Golf Club S. Valentino

Few golf experiences in northern Italy blend sport and scenery quite like this one. Golf Club S. Valentino sits in the rolling foothills of the Apennines, in the province of Reggio Emilia — a corner of Emilia-Romagna better known for Parmigiano-Reggiano, Ferrari, and some of the most serious food and wine culture in Europe. The terrain here is genuinely hilly, carved by the Secchia river valley, and the course works with that natural topography rather than against it, giving players constantly shifting lies, elevated tees, and views that stretch across the wooded ridgelines.

Castellarano itself is a small medieval comune, and the course carries a quiet, members' club atmosphere — unhurried, local, and rooted in the community rather than designed for passing resort traffic. The name references San Valentino, the patron saint associated with a nearby parish, which gives the club a distinctly Italian sense of place.

Golf in Reggio Emilia province remains relatively niche, which means courses like this one reward seekers — visitors who want to play away from the tourist circuits and eat very, very well afterward.