The music lover trip through Italian beauties continues south of the river Po'. Leaving Veneto, Lombardy and Piedmont, we reach Emilia-Romagna region, where the central Italy mountains, the Appenines (a sort of backbone for our peninsula which ends in Calabria) begin, and where you can visit charming towns full of history, like Bologna, Modena, Ferrara, Ravenna, enchanting rocks like San Marino, and the internationally renowned Adriatic Sea resorts Rimini, Riccione, Cervia, Cesenatico, the ultimate places to be for summer days and nights.

The first summer 2011 live music venue we encounter going west to east, is at the airport of Reggio Emilia. "Campovolo 2.0" will be the second experiment in that place for Italian worshiped rocker Ligabue. To give you an idea of what it will be like, the first "Campovolo" took place in 2005 and it was attended by 220.000 fans, with Ligabue playing on 4 different stages with 2 different "electric" bands, one acoustic band and a "solo" stage: "Campovolo" still helds the European biggest ticket selling award for a single artist concert, and also the biggest in the world for year 2005. Certainly a place to be on July the 16th, 2011.

Heading south-east we easily reach Bologna, the region capital, considered by youngsters one of the most lively and funny cities in Italy. In the late 1990s and early 2000s all the main summer events and festivals used to take place in Bologna's nearby; this year you'll find 2 main events. The first one is a new rock festival for Italy, "Sonisphere", the recently born brand which identifies the biggest touring music festival across Europe, usually between June and August. The dates for the "Italian Sonisphere 2011" are 25-26 June, the place is Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola (does Ferrari and Imola recall you of... something?), the stages are 2 and the lineup is a first class one that will surely gratify all hard rock, heavy metal, alternative fans.
On the first day (25 June): Iron Maiden, Slipknot, Motorhead, Rob Zombie, Papa Roach, Mastodon, Bring Me The Horizon, Skindred and many more...
On the second day (26 June): Linkin Park, Alter Bridge, The Cult, Kyuss Lives!, Guano Apes, Sum 41, My Chemical Romance and many more...
While Sonisphere is new to Italy (and Bologna), the second event is a tradition for Bologna, usually presented as closure for the long Italian summer of big rock festivals. Its name is "I-Days Festival" (in previous years known as Indipendent Days) and it usually proposes the best international and Italian alternative rock bands. For 2011, on 3-4 September at the Arena Parco Nord in Bologna, the confirmed acts at the moment are: The Offspring, Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian, The Vaccines, more confirmations will follow in next months.

Leaving Bologna and heading north east we now reach Ferrara, qualified by UNESCO as World Heritage Site, and also worldwide renowned as the best Italian city for bicycles. "Ferrara Sotto Le Stelle" music festival, born in 1996, takes place in July in the magic atmosphere of the central Piazza Castello. Great concerts, great place, something to try... For 2011 the acts confirmed are: The National + Beirut (5 July), PJ Harvey (6 July) only date in Italy, Skunk Anansie (10 July).

And finally, to the Romagna seaside: if you can't live without your favourite music even when you are having your well deserved holiday at the sea, try these 2 locations!
Cervia, where in the central Pinarella you find the Rock Planet club. For late spring and summer 2011 you will be surprised to find and choose among following confirmed dates: Triptycon (28 May), Sick Of It All (1 June), P.O.D. (11 June), D.R.I. (2 July), Deicide + Belphagore (12 July), Marky Ramone (16 July), Sepultura (23 July), Suicidal Tendencies (9 August).
Rimini, where you find the Velvet club. For summer 2011 following events are confirmed: Gogol Bordello (6 July), Andy C aka The Executioner (6 August) considered the best drum and bass DJ in history, Morgan Heritage (11 August) for a fantastic reggae night, Dir En Grey (16 August) one of the leading bands of the "visual key" Japanese rock scene.
Not bad really for a holiday in the sun!!!

As you can see there's something for everyone, enjoy your stay in Emilia-Romagna!!!