Maratona di Reggio Emilia: Dates, Tickets & Venue (Reggio Emilia)

Sunday, 24 January 2027

Reggio Emilia runs its marathon in deep winter. The Maratona di Reggio Emilia is a long-standing Italian road race, and this edition takes place on Sunday, January 24, 2027.

The city sits on the flat Po plain, halfway along the old Roman Via Emilia between Parma and Modena. Its historic centre is a compact hexagon traced by the line of the former walls. Inside it, porticoed streets link a chain of squares, and Reggio has been known as the Città del Tricolore since the Italian flag was adopted here in 1797.

Race entries and the spectator’s free seat

“Tickets” for a marathon means a race bib. The organiser publishes registration details, the course map and the race-day timetable on the official Maratona di Reggio Emilia website. That is also where entry fees and medical certificate rules are set out. Italian races normally ask for a sports medical certificate, and foreign runners typically sort their paperwork through the route the organiser describes.

Spectators need nothing at all. The course runs on public roads, so watching costs nothing. People usually gather near the start and finish and along the porticoed stretches of the centre, where the arcades give some cover.

Arriving by Frecciarossa, Italo or the A1

Most visitors arrive by train. Reggio Emilia has two stations, and they do different jobs:

• Reggio Emilia AV Mediopadana: the high-speed stop, under Santiago Calatrava’s white rippling steel canopy, north of the centre. Frecciarossa and Italo trains call here on the Milan–Bologna line. Milan is under an hour away and Bologna is roughly 20 minutes.
• Reggio Emilia (central station): on the regional Via Emilia line, a short walk east of the historic centre. Regional trains from Parma, Modena and Bologna stop here.

Regional trains and local buses link Mediopadana to the centre. Drivers come in on the A1 Autostrada del Sole, which has its own Reggio Emilia exit. Bologna’s Guglielmo Marconi airport is the usual gateway for international flyers, about an hour away by road or rail.

A January marathon on the Po plain

The date shapes everything about this race. Late January in the Po Valley is typically cold, damp and still. Morning fog, the famous nebbia of the plain, often hangs over the fields and sometimes over the streets of the city itself.

For runners, that usually means cool racing conditions and a flat course with little wind. It can also mean a cold wait in the starting area. Runners commonly turn up in an old layer they shed once the gun goes.

For spectators, standing still for two or three hours in January is the hard part. Locals watching a winter race tend to bring a thermos and wear proper gloves. They also drift between squares rather than holding one spot all morning.

Cheering from under the porticoes

Italians cheer loudly and by name. If a runner’s first name is printed on the bib, you will hear it shouted, usually with “Dai!” (“Come on!”) or “Forza!” (“Go on!”). Joining in is the expected thing, not an intrusion.

Coffee keeps the crowd going, and the bar ritual has its own rules:

• Stand at the counter. An espresso drunk at the bar is the normal way, and sitting at a table often costs more.
• Pay first where there is a cassa. In many bars you pay at the till, then hand your receipt to the barista.
• Order simply. Un caffè is an espresso; cappuccino is a morning drink, and ordering one at 11am on race day is perfectly normal.
• No tipping needed. Cards and contactless are widely accepted, and restaurant bills usually include a coperto (cover charge) instead of a tip.

Sunday rhythm matters too. Many shops in Italian cities close on Sunday afternoons, while bars and restaurants stay busy with long family lunches.

Erbazzone, cappelletti and the post-race table

Reggio’s food is reason enough to stay the night. This is Parmigiano Reggiano country: the cheese takes half its name from the province. After 42 kilometres, these are the dishes runners and their supporters usually go looking for:

• Erbazzone: a savoury pie of chard or spinach, Parmigiano and lard-enriched pastry. It is sold in slices by bakeries across the centre, and it is the city’s signature street food.
• Cappelletti in brodo: small stuffed pasta in hot broth, the classic winter dish of the province and ideal for a cold January afternoon.
• Tortelli verdi: pasta parcels filled with greens and ricotta, dressed in butter and Parmigiano.
• Gnocco fritto: puffed fried dough served with cured meats.
• Lambrusco: the fizzy local red, served cold, usually from the hills around Reggio.

The night before, cappelletti or tortelli make an obvious carb-load. Many trattorie fill up with Sunday lunch regulars, so the post-race table tends to need a little patience.

Reggio Emilia when the legs stop

The centre is small enough to see on tired feet. A slow afternoon loop covers most of it:

• Sala del Tricolore, in the town hall on Piazza Prampolini, where the green, white and red flag was adopted in 1797. The Museo del Tricolore next door tells the story.
• Piazza Prampolini and Piazza San Prospero, the twin squares at the core of the city, with the Duomo between them.
• Teatro Municipale Romolo Valli, the 19th-century opera house facing the gardens on Piazza della Vittoria.
• Collezione Maramotti, a contemporary art collection in a former Max Mara factory on the city’s northern edge.

Parma and Modena are each a short regional train ride away, so many visitors turn race weekend into a few days on the Via Emilia. Opening times for the museums vary through the year, and each publishes its current hours on its own website.