It covers a very important part of the territory of Regione Emilia-Romagna: in the north from the Po di Goro, it develops including the whole historical delta of the river Po and the mouths of some Apennine rivers like river Reno, river Lamone, Fiumi Uniti, Bevano, and brackish wetlands situated along the Adriatic coast and the near hinterland like Sacca di Goro, Comacchio Valleys, the "Piallasse" of Ravenna, the Salines of Cervia, the inner wetlands of Campotto Valleys, woodlands and pinewoods like Bosco della Mesola and San Vitale pinewood. It is also rich in many important monuments: the Abbey of Pomposa, St. Apollinare in Classe, the "chiaviche" (monumental water locks), and the historical town centers of Mesola, Comacchio, Ravenna, and Cervia.

Over the years, the Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, the oldest university in the Western world, has paved the way for innovation thanks to an increasingly rich programme catalogue, cutting-edge research, a convincing third mission strategy and a growing international perspective. Since its foundation in 1088, the University of Bologna has been student-centred, and, thanks to its five campuses (in Bologna, Cesena, Forlì, Ravenna and Rimini) and its Buenos Aires branch, it offers its student a varied course catalogue that is tailored to the needs of present-day society: over 200 degree programmes within its 32 departments and 5 schools.  Its community of more than 85,000 students makes the Alma Mater one of Italy’s largest universities, ranking first in Italy in terms of number of its students in exchange programmes abroad and within the top 5 universities in Europe in terms of number of exchange students. Moreover, the University of Bologna is among the top 5 Italian universities in major international rankings (Shanghai, Times Higher Education, GreenMetric). The University of Bologna is deeply committed to sustainable development and actively contributes to the achievement of the 17 sustainable development goals of the UN’s 2030 Agenda. As a comprehensive research university, the Alma Mater invests in multidisciplinary cross-cultural approach to research and teaching, which are considered as inseparable parts of the same unit. In the European landscape of research and academic cooperation, the University of Bologna is surely among the most active institutions. Indeed it has shaped and maintains alliances with industries as well as public/private organizations and also represents a crucial hub for international networks with its lively relations with America, Africa, Asia and Australia, that add up to its great networks in Europe.