13
E
VER SINCE IT WAS BUILT BY THE
R
OMAN CONSUL
M
ARCUS
A
EMILIUS
L
EPIDUS IN
187 BC,
THE
SS9
(S
UPERSTRADA
9)
HAS PLAYED A FUNDAMENTAL ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE
I
TALIAN NATIONAL
IDENTITY
,
BUT EVEN MORE SO OF THE REGION IT BISECTS FROM EAST TO WEST
. T
HIS ROAD
,
WHICH IS
SYNONYMOUS WITH DREAMS AND ENTERTAINMENT
,
STRETCHES FROM
R
IMINI TO THE GATES OF
M
ILAN
,
BUT ALSO REPRESENTS A VITAL TRANSPORTATION LINK AS WELL AS BEING THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE SO
-
CALLED
I
TALIAN
M
OTORVALLEY
. D
ALLARA
, L
AMBORGHINI
, D
UCATI
, F
ERRARI AND NUMEROUS OTHERS
HAVE ALL GROWN UP ALONG THE ROAD THAT
G
UCCINI CELEBRATED IN SONG
,
OR IN THE IMMEDIATE
VICINITY
. I
T
’
S IMPORTANT NOT TO LOSE SIGHT OF ALL THE MEMORIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS HISTORIC
ROAD
,
BUT IT
’
S ESSENTIAL TO AVOID THE NOSTALGIA FOR THE
“
GOOD OLD DAYS
”,
AS WE DRAW ON THE
LOCAL RESOURCES AND CULTURE AND STEP UP TO THE CHALLENGE OF OUR
B
RITISH RIVALS IN
O
XFORDSHIRE IN THE SEARCH FOR NEW MARKETS AND EVER BROADENING INDUSTRIAL HORIZONS
OTORS
F THE VIA EMILIA
