Modena

Modena (Mòdna in the Modenese dialect) is an Italian town of 186 741 inhabitants, the capital of the province of the same name in Emilia-Romagna.

In the sources the first news about Modena dates back to the war between the Romans and the Boi who lived in the area. The center served as a military garrison even before the official foundation of the city by the Romans. The city, in fact, was ritually founded in 183 BC, as a colony under Roman law, by the triumvirs Marco Emilio Lepido, Tito Ebuzio Parro and Lucio Quinzio Crispino who brought two thousand citizens from Rome. Since the 6th century Modena has been a ducal city of the Longobard Kingdom (Longobard Ducati) on the border with the possessions of the Eastern Roman Empire, ie the Byzantine Empire. (History of Modena). Like most of the Lombard municipalities in 1167 Modena joined the Lombard League against Federico Barbarossa. From 1598 to 1859 it was the capital of the Duchy of Modena and Reggio and is an ancient university and archbishopric. In 1757 the Duke Francesco III d'Este founded the Military Academy for the training of the officers of the Estense army based in the ducal palace. With the unification of Italy the Palazzo Ducale was the seat of the Military School of the Kingdom of Sardinia, then the Kingdom of Italy, which evolved over the decades to become in 1947 the Military Academy of the Army and of the Carabinieri.

The Cathedral, the Civic Tower and the Piazza Grande of the city have been included, since 1997, in the list of Italian World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

 

Monuments and places of interest

Religious architecture

Cathedral. Mon-Sun 7:00-12:30 and 15:30-19:00. A masterpiece of the Romanesque style, the cathedral was built by the architect Lanfranco on the site of the tomb of San Geminiano, patron saint of Modena, where previously, starting from the fifth century, two churches had already been erected. In the crypt of the cathedral are the relics of the saint. It is a rare and incredibly well-preserved testimony to the Romanesque style in general, both inside and out.
The Cathedral, with the Torre Civica and the Piazza Grande of the city, has been included in the list of Italian heritage sites by UNESCO.
The Cathedral of Modena is the first church of the city and of the Archdiocese of Modena-Nonantola. Considered one of the greatest masterpieces of the Romanesque style thanks to the architectural structure of Lanfranco and the sculptural contribution of Wiligelmo, it is the most important monument of the city and is still the center of religious life in Modena.
It was built starting from 1099 on the site of the tomb of San Geminiano, patron saint of Modena, where two churches had already been erected since the fifth century.
On the facade opens the main portal sculpted by Wiligelmo, also author of the four stone panels with stories from the book of Genesis. On the southern side there is the Porta dei Principi, the work of the so-called Master of San Geminiano and other followers of Wiligelmo, and the Porta Regia, in Veronese red marble. On the northern side there is instead the Porta della Pescheria, evidence of the Burgundian influence.
Inside the cathedral you can admire the valuable pier with reliefs by Anselmo da Campione (about 1160-1180) and the terracotta Nativity scene by Antonio Begarelli from Modena (1527). The relics of the saint are kept in the crypt, placed in a simple 4th century urn covered with a stone slab and supported by bare columns. The sarcophagus, kept in a crystal case, is opened every year on the occasion of the feast of the saint himself (January 31) and the remains of the saint, dressed in bishop's clothes with the crozier next to them, are exposed for the devotion of the faithful. The crypt also houses the crib in polychrome terracotta (also known as Madonna della pappa) by Guido Mazzoni.

Piazza Grande (On the south side of the Duomo). Splendidly framed by the Cathedral, the Civic Tower (or Ghirlandina) and the portico of the Palazzo Comunale, historical symbols of the community and of civil and religious power.
The strong civil vocation of the square is still witnessed today by the presence of the Preda ringadora, a large rectangular marble boulder located a few meters from the portico of the Palazzo Comunale. Originally it probably belonged to an ancient Roman building; later, in medieval times, the Preda was used as a stage for speakers, but also as a place to carry out the death sentences and display the bodies of the drowned, awaiting recognition. Insolvent debtors were publicly humiliated by having them sit bare-buttocked three times on the turpentine-covered stone.
Opposite, in the apse of the Cathedral, the measurements of the pole, the arm, the tile, the brick are still engraved, as a guarantee of the honesty of trade in the square: this testifies that the square was truly the heart of the city, place of great economic importance where, until 1931, the market was also held. To guarantee the fairness of commercial exchanges in the Middle Ages there was an "Office of Good Estimate", whose symbol seems to be a thirteenth-century statuette depicting a woman, called by the Modenese La Bunessma that is "Bonissima", still present today in a corner of the square ; popular tradition instead prefers to see in this sculpture the depiction of a rich and charitable lady, who in times of famine went from house to house to give alms.
Piazza Grande is still today the beating heart of the city, the center of life in Modena. Hundreds of people flock to it on the occasion of the feast of San Geminiano, patron saint of the city (31 January), and on the afternoon of Shrove Thursday, when the Modenese mask Sandrone pronounces from the balcony of the town hall, in the local dialect, the traditional "rant" to fellow citizens, full of witty comments on the life of the city and good-natured criticism of the local administration.

Ghirlandina Tower. The Ghirlandina is the bell tower of the Cathedral of Modena. 86.12 meters high, clearly visible to the traveler who arrives in the city from any cardinal point, the tower is the true symbol of Modena.
The Torre Civica, with the cathedral and the Piazza Grande of the city, has been included since 1997 in the list of Italian heritage sites by UNESCO.
The original Tower of San Geminiano, with a square plan, built on five floors by 1179, was then raised again in the following two centuries (also for reasons of rivalry with the Bolognese towers) with the introduction of the characteristic octagonal point, according to a design by Arrigo da Campione, one of the many 'Masters from Campione' who between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries updated the style of the cathedral to the new Gothic taste. The tip is adorned with two garlands, i.e. two marble railings, hence the name.
Inside, the Sala della Secchia (with fifteenth-century frescoes) houses a copy of the famous La secchia rapita: evidence of when the tower was home to the coffers and 'trophies' of the Modena municipality.
At the end of the 19th century, various works were carried out on the tower. In 1890 the external upper pyramidal part was repaired and in 1893, after implanting a large armor all around, the Verona marble cladding was carried out. The works ended in 1897 and after the test by the engineer Giacomo Gallina of the Royal Civil Engineers, the Ghirlandina returned to the astonishment of the Modena and non-Modenese, more beautiful than ever.
The panorama that can be enjoyed from the lantern, over the red tiled roofs of Modena, is absolutely unique.
In the small Piazza Torre overlooking Via Emilia is the monument to Alessandro Tassoni, the most famous of Modena poets, author of the heroic poem La sechia rapita, in which the medieval disputes between Modena and Bologna are narrated with supreme irony. The wit of the character is well represented in the pose of the statue, created in 1860 by the Modenese sculptor Alessandro Cavazza.
The five bells, in the C major chord, date back to the Renaissance.
Also noteworthy are the sculpted capitals of the Stanza dei Torresani, on the fifth floor.
Capital of David: two crowned figures playing instruments surrounded by female dancers.
Capital of the Judges: the meaning of the depicted scenes is not clear: on the left a king with a book in his hand seems to be listening to the pleas of two women; on the right a character is in despair while behind him two winged beings are walking away.
The other capitals pose no problems of interpretation as they are purely decorative.

4 Palazzo Ducale, info@visitmodena.it. Sat-Sun by reservation only. It was the seat of the Este court between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries; subsequently, since the unification of Italy, the Palace houses the prestigious Military Academy of Modena.
The building, one of the most important princely palaces of the seventeenth century, was built starting from 1634 on the site of the ancient Este castle, which in the Middle Ages was located on the city limits: only following the expansion of the walls wanted by the duke Ercole the castle came to occupy a symbolic position, between the medieval center of the municipality and the new straight districts of the ducal capital. The works, initially entrusted to the architect Gaspare Vigarani, were later carried out by Bartolomeo Avanzini; but it seems that the project was supervised by Gian Lorenzo Bernini: the great architect seems to have participated in the creation of a work that nevertheless reveals a unitary style, a solemn and elegant baroque.
The Palace houses the Historical Museum of the Academy and a precious Library (which can be consulted upon request to be presented to the Command of the Military Academy).
The majestic facade, lightened by the chromatic play of the marbles, has recently been restored. The central door leads to the elegant courtyard of honour, seat of military ceremonies, and to the evocative grand staircase. In the central hall, the ceiling is noteworthy, frescoed in the eighteenth century by Marco Antonio Franceschini with the coronation of Bradamante, progenitor of the Este family, already celebrated by Ariosto in Orlando furioso. Suggestive evidence of the magnificence of the small Modenese court in the eighteenth century is the Salottino d'oro, the work room of Duke Francesco III, who in 1756 had it covered and decorated with panels covered with pure gold. A curiosity: the panels could be disassembled, which allowed the inhabitants of Modena to keep the sitting room, disassembled and hidden in the basement, despite the occupations and looting.

Monument to Ciro Menotti. In front of the facade of the Palace, in Piazza Roma (formerly "Piazza Ducale" and then "Reale") it is possible to observe the Monument to Ciro Menotti, erected in 1879 by Cesare Sighinolfi, in memory of the patriot who organized a liberal insurrection in Modena and in the province in 1831 and was arrested and executed. The statue holds the flag in its hand and seems to be looking at the window of the Palace where Duke Francesco IV signed his death sentence.

5 Town Hall. The town hall closes the eastern and northern side of Piazza Grande with its portico and is still the seat of the Municipality of Modena.
It is not actually a single building, but the result of the 17th-18th century renovation of numerous buildings built starting from 1046, all with the same function of administrative and representative buildings. The ancient civic tower (today Torre Mozza) collapsed in 1671 following an earthquake. Interesting in the north wing is the Sala delle Bifore, an environment in which part of the previous medieval facade has come to light, set back a few meters from the previous one.
The Sala del Fuoco: Inside, the frieze of the Sala del Fuoco is noteworthy, a series of paintings executed by Nicolò dell'Abate in 1546, depicting the episodes of the siege of Modena in 44 BC: an opportunity to depict the characters from Roman history (Marco Antonio, Bruto, Augusto) in a typically 'Emilian' background in which there are also some views of the city. In the fire room there was always a brazier from which the people could take the embers to activate their domestic fire. It was obviously a public service much appreciated by all Modena citizens.
The Secchia Rapita: In the Camerino dei Confirmati one of the symbols of the city is kept: the Secchia rapita, a normal wooden bucket that reminds the people of Modena of the glorious victory obtained against the Bolognese in 1325 in the battle of Zappolino. According to an ancient chronicle, found in the seventeenth century and which inspired the heroic poem by Alessandro Tassoni, La sechia rapita, the people of Modena stole the bucket from a Bolognese well, and brought it back to the city as a trophy.
The Preda Ringadora: The bucket is a direct testimony of medieval life in the city: we can compare it to the Preda Ringadora, a large rectangular marble boulder located a few meters from the portico of the Palazzo, which probably originally belonged to an ancient Roman building. In medieval times, the Preda was used as a stage for speakers, but also as a place to carry out death sentences and display corpses (so that someone could identify them).
La Bonissima: The statue called della Bonissima also dates back to the Middle Ages, a mysterious female figure erected in 1268 in Piazza Grande and then later placed above the portico of the Palazzo Comunale, on the corner with via Castellaro. Tradition tells of a generous Modena noblewoman, Bona, who distinguished herself in her generosity towards the poor. More probably the female figure (who perhaps held a scale in her hand, now lost) is the symbol of Good esteem (hence in dialect bona ésma and then bonésma), that is to say of precision in terms of measurements and sales: at the foot of the in fact, the ancient Modenese mercantile measures were engraved on the statue, documented starting from 1547 on the apse of the Cathedral.

6 Church of Santa Maria della Pomposa (Aedes Muratoriana). It is one of the oldest churches in the city (it has been documented since 1153), but the building retains very little of its original structure: in addition to the masonry of the lower half of the church, it is possible to distinguish the trace of an ancient door on the facade later closed, of which the very simple terracotta capitals and part of the round arch remain, as well as traces of the sawtooth decoration of the left attic and of the central oculus, while the massive tower alongside the building (which perhaps in the Middle Ages it was part of a castle) is cut off at a certain height.
More than for its monumental importance, the importance of the church is due to the fact that it was the parish seat and residence of Ludovico Antonio Muratori, the great Modenese historian, who was its "provost" (parish priest) from 1716 to 1750. By his own will Muratori, at the time already a renowned scholar and writer, had himself assigned "the care of souls" in what was one of the poorest and most run-down neighborhoods of the city. The church itself, in poor condition, was rebuilt from the ground up, and Muratori had the choir added. Inside there is a cycle of paintings of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries on San Sebastiano, the work of Bernardino Cervi and Francesco Vellani.
The church with adjoining rectory (where Muratori lived while attending to his most famous works) today constitutes the complex of the Aedes Muratoriana ("Casa del Muratori"), seat of the Deputation of Homeland History and of the Muratorian Museum. The monument to L. A. Muratori, which stands not far away, on the Largo of the same name overlooking the Via Emilia, testifies to the affection of the people of Modena for one of its most illustrious citizens. Sculpted by Adeodato Malatesta, who did not want to receive compensation, the monument portrays the historian in a thoughtful attitude, but also manages to suggest his profound humanity.

7 Church of Sant'Agostino. Next to the Palazzo dei Musei, this church overlooks Piazzale Sant'Agostino (also called Pantheon Atestinum, as it is adorned with statues and busts of saints and blesseds from the house of Este, or in some way related to it). Built in the fourteenth century on the site of a previous "church of the Augustinians" founded in 1245 and still bearing numerous traces of that era on the left side, it currently however has a marked seventeenth-century appearance. In fact, it was profoundly modified in 1663 at the behest of the Duchess Laura Martinozzi, who wanted the solemn funeral of Duke Alfonso IV, her husband, to be celebrated here: the sober fourteenth-century structure is decorated with a rich stucco decoration and a fine coffered ceiling, on which several artists painted portraits of nobles and saints. On the other hand, the terracotta sculptural group of the Deposition of the Cross (1476), a masterpiece by the Modenese Antonio Begarelli, stands out for its dramatic intensity. Another visible trace of the ancient church, preserved inside, is the fourteenth-century fresco of the Madonna della Consolazione by Tommaso da Modena: a Mary portrayed with delicate naturalness in the act of breastfeeding the Child.

8 Church of the Vow (Madonna della Ghiara). The church stands a short distance from the cathedral and takes its name from a vote of the Modena municipality and Duke Francesco I d'Este made in 1630, when the city was hit by a very serious plague epidemic which, according to a chronicler, came to cause up to two hundred deaths a day. The vote of the Municipality was precisely to build, if and when the epidemic had ceased, a church which, due to the interest of the duke (who took refuge with the court on the hills of Reggio Emilia during the plague) was dedicated to the Madonna della Ghiara, protector of Reggio (who , unlike Modena, was only touched by the epidemic).
As soon as this was finished, to keep the vow, based on a design by the Modenese architect Cristoforo Galaverna, construction of the church began in 1634 in a rather hybrid style and surmounted by a dome. The painter Lodovico Lana was also commissioned a large altarpiece which is still found inside together with other paintings and represents scenes of the plague in the lower part and the Virgin and Child with saints, angels and on a plate is the offering of the city recognizable by the towers of the cathedral and the town hall.

9 Church of San Francesco. The Franciscan friars arrived in Modena very early: there is news of a convent outside the walls as early as 1221, when Francis of Assisi was still alive. The current church was built very slowly, starting in 1244, and two centuries later it was still not finished. The exterior is in a sober Gothic style, traces of which remain visible on the northern side but mainly in the façade, which has kept its structure almost intact even if this is partly due to nineteenth-century renovations.
The interior has been somewhat remodeled and houses one of Begarelli's masterpieces, the Deposition of Christ from the Cross: a group of thirteen statues "photographed" in an intensely dramatic moment. In front of the facade of the church is a fountain with a statue of San Francesco, by Giuseppe Graziosi (1920).

10 St. Peter's Church. Tradition has it that the church stands on the site of an ancient temple to Jupiter Capitolinus. However, the current church was built starting from 1476 according to a project by the architect Pietro Barabani of Carpi. It is a fine example of Renaissance architecture in Modena, as well as one of the most beautiful churches in the city, embellished inside by a sixteenth-century organ with gilded wood carvings and very well painted doors, by a Madonna attributed to Giovanni Battista Salvi known as Sassoferrato, and above all by the numerous terracotta works created by Begarelli: the six saints arranged around the central nave, the Pietà and the so-called Begarellian Apogee, a group depicting the Assumption of the Madonna between the saints Peter, Paul, Benedict and Geminian. The remarkable bell tower was erected in 1629.
Adjacent to the church there is an ancient abbey inhabited by a congregation of Benedictine monks. Originally the monastery of San Pietro was founded outside the city walls in 996 as a bishop's foundation.

11 Church of San Carlo. It was built starting from 1664 to a design by Bartolomeo Avanzini; on his death the design was entrusted to the master mason, his brother Giovanni Pietro Piazza. Once the works were completed, which lasted more than a century, it was finally consecrated in 1766. The church re-proposes the church of San Carlo ai Catinari in Rome in reduced dimensions (with the exception of the dome), and was intended to give the Collegio San Carlo, o Collegio dei Nobili (founded in 1626) a worthy place of worship. The facade is built in brick with marble friezes and a triangular tympanum that closes the façade, while the interior has three naves supported by arches and delimited by four large central bodies on which the dome is set. The apse houses the high altar in red Verona marble, dated 1828. The monumental stucco ornamentation that adorns the apse is the work of Antonio Traeri known as Il Cestellino, and houses a canvas by Marcantonio Franceschini representing the plague of Milan of 1576 : the Madonna with Child sits in the sky, below her the raging disease and San Carlo Borromeo among other characters who prays kneeling at the Cross. Following numerous restoration interventions, the last of which dates back to 1980, the church, no longer officiated, was finally used as an auditorium. The church of San Carlo is part of a larger structure called the San Carlo complex, which also includes a chapel, a theatre, a library, as well as a spectacular portico. The complex houses the Fondazione Collegio San Carlo (formerly "Collegio dei Nobili di San Carlo"), a private research institute that carries out functions of public importance in the educational and cultural fields with particular attention to philosophy, human and social sciences and religious sciences .

12 Church of San Vincenzo. Built in 1617 on a previous church of which we have news as early as the thirteenth century. Wrongly attributed to the great Modenese architect Guarino Guarini, who however was born seven years later. In reality, the execution of the church was entrusted to Paolo Reggiano and later to Bernardo Castagnini, with whom the young Guarini perhaps collaborated. The church is embellished with frescoes by Sigismondo Caula (with painted architecture by Sebastiano Sansone), depicting the lives of Saints Vincent and Cajetan of Thiene, founder of the order of Theatines to which the church had been entrusted. The dome, frescoed by Caula and Tommaso Costa himself, was destroyed during the war in a bombing raid. In the first chapel on the left, the church also housed a canvas by Guercino which was stolen by unknown persons in August 2014.
San Vincenzo is the seat of the funerary monuments of the Este dukes.

13 Church of San Giovanni Battista, via Emilia/Piazza Matteotti. The only ancient church in Modena that is completely isolated, i.e. without buildings built against its walls, with the exception of the isolated Cathedral at the beginning of the twentieth century. Built on the site of an older church dedicated to San Michele, it was rebuilt in the sixteenth century, but reveals the profound changes it underwent in the eighteenth century in the decorations and structure (the elliptical and non-circular dome). The organ built by the organ builder Agostino Traeri is remarkable.
It still contains the masterpiece of the sixteenth-century Modena sculptor Guido Mazzoni, the Deposition from the cross (1476), a group of particularly interesting polychrome terracotta statues.

14 Church of San Bartolomeo. Headquarters of the Compagnia del Gesù since 1602, the church is one of the largest in the entire Modena area. The current temple was built to a design by the Jesuit father Giorgio Soldati from Lugano in the place where the ancient parish church dedicated to the same saint previously stood. Having demolished the narrow and obsolete building, in 1607 the Jesuits began work on the construction of the new church, which was definitively completed in 1629 including the construction of the bell tower.
The imposing facade with grandiose lines, which is influenced by the Borrominian Baroque, was erected to a design by Andrea Galluzzi from Piacenza. The plan of the building is a Latin cross with slightly protruding transepts and ends with a rectangular apse. The sacred environment is elegant, decorated but without excesses and has three naves supported by pillars to which eight semi-columns are leaning against which support four large round arches.
The first masterpiece to be admired upon entering the church is the grandiose fresco that covers the entire barrel vault by Father Giuseppe Barbieri (1642-1733), a disciple of Andrea Pozzo. The precise point where it is possible to have a correct view of the perspective measurements is marked by the black disc at the beginning of the central nave. Also noteworthy are the numerous paintings that enrich the building, some of which by renowned authors including Jean Boulanger, Giacinto Brandi, Jacopino Consetti, Lorenzo Garbieri, Ludovico Lana, Aurelio Lomi, Piero Petruzzini and Giuseppe Romani.
The majestic altar in very fine marble stands out, made in 1620 by Giovanni Battista Bassoli, Cecilio Bezi, Giovanni Battista Censori and Antonio Traeri.
Of great effect are the two twin choir stalls carved and gilded with the related organ cases of impressive dimensions. The choir on the left is original from the 17th century while the one on the right was built in 1902 to replace the previous one that burned down in a fire in which the precious instrument by the Jesuit Willem Hermans was also destroyed. The current instrument is the work of the Rieger brothers and dates from 1903.
Jewel of Baroque art thanks to the numerous paintings, the complex of frescoes, the monumental marble altar, the finely crafted stuccos and other excellently crafted furnishings, it is certainly one of the most fascinating buildings in the city.

15 Church of San Giorgio (Sanctuary of the Beata Vergine Ausiliatrice of the people of Modena). The Blessed Virgin Help of Christians is naturally the image of the Madonna present on the high altar, which in ancient times was placed outside the sanctuary so that the Modenese of the time could venerate her. The high altar of the church was made in polychrome marble by Antonio Loraghi (1666).
The church is noteworthy for its Greek cross plan (that is, composed of four arms of the same size). It was built starting from 1647 from a project by Gaspare Vigarani and Cristoforo Malagola known as Galaverna.

16 Church of San Biagio. The church saw its origins in 1319 together with the monastery in which the Carmelite friars settled, by the Sadoleto family from Modena in honor of the Blessed Virgin of Carmine. It was later rebuilt between 1646 and 1658, during the government of Francesco I. Inside, the church has a single nave; near the six arches (one on each side) there are altars. The choir and the imposing dome were frescoed by Mattia Preti, a pupil of Guercino. Next to the church there is a cloister where a fourteenth-century frescoed lunette depicting the Madonna and Child, San Martino and two offerers was found following restoration.

17 Church of San Domenico. The church is located in the place where in 1243 the Preacher friars erected a first church, liturgically oriented with a west facade. When the Este family arrived in Modena, the construction of the new Palazzo Ducale had begun, the church was very close and disharmonious with respect to the Este residence; for this reason, in 1707-1708 it was decided to demolish it and build a new temple, with a façade in line with that of the Palace. Inside the church there is a valuable model by Antonio Begarelli, a work of strong realism, which depicts Jesus in Martha's house.

18 Church of Sant'Eufemia (Church of Adoration). According to tradition, the church of Sant'Eufemia and the adjacent (ex) monastery stand on the spot where in 681 a hospice for women gathered under the rule of Saint Benedict was founded by a pious widow with seven daughters. The church has an octagonal plan with unequal sides, many of which house the presbytery, two side chapels and the door. In the presbytery in front of the entrance are the high altar in white marble and a painting depicting the Pietà from the 17th century. Externally in the stucco frames are painted symbolic figures dating back to the twentieth century, by Secondo Grandi; there are represented St. Peter preaching the Gospel, the martyrdom of St. Euphemia and that of St. Peter.

19 Church of Santa Maria delle Asse (SS. Trinità), corso Canalgrande. It is one of the oldest churches in the city and owes its name to the presence of a wooden bridge, located where the church stands today, which allowed crossing the canal. The building dates back to 1599; the interior has a single nave with six richly decorated side chapels.

20 Church of San Barnaba. The church was rebuilt in 1660 but completed only later. Inside, paintings and furnishings from the 18th century. The vault bears the paintings of Jacopo Antonio Manini, also author of the architectural parts and of the ornamentation with perspectives of corbels and chiaroscuro festoons. The six medallions depicting allegorical themes and the chiaroscuro shields were made by Sigismondo Caula.

 

21 Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Documented since the fifteenth century, the church dates back to the eighteenth century. The interior has a single nave with a semicircular apse; to the side there are four chapels and two small chapels. The vault was painted by Fermo Forti in the 19th century. On the main altar you can admire a seventeenth-century icon depicting the Madonna with saints, by Francesco Vellani.

22 Church of Jesus the Redeemer, Viale Leonardo da Vinci, 270. It is the work of the architect Mauro Galantino, winner of a competition organized by the Italian Episcopal Conference. Consecrated in 2008, its very modern architecture has aroused ample and lively debate in the citizens for the innovative solutions in the articulation of the liturgical spaces. It fits harmoniously into the peripheral urban fabric, breaking with and at the same time in continuity with the more ancient tradition of Modenese religious buildings.

23 Synagogue (Jewish Temple). The building has an elliptical plan inscribed in a rectangular area; the twelve columns supporting the women's gallery represent the twelve tribes of Israel; the decorations painted inside are all strictly non-figurative, as required by Jewish law.
Today the facade of the Synagogue is clearly visible in the most central area of the city, but in the past things were very different. In fact, when it was built, the temple was totally hidden from view by the buildings that stood in the area of today's Piazza Mazzini: these buildings were demolished in 1904. The Synagogue actually stood in the center of the Jewish ghetto, wanted by Francesco I d'Este in 1638: the neighborhood, from which Jews could not leave during the night, was closed with two gates in via Blasia and in via Coltellini. At least a thousand Jews lived here in 1861, when the ghetto was closed with the annexation of Modena to the Kingdom of Italy.
With the opening of Piazza Mazzini, the Synagogue changed its facade (in fact it was previously on the side of Via Coltellini), and found itself occupying a very central position, a few tens of meters from the Palazzo Comunale, the Duomo and the Ghirlandina. In the Fascist era, the facade was partially hidden by the foliage of the trees planted in the square.

24 Complex of Sant'Agostino. It covers approximately 25,000 m² and is located on the outskirts of the historic city centre. Originally the building housed a hospital, the Grande Spedale degli Infermi which Duke Francesco III commissioned in the mid-18th century. A little later the hospital was enlarged by doubling the front on via Emilia to also house the military infirmary. Despite the birth of the Policlinico, the hospital remained in operation until 2005, after which the personnel and the healthcare activity were transferred to the new Baggiovara hospital. Between 2005 and 2008 the entire building was acquired by the Cassa di Risparmio di Modena Foundation, which expressed its intention to transform it into the new cultural hub, including a library hub, a language center for internationalisation, a for photography and for the image, an exhibition center, a center for various complementary and economic activities. The project, which was supervised by the studio of the architect Gae Aulenti, stems from a memorandum of understanding signed in 2007 between the Cassa di Risparmio di Modena Foundation, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, the Municipality of Modena.

25 Palazzo Santa Margherita, Corso Canalgrande, 103. In the historic centre, on the site where a church dedicated to Santa Margherita once stood. Used in the 12th century as a convent, it later became a barracks; subsequently from 1874 it was the seat of the Patronato dei Figli del Popolo. Now it houses the Civic Gallery, the Delfini Library, the Figurine Museum and the Orazio Vecchi Musical Institute. The spaces dedicated to the Civic Gallery include the Sala Grande, which houses the main activities of the Gallery; the rooms on the upper floor, opened in 2004; an educational laboratory, managed with the support of the Department of Education of the Municipality of Modena; a bookshop. The large hall is located on the first floor, the upper rooms inaugurated in 2004 are on the second floor, while on the ground floor, immediately after the entrance to the Palazzo, you walk through a suggestive corridor that surrounds the cloister. Thanks to its large and well-articulated spaces, the Palazzo lends itself to exhibitions dedicated mainly to drawing and photography, small solo monographs, exhibition cycles and surveys on the research conducted by artists of the latest generation.

26 Forum Boarium. It is a plant of considerable architectural and urban interest, as it is a unique construction in the panorama of ducal architecture interventions in terms of size, typology and location. It consists of a very long building (about 250 meters) perfectly two-faced, with four facades, equal two by two. In the central body, which extends for about 45 meters, there is a clock and panoply in the gable, the work of Luigi Righi, who depicted the Allegories of Arms, Fertility, the Arts and Time. It was built in the first half of the 19th century by order of Francesco IV of Austria d'Este (duke of Modena, Reggio and Mirandola from 1815) who entrusted the design to the architect Francesco Vandelli, author of numerous other public and private buildings in the city. To date, on the side that runs along the left side of viale Berengario there is a plaque commissioned by the duke himself, which shows the date of construction (1831) and the dedication to the farmers (Honori et confortable fidelium agricolerum) involved in the construction of the complex. The structure was initially intended for the cattle market and for the storage of agricultural products, but after just over a decade the building was transformed into barracks. Subsequently the citizens claimed its use (according to what the duke himself had wanted) during the reign of Umberto I. In 1989 the restoration and reuse works began for the new headquarters of the Faculty of Economics and Commerce of the University of Modena, inaugurated in 1994 on the upper floors of the building. On the ground floor there is now the Faculty library in the east wing and the area used for temporary exhibitions in the west. Since 2002, the structure has hosted exhibitions promoted by the Cassa di Risparmio di Modena Foundation.

27 Cemetery of San Cataldo. Just outside the historic center is the monumental cemetery of San Cataldo, the city's cemetery. It is made up of two parts, one ancient and one recent. The first bears the name of the architect Cesare Costa and was built between 1858 and 1876; there are numerous works of art of notable artistic value. Among the deceased buried in this part is also Enzo Ferrari, in a tomb next to that of his son Dino; as well as Alberto Braglia (athlete) and Virginia Reiter actress who lived many years in Modena.
The recent part, the "Aldo Rossi" monumental cemetery, was built according to the project of the architect Aldo Rossi. The construction of the cemetery is now partially completed and is articulated in such a way as to limit the large green spaces marked by paths of crosses reserved for pedestrians. The church is located inside the cemetery.

 

Museums

28 Palazzo dei Musei, Piazza Sant'Agostino. Mon-Fri 7:30-19:30, Sat 8:00-19:30, Sun 9:45-19.30. The main museums of the city are gathered in the Palazzo dei Musei. Piazzale Sant'Agostino, located close to the gate of the same name (demolished in the 19th century), is an example of 18th-century town planning. Here Francesco III d'Este had two large buildings built for social purposes: the hospital on the northern side (site of one of the hospitals in Modena today replaced by a modern hospital in the hamlet of Baggiovara) and opposite the hotel for the poor, inaugurated in 1771, which a century later was transformed by the municipality of Modena into today's Palazzo dei Musei. The square was completed by the large equestrian monument of Francesco III built by the Carrara abbot Giovanni Antonio Cybei inaugurated in 1774 and then landed in the revolutionary uprisings of 1797.
The reception services are open on the ground floor of the building: the reception and the information point are located in the north courtyard, where it is possible to find useful information for visiting the city's institutes and on the cultural and educational initiatives promoted in the new spaces.
Inside the building there are: the Estense Lapidary Museum, the Roman Lapidary of the Civic Museums, the Graziosi Gipsoteca and the Philosophy Festival Consortium (ground floor), the Municipal Historical Archive and the "Luigi Poletti" Art History Library (first floor), the Estense and University library (second floor), the civic museums, made up of the Archaeological and Ethnological Museum and the Art Museum (third floor), the Estense Gallery (fourth floor).

29 Estense Library (On the second floor of the Palazzo dei Musei), ☎ +39 059 222248, ga-esten@cultura.gov.it. It preserves printed books, incunabula, sixteenth-century books and numerous illuminated codes from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century. The most precious text is the famous Bible by Borso d'Este, a masterpiece of Ferrarese illumination (15th century).

30 Galleria Estense, ga-esten@beniculturali.it. One of the most important Italian collections and reflects the Estensi's interests in painting and sculpture, but also in archeology and the minor arts. Valuable are the marble bust of Francesco I d'Este by Bernini, the portrait of Francesco I by Velasquez, the Sant'Antonio da Padova by Cosmè Tura, the Madonna and Child by Correggio, a triptych by El Greco, a Crucifix by Guido Reni. The nucleus of Po valley painting from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century is conspicuous.

31 Museums of the Cathedral, Via Lanfranco 4, ☎ +39 059 4396969, info@museidelduomodimodena.it. For both museums of the Duomo: adults €4, concessions €3, schools €1.5/pax. April-September Tue-Sun 9:30-12:30 and 15:30-18:30, October-March Tue-Sun 9:30-12:30 and 15:00-18:00. Museum pole composed of the Este lapidary museum and the Duomo museum.

32 Este lapidary museum.
Cathedral Museum. The museum collects a rich heritage made up of works of art, hangings and liturgical furnishings, evidence of the vitality of the church of Modena over the centuries. There are also many tombstones from various eras, found or removed from the walls of the Duomo over the centuries, as well as the originals of the Metopes, slabs sculpted with monstrous and bizarre images placed on the sides of the buttresses of the roof (replaced by copies in 1948).

33 Enzo Ferrari Museum, info@museocasaenzoferrari.it.

34 Luciano Pavarotti House Museum, Stradello Nava 6, ☎ +39 059 460778, info@casamuseolucianopavarotti.it. Mon-Sun 10am-7pm. The Luciano Pavarotti Foundation on the occasion of EXPO 2015 extraordinarily opens the doors of Casa Pavarotti, transformed into a house museum thanks to the setting up of a path that will allow you to get to know the man and the artist Luciano Pavarotti. It offers the possibility of discovering and sharing the great Maestro's daily life, gradually entering the most intimate part of his life and retracing the stages of his extraordinary professional career.

University museums
35 Galleria Civica (The Galleria Civica has two exhibition venues: Palazzo Santa Margherita and Palazzina dei Giardini), galcivmo@comune.modena.it. Free entry. Founded in 1959 on the initiative of the Municipal Administration, the Civic Gallery of Modena is today one of the most authoritative centers of cultural production on the national scene. Through temporary exhibitions dedicated to contemporary art and photography and thanks to the numerous collaborations with prestigious museums, associations and galleries from all over the world, it has achieved, especially in recent years, a high level of recognition also at an international level.

Palazzina dei Giardini, Corso Canalgrande, 103 (In Palazzo Santa Margherita). Wed-Fri 10:30-13:30 and 16:00-19:30, Sat, Sun and public holidays 10:30-19:30. Seventeenth-century building, a suggestive place for monographic and retrospective exhibitions. The gallery also has some permanent collections. edit
the Collection of Contemporary Drawing
the Collection of Contemporary Photography
the Collection of Don Bettelli Graphics
36 Figurine Museum, museo.figurina@comune.modena.it. Born from the collecting passion of Giuseppe Panini, founder, in 1961, of the company of the same name together with his brothers. The collection brings together, alongside the figurines proper, materials similar in technique and function (small prints, matchboxes, letter seals, menus, calendars).

Automotive museums
The city has always been linked to motoring: like all of Emilia-Romagna, Modena is also a land of engines, where the passion for mechanics has a long tradition and the myth of speed is an integral part of its culture. Within a few kilometers there are several museums and private collections dedicated to engines.

37 Ferrari Museum, Via Alfredo Dino Ferrari 43 (Maranello - 25 km from Modena), galleria@ferrari.it. A few steps from the Ferrari factory, the large museum that houses the history of the Maranello reds and their founder Enzo Ferrari. There are the cars that have participated in the Grand Prix of the last 50 years, which are framed by video projections and won trophies; an entire section of the gallery is dedicated to the atmosphere of Formula One racing.

38 "Enzo Ferrari" Museum, Via Paolo Ferrari 85 (3 km from the centre), info@museocasaenzoferrari.it. Inaugurated on 10 March 2012, the museum is located in the birthplace of Enzo Ferrari, the famous racing car driver and entrepreneur, founder of the car company that bears his name. In the house where he was born, the historical phases of Enzo Ferrari's life are documented; next to it, a new exhibition gallery has found its place, a monumental building characterized by a large roof in yellow aluminum panels (the color of the city), whose openings for light resemble the air intakes of a car racing. The museum organizes thematic exhibitions which change approximately every 6 months.

Stanguellini Historic Car Museum, Via Emilia Est 756 (4 km from the centre). It was born in 1996 by the will of the son of Vittorio Stanguellini, founder of the business, and has gradually been enriched with prestigious rare pieces that have expanded and embellished the collection, with over thirty cars including racing cars and sports coupés. The collection offers a broad overview of the city's automotive culture, presenting the most significant models of Modena's cars that have won the main car races.
"Umberto Panini" Museum of vintage cars and motorcycles, Strada Corletto Sud 320 (16 km from the centre). Various models of vintage cars and motorcycles are on display, including the prestigious Maserati collection, as well as bicycles, engines, examples of military vehicles, and prototypes of models never built. The collection is located at the Hombre farm which produces Parmigiano Reggiano.

Vintage car collection Righini private collection, Via Nino Bixio 12 (Panzano - 15 km from Modena). In the castle of Panzano (in Campogalliano in the province of Modena) many of the most beautiful vintage cars and the most exclusive models of today are kept. Among the most famous pieces are the Autoavio, the first car built by Enzo Ferrari in 1940, the Chiribiri which in 1915 broke the road speed record, the Alfa Romeo which belonged to Tazio Nuvolari, the Cadillac of John XXIII.
Horacio Pagani Museum, Via Dell'Industria, 26 (San Cesario sul Panaro - 16 km from Modena), paganitour@modenatur.it. Visits to the factory by reservation only. An exclusive collection of the limited editions that have made the history of the brand, from the first sketches to the latest models of the Zonda and Huayra.

Other
39 4 Madonne Caseificio dell'Emilia, Strada Lesignana, 130 - 41123 Lesignana (MO) (7 km from Modena), ☎ +39 059 849468, fax: +39 059 849468. Adults €15, children €5. On reservation. It is possible to watch the production of Parmigiano Reggiano, the King of cheeses, visit the various processing rooms of the dairy and the maturing warehouse, containing over 33,000 wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano, and finally taste it in various ages.

 

Events and parties

San Antonio Fair. on January 17th.
San Geminiano Fair. on January 31st. Patron of the city, during which the body is discovered in the cathedral and the faithful are given the opportunity to kiss the arm of the saint, kept in an urn of the same shape.
Modenantiquaria (Petra), via Virgilio, 70 (exhibition centre), ☏ +39 059 848380, info@modenantiquaria.it. In February. Exhibition of antiques market, includes the Serate Estensi, historical re-enactment of the glories of the Este Duchy (June, historic center and Novi Sad park) and the fair of San Geminiano, or the celebration of the feast of the patron saint of the city (31 January).
Mak Π 100. in May. Gymnastic recital for the students of the Military Academy of Modena and grand ball for the debutantes one hundred days before the promotion to officer of the second year students.
Philosophy Festival (festivalfilosofia) (It takes place in the three cities of Modena, Carpi and Sassuolo). free. In the month of September. Master classes art exhibitions, concerts, shows, initiatives for children and cultural events related to philosophy. Illustrious names and leading university professors participate. Each edition is dedicated to a specific theme.
Antique market, at the Novi Sad park. every fourth Saturday and Sunday of the month. It is the largest antiques fair in the Emilia-Romagna region.
Gastronomic and commercial events, in the Historic Centre. International market, Modena in bloom (some streets in the center are completely covered in flowers, almost as if they were open-air gardens), Stuzzicagente (a day of tastings in stages in the historic center of Modena, normally two editions a year in spring and in autumn).
Modena Organ Festival. in the months June - September. It constitutes a series of appointments in the most important churches of the city where valid organists of international renown perform.
Motor Valley Fest. In May. Italian kermesse dedicated to the passion for engines, which includes a series of appointments for lovers of two and four wheels.
Carnival. on Shrove Thursday. with the presence of the city mask, Sandrone and the Pavironica family.
Ilaria Alpi (television journalism award), ☎ +39 0541 691640, fax: +39 0541 475803, info@ilariaalpi.it. First week of June. Modena is not only the city of entertainment, but also a city attentive to culture. The most important cultural event is the Ilaria Alpi television journalism award, one of the most important journalism awards on the continent. On the occasion of the awards, cultural meetings of all kinds are organized, journalistic workshops, exhibitions and theatrical or comic performances. The Ilaria Alpi association, which has its headquarters in Villa Lodi Fe' in Riccione, in the station area, then plays a cultural role at a national level throughout the year, dealing with important topics and research, organizing conferences also in schools and carrying out important works of conservation, cataloging and restoration of various television journalistic material.
Play Modena, Viale Virgilio 70 (ModenaFiere), ☎ +39 059 848380, info@play-modena.it. Check the times of the current edition: https://2023.play-modena.it. Annual Board Game and RPG Fair.

 

How to have fun

Shows

Theaters

There are several theaters in the city, offering various types of performances. The municipal theater "Luciano Pavarotti", which belongs to the homonymous foundation, hosts ballets, operas, classical music concerts; the Storchi theater represents prose; the theater of the Passions mostly represents contemporary performances, the Raffaello cinema-theater lyric and opera.

1 Pavarotti-Freni Municipal Theatre, Corso Canalgrande, 85, ☎ +39 059 2033010, fax: +39 059 2033011, biglietteria@teatrocomunalemodena.it. It is the main opera house of the city; designed in 1838 and inaugurated on 2 October 1841, it was built by Francesco Vandelli, architect to the court of Duke Francesco IV. The original name, Teatro dell'Illustrissima Comunità, later changed to Municipal Theatre. In 2007 it was named after the Modenese tenor Luciano Pavarotti and from 2021 also after the fellow villager Mirella Freni.
The theater was built on the initiative of the mayor of Modena (Marquis Ippolito Livizzani) and with the contribution of Duke Francesco IV. The architect Francesco Vandelli designed it on a city area of over two thousand square meters, obtained by acquiring and demolishing some houses. It was inaugurated three years later, on 2 October 1841, with the name of "Teatro dell'Illustrissima Comunità". For the inauguration, the melodrama Adelaide di Borgogna at the Canossa Castle was specially composed by Alessandro Gandini, with a libretto by Carlo Malmusi.
From 1915 to 1923 it was requisitioned by the military authorities. After the Second World War, next to the opera house, it held a program of prose, concerts and ballets. In the 70s its management passed to the municipal administration. In 1984 the restoration works of the theater began, which was reopened to the public two years later. In 2001 it became a foundation, with the participation of private entities.
On 6 December 2007, the theater was dedicated to Luciano Pavarotti three months after the death of the Modenese tenor
Characteristic elements of the theater are the neoclassical facade, with a portico with Doric columns, corresponding to nine arches. The vaults of the three central arches are decorated with rosettes in relief. The windows above the portico are surmounted by bas-reliefs with a tragic theme, created by Luigi Righi, who also created a statue placed on the top, at the pediment, which represents the genius of Modena in the form of a winged young man. The atrium is oval, decorated with frescoes and bas-reliefs. The stalls are elliptical in shape, with four tiers of boxes and the gallery. The historical curtain is the work of Adeodato Malatesta.

2 Teatro Storchi, Largo Garibaldi, 15, ☎ +39 059 2136021 (ticket office), fax: +39 059 211426, biglietteria@emiliaromagnateatro.com. Telephone ticket office Mon-Fri 9:00-13:00. The theater takes its name from Gaetano Storchi, a wealthy merchant from Modena who financed its construction. It stands on land in the new building area obtained with the construction of the Garibaldi barrier (1884), following the demolition of the Bologna gate (1882). The location of the theater influenced the singular original structure of the building, which has a double facade: the main facade is to the north, which looks onto Piazza Garibaldi, while the one on the west side overlooks Viale Martiri della Libertà, once the promenade of the walls, and is the work of the architect Maestri. The building was born on the basis of a particularly refined project, which included service rooms, a foyer, a smoking room and a café; however, the construction took place economically, on terrain that appeared unstable from the outset, and above all with the use of poor quality materials that soon compromised its stability. The numerous subsequent renovations and recovery of the building are due to this. Among the most important, we recall the reconstruction of the roof and the modification of the curvature of the hall by the engineer Luigi Sfondrini of Milan; the restoration of the exterior with the remaking of the plaster and the frames in 1929, and a subsequent intervention on the hall in 1931.

Teatro delle Passioni, Viale Carlo Sigonio, 382, ☎ +39 059 301880 (on show nights), biglietteria@emiliaromagnateatro.com.
Teatro Michelangelo, Via Pietro Giardini 255, ☎ +39 059 343662, fax: +39 059 341709, info@teatromichelangelo.com.
3 Theater of the College of San Carlo.
4 Sacred Heart Theater.

 

Cinema

5 Cinema Astra multiplex, Via Francesco Rismondo, 27, ☎ +39 059 216110.
6 Cinema Raffaello multiplex, Via Formigina, 380, ☎ +39 059 357502, info@cinemaraffaello.it
7 Cinema Victoria, Via Sergio Ramelli, 101, ☎ +39 059 454622, info@victoriacinema.it.

 

Night clubs

The social life of the city is concentrated in a few areas of the centre: via Taglio, via Gallucci and piazza della Pomposa. Here there are a variety of establishments ranging from the traditional bar, to the brewery-pub, the wine bar with precious labels, the brunch-café. Among the places that also offer musical programming evenings and evenings with cultural and social events, the Caffè Concerto is worth mentioning, a modern bar-restaurant overlooking Piazza Grande and which offers a cafeteria, exhibition space, book corner, meeting room, live club . A second venue, just outside the historic center, is the Baluardo della Cittadella, which hosts various cultural activities including concerts and performances, with particular regard to literary cafés and meetings for conferences and presentations; the outdoor areas host art itineraries and meeting moments. There is also a restaurant.

 

Where to eat

The city of Modena, like the whole Emilia-Romagna region, is renowned for its cuisine and gastronomy products. In particular, known and highly appreciated all over the world are the dishes based on pork, with which the zampone and the cotechino are produced, typical products of the area. Other local dishes are tortellini, fried dumplings, tigella (or crescentina). To these are added Parmigiano-Reggiano (the province of Modena is one of the areas where the famous DOP cheese is produced) and, of course, balsamic vinegar, a fine condiment made from grape must, and Lambrusco, a red wine sparkling wine that goes well with rich local dishes.

The best places to taste the typical cuisine are the family-run trattorias still present in the city; however, Modena also offers high class venues.

Modest prices
Burger King, Via Nuova Estense 103, ☎ +39 059 5964337. Mon-Sun: 12:00-22:00. The services in this restaurant are: Parking, Restaurant, King Drive, Wifi, Birthday parties.
McDonald's Modena Bruciata, Via Emilia Ovest 1480 (Grandemilia Shopping Centre), ☎ +39 059 848599. Mon - Sun 08:30 - 21:30, for Restaurant and McCafé. The services are: McCafè, Parking, Breakfast, Wifi, Playland, Parties.
1 Osteria Ermes, Via Ganaceto 89.
2 Sosta Emiliana, Piazza XX Settembre 21. Tigelle and quick snacks.

Average prices
3 Antica trattoria Cervetta, Via Cervetta, 7, ☎ +39 059 220500.
4 Il Fantino Trattoria, Via Donzi, 7, ☎ +39 059 223646.
5 Trattoria Del Giardinetto, Piazzale Paolo Boschetti, 1, ☎ +39 059 234448.
6 Stallo del Pomodoro Restaurant, Largo Hannover, 63, ☎ +39 059 214664.
7 Aldina Restaurant, Via Luigi Albinelli, 40, ☎ +39 059 236106.

High prices
8 Osteria Francescana, Via Stella, 22, ☎ +39 059 223912.
Vinicio Restaurant, Via Emilia Est 1526.
Restaurant in Maiora, Via N. Sauro 7.

 

Where stay

Modest prices
1 B&B Hotel Modena, Via Emilia Est 441, ☎ +39 059 373888, modena@hotelbb.com. Check-in: 2.00pm, check-out: 12.00pm.
2 Albergo Moderno, Via Campi 244/1, ☎ +39 059 363502, info@albergomoderno-hotel-modena.it. Check-in: 14:00 to 23:00, check-out: 07:00 to 11:00.

 

Safety

It is advisable, especially late in the evening and at night, to avoid the areas near the train station (in particular the part opposite the historic centre), the area of via Canaletto, via Attiraglio, viale Gramsci as they are areas for drug dealing and assaults and the Enzo Ferrari Park (inside and in the viale Italia area near the Windsor Park buildings). In general, it is good to keep the classic tourist precautions, therefore bags/valuables tightly packed or not very visible.
How to keep in touch

 

Post

Main post office, Via Emilia Centro, 86, ☎ +39 059 2053337. Mon-Fri 8am-6.30pm, Sat 8am-12.30pm.
In the city there are another thirty post offices whose maximum hours are Mon-Thu 8:00-12:30, Fri 8:00-13:30.

 

Internet

Wireless connection is available in some areas of the city. To access the service you need a personal account and password, which can be requested upon payment of €2 at:

Public Relations Office - Youth Information Center, Piazza Grande, 17, ☎ +39 059 20312.
11 Antonio Delfini Civic Library, Corso Canalgrande, 103, ☎ +39 059 2032940.
Palazzo dei Musei information point, Viale Vittorio Veneto, 5, ☎ +39 059 2033125.

 

Stay informed

Gazzetta di Modena (Daily)
Il Resto del Carlino (Modena edition) (Daily)
TRC Modena (TV)
Radio Pico (Radio)
Radio Modena City (Radio)

 

Territory

The city is located approximately in the center of the province of which it is the capital, in the Po Valley in a completely flat area. Two rivers surround it without however crossing it: the Secchia and the Panaro, whose importance for the city is also testified by the presence of the Fountain of the two rivers, by the Modenese sculptor Giuseppe Graziosi, located in Largo Garibaldi.

The Naviglio canal was born within the city, which flows into the Panaro river at Bomporto. Once accessible to river transport, the canal is now underground and not accessible within the city.

The first offshoots of the Modena Apennines are located between 15 and 20 km south of the city, already outside the municipal area, in the non-neighboring municipalities of Sassuolo, Fiorano Modenese, Maranello and Castelvetro di Modena.

The city is economically one of the major European realities. In fact, in the province there are important food industries (including Grandi Salumifici Italiani, Cremonini and Fini, production centers of Parmigiano Reggiano and pork processing - to which Castelnuovo Rangone, the heart of this sector, has even dedicated a monument), engineering (Modena, as well as its province, can be considered the World Capital of Sporting Motoring with the headquarters of Ferrari in Maranello, of Maserati in the city, of Pagani in San Cesario sul Panaro and until a few years ago De Tomaso in outskirts and Bugatti in Campogalliano. Also about ten kilometers from the city, but already in the province of Bologna, in the municipality of Sant'Agata Bolognese is the headquarters of another historic company in the sector such as Lamborghini). It is also considered the world capital of ceramics (or tiles), thanks to the leading companies present in the territories of Sassuolo and Fiorano Modenese. The textile industry present in the territory of Carpi and the biomedical one in the municipality of Mirandola are remarkable.

Until the mid-nineteenth century, the city had two docks: one inside the walls, in the current Corso Vittorio Emanuele, and one outside (the basin) at the height of the overpass of the Sacca, buried in 1936. Traces of the canals of Modena remain in the names of the streets, particularly in the historic center: there are in fact streets called Canal Grande, Canal Chiaro, Canalino, Canaletto and so on.

In 1949 an Aerautodrome was built, just outside the walls, with the functions of an airstrip for commercial use and a track for international car and motorcycle races and a test track for the local automotive industries of the time (Ferrari, Maserati and Stanguellini). It remained in use until 1962, but also far beyond for motorcycle races and various exhibitions relating to engines. Now in its place there is a large park dedicated to Enzo Ferrari.

 

Seismicity

Modena experienced the reality of a strong earthquake in May 2012. There were two main tremors nine days apart from each other of magnitude 5.9 and 5.8, both with epicenter in the lower Po Valley of the province between the 20 and 35 kilometers from the city. The earthquake destroyed the municipalities near the epicenter. Modena had no major damage other than slight injuries in some old churches including the Duomo, especially following the second 5.8 quake.

 

Climate

The climate is typically Po Valley, with sub-continental influences: winters are humid, cold (average minimum temperatures below zero even for several weeks) and moderately snowy, with an average annual accumulation of 35 cm. In autumn and winter the phenomenon of fog is very frequent, often very thick and constant even for several days in a row. However, it must be emphasized that in the last 20 years, the climate has largely changed, both in terms of snowfall which was very thin on the city compared to the past and in some years almost non-existent, and also as regards the fogs, now very rare in the city and its surroundings, but still a little more persistent in the countryside, especially towards the lower Emilia. There is also a significant temperature range between summer and winter: the summer months, and increasingly often also those of late spring, are in fact hot and particularly sultry, with maximum peaks well above 35 ° C. The perception of temperatures, in summer as well as in winter, is often altered by the high level of humidity.

Due to the poor ventilation of the Po valley and the high vehicular traffic, Modena is among the first places among the most polluted cities in Europe, behind the Italians Turin, Brescia and Milan.

 

History

Ancient age and Middle Ages
In ancient times it was an Etruscan settlement, then Gallic (Galli Boi). In 183 BC. it was founded as a Roman colony by a thousand cives from Rome led by the triumviri Marco Emilio Lepido, Tito Ebuzio Parro and Lucio Quinzio Crispino. It became the capital of the former Cisalpine Gaul and seat of the governor for two centuries. Subsequently Modena was abandoned between the 5th and 7th centuries, due to the numerous floods of the Secchia and Panaro rivers, the inhabitants took refuge in the nearby village further west, Cittanova. It gradually repopulated around the bishop's seat, which had taken over the leadership of the city and the bishop Leodoino had it surrounded by walls in 891. During the lordship of the bishops, the new cathedral was erected. The episcopal power came to an end with the municipal autonomy in 1135 but, in 1249, with the battle of Fossalta, Ghibelline Modena was defeated by Guelph Bologna making the pro-episcopal party of the Aigoni return to power led by bishop Alberto Boschetti, in 1288, he surrendered to the Este family of Ferrara. On 15 November 1325 in the battle of Zappolino Modena inflicted a heavy defeat on the Bolognese until it reached the walls of the city of the two towers and besieged it. After a week the Modena lifted the siege and returned to the city carrying as a trophy a wooden bucket stolen from a well outside Porta San Felice, the "Secchia Rapita" which became the inspiration for the heroic poem of the same name by the Modenese poet Alessandro Tassoni.

Modern and contemporary age
Modena truly became the "Este city" only after 1598, when Duke Cesare moved the capital of his duchy from Ferrara to Modena. A State destined to get by with ups and downs in the struggles between the Italian and European powers, and which despite the repeated occupations by foreign armies (the French in 1702; the Austrians in 1742) will resist until the unification of Italy, with a only interruption in the Napoleonic period.

The enormous Napoleonic plundering of the duchy of Modena, collections of works of art, archives and books, but also the glyptic collection of the Este family date back to this period. During the French occupation, several works of art made their way to France. According to the catalog published in the Bulletin de la Société de l'art français of 1936, of the 20 works of art coming from Modena and sent to France in June 1796, only 10 returned to Italy after the Congress of Vienna, while of the 30 raided in October 1796, only 11 returned.

The Risorgimento was able to count on large adhesions among the Modenesi, including Ciro Menotti and the numerous Mazzinian and Carbonari groups of the city who voted compactly for the unification of Italy in the Plebiscite of 1860. Between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, Emilia (and in the province of Modena in particular) became a socialist bulwark first and then a communist one.

The phenomenon of land occupation was very strong and collided with fascist violence. After September 1943, Modena and its municipalities had to endure humiliation at the hands of the German occupiers and the fascist militia. Despite the repression, the Resistance had, with ups and downs, an always active presence in the area. After the war, that area which for the twenty years of the regime was called "The Black Triangle" (as it was completely controlled by the fascists) took the name of "Red Triangle" or "Triangle of Death". This denomination is used by several historians to remember the approximately 2000 killings of civilians and soldiers perpetrated, after the fall of the fascist regime and particularly in the two-year period 1946-1948, by some brigades of ex-communist partisans who had given themselves the name of "Gruppi Partisan Action" (GAP), as a retaliation against those deemed compromised with the regime.

On 9 January 1950, six workers were killed by the carabinieri in the massacre of the Fonderie Riunite in Modena, which took place during a demonstration calling for the reopening of the Fonderie Riunite.

In the post-war years Modena experienced an unprecedented period of prosperity with the economic boom. The success of the city is linked above all to the affirmation of small industries with unique products in the world, such as Ferrari or Maserati or Panini, or such as the ceramic poles of Sassuolo, the textile poles of Carpi and the biomedical ones of Mirandola, and the enhancement of the typical products of the region .

 

Festivals

Sant'Antonio Fair, January 17th.
Fair of San Geminiano, on 31 January, patron saint of the city, during which the body is discovered in the cathedral and the faithful are given the opportunity to kiss the arm of the saint, kept in an urn of the same shapes.
"Mak Π 100": gymnastic recital for the students of the Military Academy of Modena and grand ball for debutantes one hundred days before the promotion to officer of the second year students. In the month of May.
Philosophy Festival: lectures and cultural events related to Philosophy. In the month of September. Illustrious names and leading university professors participate.
Antiques market: it is the largest antiques fair in the Emilia-Romagna region. It takes place every fourth Saturday and Sunday of the month in Piazza Grande.
Gastronomic and commercial events in the historic center: international market, Modena in bloom (some streets in the center are completely covered in flowers, almost as if they were open-air gardens), Stuzzicagente (a day of tastings in stages in the historic center of Modena, normally two editions a year in spring and autumn).
Modena Organ Festival: constitutes a series of appointments in the most important churches of the city, where valid organists of international renown perform. It usually takes place in the months June - September. The festival is organized by the "J.S.Bach" Organ Friends Association.
Modena Land of Motors. Every year in April or May.
Carnival, on Shrove Thursday with the presence of the town mask, Sandrone and the Pavironica family.
NODE festival, annual music festival.
Modena Smart Life, started in 2016, is an annual economic event at the end of September.

 

Cuisine

As the ancient capital of the Este domains, the court cuisine of the city has decisively influenced the development of Modena and Reggio cuisine. The best known case is that of balsamic vinegar, whose diffusion beyond a small circle of aristocratic families occurred with the dispersion and sale of the ducal vinegar factory during the Napoleonic occupations. But even the court recipe books had a profound influence on the development of local preparations, and today some restaurants offer dishes inspired by the Este recipes of past centuries.

There are numerous dairies dedicated to the production of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and cured meats and pork-based preparations are of great importance in the city's cuisine. Two typical dishes of the winter season, but which can be found for most of the year in trattorias as well as in Modenese homes, are zampone, made with minced pork stuffed into the rind of the front leg, and cotechino, with a rather similar process , but different in shape and rind.
But from pork you also get the essential lard for the typical fried dumplings: a square fried focaccia that goes very well with cured meats. Originally from the Apennines (but enjoyed willingly in the city) is instead the crescentina, commonly (and improperly) called tigella. Alongside the traditional trattorias, there are now numerous establishments in the city known as "tigellerie" or "crescenterie" for the take-away consumption of this product.

Traditionally disputed with the ancient and eternal rival Bologna is the tortellini, a square of puff pastry folded over minced pork, ham and Parmigiano Reggiano (although the recipes often vary from family to family).

Center of the production of Lambrusco, the city also represents the ideal border between the production areas of Grasparossa (produced on the hill) from the Lambrusco Sorbara and Salamino (produced in the plain).

In Modena there is the Osteria Francescana, three Michelin stars and L'Erba del Re, one Michelin star.

The carnival
The aspect of the Modenese character is well represented by the mask of the city: the Sandrone ("Sandròun"): and it is certainly no coincidence that among the many traditional events, the carnival is the one that still retains the greatest visibility. There are various theories about the origin of Sandrone. It seems that at every carnival the duke invited a peasant to the court celebrations for the sake of making fun of his gullibility and coarseness. However, things changed when a certain Alessandro Pavironi, from Bosco di Sotto, was called to court, who answered the embarrassing questions of the guests, devised precisely to ridicule him, answered with a wit and common sense that remained memorable. Since then the figure of the "Sandrone" became the emblem of the wisdom of the peasant world, as opposed to the sophistries of the city, of the rich and the nobles.

The legend is similar to that of many popular fairy tales. What is certain is that the character of Sandrone was already popular in the first half of the 19th century, brought to the stage by a dynasty of actors and puppeteers who also performed successfully at the Este court.

Even today, according to tradition (kept alive by the "company of Sandrone"), Sandrone arrives in Modena every year on Shrove Thursday. His wife, the robust Pulonia, and his son Sgorghìguelo accompany him: together the "Pavironica family" parades from the station to Piazza Grande, where the people of Modena flock to watch the "rant": the speech of the three (pronounced no less than from the balcony of the Palazzo Comunale and strictly in Modena dialect!), full of witty comments on city life and good-natured criticism of the administration and entertaining.

 

Economy

Automotive industry
Especially in the 1950s and 1960s, many companies in the automotive sector (bodies and engines) were born and developed in Modena.

Among these were Medardo Fantuzzi's Fantuzzi body shop, Giorgio Neri and Luciano Bonacini's Neri & Bonacini body shop, Sergio Scaglietti's Scaglietti body shop, Piero Drogo's Sports Cars body shop, Vittorio Stanguellini's Stanguellini.

All over the world these companies are considered among the excellences of the sector.

In the province of Modena there are several car manufacturers: Ferrari, Maserati, Pagani and for some time Bugatti was also based there.

There is also the headquarters of the PM mobile crane manufacturer.

Crafts
As far as craftsmanship is concerned, Modena is renowned above all for the production of musical instruments, including violins and cellos, thanks to the ancient art of lutherie.

Food industry
Modena also has an important food production which contributes to the size of its economy. The main items exported to every part of the world are types of stuffed pasta (tortellini and similar), cured meats of all kinds (including zampone and cotechino), cheeses (primarily Parmigiano Reggiano) and above all wines (of which the most characteristic is Lambrusco).