Well…Let’s start! It isn’t either a small village or a completely unknown place, but it seems to me right to start from my home town: Modena.
For years it was just the closest town to Maranello, site of the Ferrari factory. Today it is certainly very different because of more effective marketing from institutions, the opening of new museums and the greater care of monuments than in the past, Modena is attractive for many tourist from abroad.
Not least, the fact that the No. 1 chef in the world (up to March 2017), Massimo Bottura (his restaurant Osteria Francescana), works in the city. Bottura has become one of the main sponsors of his city attracting important politicians, business people and personalities from entertainment world (Hollande, Merkel, Zuckeberg, De Niro among others). The people of Modena have Massimo to thank.
Modena is a town of nearly 200 thousand inhabitants and It’s located near Bologna (30 Minutes far by car). As throughout Italy, it is rich in history, monuments and good food.
It was founded as a Roman colony called Mutina. It developed itself over the centuries through trade and agriculture. In 1288 it became a city controlled by the D’Este Dukes, becoming in 1598 the capital of the Duchy. The D’Este family tried to turn the city into a small capital … maybe they failed to turn it into a capital but certainly they transformed Modena in to an elegant and nice place.
People who arrive in Modena, see many streets containing names of canals (eg. Corso Canalgrande, Corso Canachiaro, Via Canalino). This is due to the fact that the city was full of canals. The canals flowed into a port inside the city where there was the main canal. This biggest canal linked Modena to the Po river, allowing trade up to the Adriatic Sea.
The city is located on the famous Via Emilia, an ancient Roman road which connected Piacenza to Rimini. It still links the main cities of the Emilia Romagna region. This street perfectly cuts Modena in two parts and it has always been the reference for its citizens …
Until the end of the 19th century, the city was surrounded by thick walls which were then demolished to make way for wide avenues. What a pity …seeing ancient pictures, the city with the walls was beautiful!
But now we enter the historic center … from which part? From the Via Emilia, of course, more precisely from Porta Bologna (the old east entrance towards Bologna).
Since I would always talk about food … I point you immediately to an ancient bakery that you would meet near Porta Bologna. The Pasticceria San Biagio. Here you can find the typical cakes of Modena. Take a special cake called Torta delle Rose (Rose Cake). In this store (but in the city everywhere), you can also buy one of the products that has made Modena known throughout the world: Traditional balsamic vinegar. I will not talk about this “black gold” (in this post) but I link you to the site of the Consortium where you can find all the information about the history of Balsamic Vinegar and about its production methodology.
After shopping … we continue to walk along the Via Emilia up to the Portico del Collegio …the Collegio building housed a college in 1700 for students of the noble families … after you come to Via Farini … turn right ..and at the end of the street appears the majesty of Palazzo Ducale. The Ducal Palace was the sumptuous residence of the D’Este Dukes and for more than a century it has being the home of the Military Academy. From here come the officers of the Italian Army.
The palace has a huge extension and is considered one of the greatest palaces of Italy. Worth a visit, but you have to schedule it. The tours are made only by reservation and only in some days of the year. But, however, you can come in and “peek at” the elegant courtyard of honor.
In front of the building, Piazza Roma. The square was full of cars in the past. Now It is only accessible by pedestrians … and today this place is fantastic. There are not many pubs or restaurants but, in my opinion, it would certainly become one of the meeting places for city nightlife if there were.
In Via Farini, near the Palazzo Ducale, there is the “Salumeria Giusti”. It’s the oldest delicatessen in Europe … year 1605. A little further on … … there is an ice cream parlour Gelateria Bloom. I was opened a few years ago … and in 2017 it won the award for best ice cream in Italy.
But back on the Emilia street and heading to Piazza Mazzini (Mazzini Square), the city’s Old Ghetto. Here you find the synagogue and nice buildings, which have been embellished and restored, but they retain some peculiar characteristics … Being of equal height to other buildings , they have an extra floor (each floor is less high) in comparison to other districts buildings…Why? Because in Ghetto the population density was very high … and by the fact It was not possible to create new spaces by widening the area, It were built lower apartments … to obtain more floors and also more rooms.
Facing the Piazza Mazzini there is a small space “Piazzetta dell Ova”. A little square where once there was the poultry market. Worth a stop … the Bar dell’Orologio … an old bar where you can enjoy an excellent coffee (ask for it with cream!).
Through a gallery you get to Piazza Grande … that with the Cathedral of Modena and the Ghirlandina is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The square remains after so many centuries the “town center”, the favorite meeting place and definitely the most visited. The Cathedral of Modena is more than 900 years old (started in 1099) and is a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture and one of the most important in the world. I do not believe that it is appropriate to dwell on the Duomo and its Ghirlandina tower, it would take too many words … I can only say MUST BE SEEN, and if you have time I’d suggest you climb up to the tower’s highest floor to enjoy a beautiful view across the city. However if you want more information please forward a link useful for discovering these monuments: VisitModena.
But now I ‘m thirsty …It’s Aperitivo Time. Caffè Concerto overlooking the square is the right bar (but the interior of the room is just as nice). What to order? If you do not like trendy cocktails like Mohito, Spritz, Moscow Mule or renowned white wines like Franciarcorta … I recommend a Modena wine, a great rosé of Lambrusco Grasparossa and Pinot Noir grapes ( “Vecchia Modena” Rosé de Noir VS Brut). But do not drink too much and save the appetite … we should go to dinner …
And here the difficulty … what do I recommend? The restaurants where you can eating well in Modena are many. I’m sure most of the restaurants offer a fulfilling experience to tourists. But in any case I can give you some indications. I do not consider Osteria La Francescana, this restaurant by itself is worth a trip to Modena … let’s focus on good restaurants but more within my resources and where you eat local gastronomic specialties.
While we’re near Piazza Grande I recommend these two restaurants: Trattoria Aldina and Restaurant Cervetta. The first is a typical trattoria (average price € 30), the second a little more elegant (average cost 40 euro). But as I wrote before, there are dozens of restaurants that I would recommend. So if you do not find a table in those two restaurants, close by there are other very nice taverns (Danilo, Il Fantino, Enzo, Omar …). If you are very unlucky and do not find any table do not despair! We eat Tigellas in “Tigelleria Chersenta”. Tigellas are typical of the area and is a kind “sandwich” with different fillings … sausage, jam, Nutella. But about Gnocco Fritto and Tigellas …a separate post is necessary.
I can assure you that food in Modena is excellent … but heavy to digest too… so a walk might be necessary. Wander through streets, it’s relaxing and during the night is even better. There are many places to stop and end the evening talking and meeting new friends. The most interesting areas are via Gallucci, Piazza della Pomposa, Via Sant ‘Eufemia.
Where to sleep in Modena? This is the sore point. I think that the city should increase the accommodation options. Tourists arrive but often do not find many high level hospitality facilities. To generalize is never fair. There are some facilities that have being renewed or improved in the services offered … but there is still much to do. If you want to stay in the historic center … I would recommend the Canalgrande Hotel, the Hotel Libertà, Hotel Milano and Hotel Cervetta. If you are traveling as a couple, there are also new B&Bs which are very comfortable: Emilia Suites, Vittorio Veneto 25, Living Arts and Stella21 … but I leave booking.com to help you in this choice.
If the next day you want to visit a museum, head to the Galleria Estense. The gallery preserves unique pieces of the collection of the D’Este Dukes including the famous portrait of Francesco D’Este by Velasquez.
In the same building is preserved the Bible of Borso d’Este (Biblioteca Estense).
For a tourist Modena means Ferrari and Maserati, so a visit to the museum of Enzo Ferrari (MEF) located near the Maserati factory, is mandatory. The world of Ferrari is extraordinarily popular. This brand brings to Modena more than 500,000 visitors / year (with the Galleria Ferrari in Maranello). On the official website, there is all the necessary information for preparing the tour and, why not, find a way to drive one of this special sportcars.
Modena is Ferrari but also “Big Luciano” so for opera lovers and the extraordinary tenor Luciano Pavarotti … visit to the museum of the House where lived Pavarotti.
I stop here … but I will return on future occasion to this city.
Below some useful information:
Nearest Airport: International Airport of Bologna – BLQ (distance 37 km)
Low Cost Airlines operating on Bologna Airport: Ryan, Easyjet, Wizzair, Airberlin, Vueling, Jetairfly.com, Albawings, Eurowings
Bologna Airport – Modena Transfer: SACA Services
Site Tourist Information …: VisitModena;
Other places of interest near Modena: Castelvetro, Levizzano, Spilamberto, Vignola, Carpi.
