Reggio Emilia is a town of North Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 140,000 inhabitans and is the main comune (municipality) of the Province of Reggio Emilia.
The town is also named, more officially, Reggio nell'Emilia The inhabitants of Reggio nell'Emilia (called Reggiani) usually call their town with the simple name of Reggio. In some ancient maps the town is also named Reggio di Lombardia.
The ancient roman name of the town is Regium Lepidi, in honor of Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, the founder of the town and of the Roman way Via Emilia, still the main road of the region and giver of the name.
History
The town, before the unity of Italy, was part of the independent Duchy of Modena and Reggio ( Italian: Ducato di Modena e Reggio)
The old town has an exagonal form, which derives from the ancient walls, and the main buildings are from XVI - XVIII centuries.
The town is also known for the Reggio Emilia approach in children's education