Emilia-Romagna works well by motorhome as long as you check the price before you drive: the same night costs nothing at an inland comune and 30 euros on the Adriatic in summer. The stopover here is an area di sosta, or sosta for short, and the comune (the municipality) sets it up, prices it and sets the stay limit. The rest of the trip is three lines on a map: the Via Emilia, the Apennines to the south, the Adriatic to the east.

Every figure below comes from the comuni’s own pages, checked on 2026-11-08. The sign at the entrance beats them and beats us: an ordinanza can change between one season and the next.

The Via Emilia: towns close together, cheap soste

The old Roman road links Piacenza, Parma, Reggio, Modena and Bologna, and the drives between them are short. Piacenza has 13 pitches at the Torrione Fodesta: 10 euros a pitch, 3.80 euros for electricity, 4 euros for water and waste. The gate is open 8am to 7pm Monday to Saturday and closed on Sundays, and the area shut from 15 to 31 August this year. Do not plan a Sunday arrival or departure.

At Castell’Arquato, in the Piacenza hills, overnight parking is allowed only at car park P5 on via Niero; the comune says the other car parks do not allow it. Scandiano, near Reggio, is free but holds only 3 motorhomes and caps the stay at 48 hours. Castel San Pietro Terme, just outside Bologna, has 11 motorhome bays and a dump point on viale Oriani. The comune does not post a price, so bring coins.

Up in the Apennines, Pavullo nel Frignano charges 18 euros per 24 hours (10 euros for 12 hours, 3 euros for services only), with a maximum of 72 hours in any 7 consecutive days. Castel del Rio, in the Santerno valley, is open access and free for now.

ZTLs: walk into the center

Every Via Emilia town has a ZTL, a zona a traffico limitato. In Bologna it applies every day from 7am to 8pm, and Sirio cameras read plates at the entrances. Article 7, paragraph 14 of the Codice della Strada sets the fine at 83 to 332 euros, and each comune draws its own zone. The practical rule is simple: leave the van at the sosta on the edge of town and go in on foot, by bus or by train.

In winter, add the anti-smog rules. From 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027 the comuni on the plain apply the “Liberiamo l’aria” measures, and each comune’s own ordinance says which vehicles are affected. If your motorhome is an older diesel, check Arpae’s page before you drive into a city.

The coast in summer: higher prices, tighter rules

Cervia sums up the coast on its own. The comune lists five areas. Three are free with a 72 hour limit: via Aldo Ascione in Milano Marittima (20 bays, free water and waste), via Jelenia Gora (20 bays, no services) and via Tritone at Pinarella (60 bays, free water and waste). Via Forlanini, by the spa, has 40 bays from April to November at 12 euros a day, 18 with electricity. And viale Europa Unita at Pinarella has 33 pitches with power, toilets and showers, at 30 euros a day, open in summer and booked through Coop. La Brianza.

At Marina di Ravenna, the via del Marchesato area charges 6 euros per 24 hours from 25 April to 13 September, 72 hours maximum, with a water fountain and a drain. The comune does not say what applies out of season, so read the meter.

Cervia bans camping behavior at all its areas: no awning, no table, no chairs. That is Article 185 of the Codice della Strada applied to a car park: as long as the vehicle touches the ground only with its wheels and stays within its own footprint, it is parked, not camped. Emptying tanks anywhere other than a proper facility carries a fine of 87 to 344 euros (paragraph 6). The rest of the Italian rules are in our guide to Italy’s soste.

How to plan it

In July and August the coast is the expensive leg. Keep it to a night or two and spend the rest of the week on the Via Emilia and in the hills, or book Pinarella ahead. Out of season, Cervia’s three free areas stay free, the via Forlanini area is closed December to March, and Marina di Ravenna publishes no winter tariff. Bring coins: not every comune says how you pay.

All 21 soste in the region are on the Emilia-Romagna map, each with its source and date. For the country overview, start at the Italy page.

Sources

  1. Aree di sosta camper, Turismo Comune di Cervia
  2. Lidi: dal 25 aprile torna il Navetto Mare gratuito, Comune di Ravenna
  3. Area di sosta camper, Comune di Pavullo nel Frignano
  4. Area sosta camper attrezzata, Visit Piacenza (Comune di Piacenza)
  5. Info camper, Comune di Castell'Arquato
  6. Nuova area sosta per autocaravan, Comune di Scandiano
  7. Area di sosta camper in viale Giovanni XXIII, Comune di Castel del Rio
  8. Parcheggio di viale Oriani, Comune di Castel San Pietro Terme
  9. Limited Traffic Area (ZTL), Bologna Welcome, official tourist information
  10. Art. 7, Codice della Strada, Automobile Club d'Italia
  11. Art. 185, Circolazione e sosta delle autocaravan, Codice della Strada, Automobile Club d'Italia
  12. Liberiamo l'aria, anti-smog measures, Arpae Emilia-Romagna

When a source is not in English, follow the link for the official wording.