The provincial capital of Modena, lies between the rivers Secchia and Panaro near the southern edge of the north Italian plain on the Via Emilia. It is an important commercial and industrial center and has a university.
The town center has wide arcaded streets and large squares, and the old fortifications have given place to beautiful avenues and gardens.
History
Originally a Celtic settlement of the Boii, the town, lying astride the ancient Via Aemilia, became a Roman colony in 183 B.C. under the name of Mutina. In 1288 it came into the hands of the house of Este, who acquired the ducal title in 1452 and remained rulers of Modena until 1796.
The motor-car manufacturer Enzo Ferrari was born in Modena in 1898.
On the north side of the cathedral in Modena, in the Piazza del Torre, rises the 88m/290ft high Torre Ghirlandina (slightly off the perpendicular), one of the finest campaniles in northern Italy and a distinctive city landmark.
Torre Ghirlandina in Modena.
Address: Torre Ghirlandina, Piazza del Torre, I-41100 Modena, Italy
Northeast of the Palazzo in Modena are the palace gardens, today a public park (Giardini Pubblici), with a botanic garden. Notable is a 17th century villa, built to a plan by the famous architect Gaspare Vigarini for the dukes of Este. The villa, a long building, the central part of which is crowned by an octagonal domed tower has been used for exhibitions for many years.
In the north of the old town of Modena in Piazza Roma, about 500m/550yd northeast of the cathedral, rises the massive Palazzo Ducale, begun in 1634 in accordance with a plan by Bartolomeo Avanzini, an excellent example of secular architecture of the 17th century. The balustrade is decorated with numerous figures, depicting the virtues and figures of mythology; the doorway is flanked by massive figures of Hercule and Aemilius Lepidus. The Palazzo Ducale is now a military academy and is not open to the public.
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Liberation Day - Italy (April 25), New Year's Eve (December 31), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Easter - Christian
Disability Access: Full facilities for persons with disabilities.
Even car fanatics have to eat. You can't get bad food in Italy, so the trick is to find a restaurant with a congenial atmosphere. Lauro is run by sports car fanatics; the walls are covered with old racing photographs and other car memorabilia. All of the added decorum takes advantage of the restaurant's location in downtown Modena, the heart of Ferrai-Maserati-Lamborghini country.
Address: Ristorante Lauro, Via Ciro Menotti 61, I-41100 Modena, Italy
Northwest of the cathedral, along Via Emilia, is the Piazza Matteotti, a large square on the west side of which, at the corner of Via Emilia, stands the church of San Giovanni Battista, a plain domed building (1730) containing, to the left of the high altar, a beautifully painted terracotta of the "Lamentation" by Mazzoni (1477-80).
Address: San Giovanni Battista, Via Emilia, I-41100 Modena, Italy
On Via Emilia in Modena is the Baroque church of Sant'Agostino. To the right of the entrance is a "Lamentation", an early work by Antonio Begarelli, the major Renaissance sculptor in the Emilia region.
Address: Sant'Agostino, Via Emilia, I-41100 Modena, Italy
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Torre Ghirlandina, Modena
