and interesting pointers about Fico on the way there.

On the large, fairground-like site, an interesting morning begins in which we can explore on our own how all kinds of Italian foods are made and even taste them. Naturally, the other guests and I can't resist stocking up on all sorts of specialities for the next few days.

In the afternoon we reach Bologna, the trade and commercial hub of Emilia Romagna. Our guide leads us through the countless lanes and across the large piazzas, where the sights are presented to us – such as the towers Torre Garisenda and Torre degli Asinelli, the Basilica San Petronio and the Basilica di Santo Stefano. Even after the tour we have time to explore the impressive old town before driving back to the hotel and being treated to a delicious 4-course dinner.

The next day we travel with the group to beautiful Modena, where Elisabetta brings the tradition-rich history of the Modenese provincial capital to life on the city tour. We stroll through the historic centre – the Centro Storico – and visit the pride of the Modenese: the Piazza Grande with its Romanesque cathedral of San Geminiano. During our stay we discover a small chocolate market and take the opportunity to treat ourselves to sweet delights and briefly escape the rainy weather. When the rain eases, we look around the university town on our own, then set off for Rubbiara di Nonantola, where the Pedroni family is already waiting for us in their small balsamic vinegar cellar.

The owner's daughter leads us, in perfect German, through the fascinatingly furnished cellar and explains the traditional but very lengthy process of balsamic vinegar production. After the insight into the making of «black gold», we taste it straight away in the adjoining Osteria di Rubbiara. Once in the small restaurant, the landlord immediately explains his rule that a strict mobile phone ban applies throughout the restaurant, which sparks some discussion in the whole group. The menu, however, outshines everything. Studded with Italian classics such as tortellini or Bolognese, and delicious desserts, our stomachs are well looked after. Everything is of course served with fine balsamic vinegar from the cellar.

Contented, we set off for the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, another sight in the Modena region. Especially for the car fans in the group, the small museum, furnished with vehicles from every generation, is a great highlight of this trip. But non-car fans, too, are impressed by the insights into the world of the traditional brand and how it came about. Not in a Ferrari, but in our comfortable Deluxe coach, we then continue towards Bologna, where we enjoy our dinner in a small trattoria.

Today is dedicated to a delicious speciality of Emilia Romagna: Parma ham. From our hotel, the excursion starts to the northern Italian city of Parma, where a local guide leads us through the medieval city centre. Towards the afternoon we drive to a typical Italian ham factory. Fully kitted out, an older Italian man leads us through the factory, where ham legs hang from the ceilings to dry and mature. From him we get a first-hand insight into the processing and the special maturing process that «Prosciutto di Parma» must undergo in order to be sold under this legally protected designation of origin.

But we don't just get an insight into how the ham is made; afterwards we even get to taste it. Fine platters of cold cuts, cheese, and red and white wine are served. Verdict: simply delicious!

In the later afternoon we head back to the hotel for the last time, where a great 4-course dinner is already waiting for us. For most of us it's off to the hotel bar again this evening, to look back over the experiences of the past days.

Early in the morning we board our coach and travel from Zola Predosa, past Parma and Milan, towards Ticino. We enjoy our lunch in a small grotto in the Chiasso region, and then head straight back to our boarding points. My verdict: «A great trip, distinguished by its culinary as well as historic highlights».