Emilia-Romagna's guaranteed warm welcome

Families on an Italian holiday who are prepared to explore inland from the Adriatic coast in Italy's Emilia-Romagna region are in for a treat. Hotels like the newly-opened four-star Grand Hotel at Terme Della Fratta offer a good base for exploring the region's cuisine, history and activities – with a relaxing break available at its spa facilities if it all gets too much.

History fans in the family can take a trip to the Rubicone river valley, where Julius Caesar took the irrevocable step of declaring war with Cisalpine Gaul in 49BC by crossing the river.

At that time it marked the border with Roman Italy; hence the phrase "crossing the Rubicon". If your children have agreed to behave well at lunch in return for some treat, make them seal the deal by crossing the Rubicone.

The valley is also the setting for the Pascucci craft workshop in Gambettola, where the region's speciality - printed cloth - is proudly on display.

Emilia-Romagnans in the late 18th century hit upon the idea of mixing iron oxide with more traditional ingredients to create a colour for their printed fabrics that is as distinctive a local trademark as the famous Romagnol piadina bread.

Which brings us, unavoidably, to Italian food. The cuisine throughout the region is superb. Squacquerone is a watery cheese made from cow's milk whose flavour is perfectly suited to its texture.

Coppa, rigadena and the ubiquitous prosciutto should not be missed either. The cacao fruit will arouse the curiosity of kids used to apples and bananas. All of which should be washed down by a good Trebbiano or Pagadebit, of course.

Food is such an important part of Romagnol culture it even has a lifestyle attached to it. The region's 'slow food' movement developed in 1989 in reaction to rushed modern lifestyles.

They prefer to use locally-sourced produce and want the people doing the eating to have some knowledge about the background of the food, which is why fresh mullet from the Adriatic is a popular dish in the region.

More literal lessons in food can be found in the Casa Artusi cookery school in Forlimpopoli, a small town just outside Forli.

The school houses the library of Pellegrino Artusi, a 19th century gastronome whose recipe-collecting resulted in the world-famous Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well in 1891.

Competition for tables at the Casa Artusi restaurant is intense, and rightly so because the food cooked here is out of this world.

The Ravioli Artusiana, featuring ricotta and cornflour ravioli, is magnificent while the potato-based Budino di Potate dessert is a delicious curiosity.

In between sitting down to large meals and relaxing, send active teenagers off to experience some of the region's outdoor activities.

Advancing into the foothills of the Apennines is a good bet here, as there are excellent cycling and walking opportunities.

The Campigna national park, with its rolling acres of forest, is popular with locals and visitors alike.

For those who prefer to limit their explorations to the valleys, the Count Guidi Rocca castle at Dovadola, the Tribuna at the entrance to Modigliana and the Bruisa bridge at Bocconi are all worth a look.

The most prominent castle from the coastal plain around Rimini and Ravenna is Bertinoro's Fortress, which guards over the village's cluster of houses on the hillside.

Built in the tenth century, the imposing structure is now home to a thought-provoking inter-faith museum celebrating the links between Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

Down the hill in the town's main square is the Colonna della Anella. The simple column features 12 metal rings, which have no apparent purpose.

In fact they were constructed, so the story goes, by two 13th century noblemen from the town who needed to solve a row between Bertinoro's competing families.

Visitors would tie their horses to one of the 12 rings, choosing at random which family they would stay with. Only through chance could competition over hospitality be resolved.

The tradition is repeated on the first Sunday in September, when - if you're lucky - you can pick an envelope off the rings and be welcomed for lunch by a family in the town.

Then you'll be able to enjoy, first-hand, irrefutable evidence of the region's naturally welcoming impulses.

Alex Stevenson