Modena City

Modena, Latin Mutina,  city, Emilia-Romagna regione, northern Italy. It lies between the Secchia and Panaro rivers, northwest of Bologna. Modena was the Mutina of the Boii, a Celtic people, and was subdued by the Romans about 218 bc, becoming a Roman colony on the Via Aemilia in 183 bc. It was attacked and ruined by the Huns under Attila and by the Lombards and was restored at the end of the 9th century under the direction of its bishop (later archbishop). As a dependency of the house of Canossa and later as a free commune, it was the scene of violent conflicts between the Guelf and Ghibelline (papal and imperial) factions until it passed to the house of Este in 1288; it became a duchy in 1452 and the Este capital after their loss of Ferrara in 1598. After internal difficulties under the reactionary policies of the last Este rulers, the representatives of Modena declared it part of the kingdom of Italy in 1859, a decision confirmed by the plebiscite of 1860.

The old city’s fortified walls, now converted to promenades, give it a pentagonal shape. Notable buildings include the cathedral, begun in 1099 in Romanesque style on the site of earlier structures and celebrated for its sculptural decoration; the bell tower (Torre Ghirlandina), completed in 1319, the symbol of the city; and the imposing ducal palace (begun 1634), now a military academy. The Palazzo dei Musei houses the municipal collections, including the Este Gallery and Museum (rich in Renaissance paintings) and the Este Library, noted for its collection of illuminated manuscripts. The picture collection was given by Francesco V in 1869; the library, established by the Este family in Ferrara in 1393, was moved to Modena in 1598. Modena also has a university, founded in 1175.

The town is well-known all over the world, especially for some famous people who were born and lived here - such as Enzo Ferrari and Luciano Pavarotti, and for some of its gastronomical products. However, Modena should not only be known for these things. It is also a town that, in 40 years, has become one of the richest and most socially advanced in Italy: 48 miles of cycling paths, 16 cinemas, 25 libraries, and one of the oldest universities in Europe. Modena is favored by a few geographical and environmental factors: its location in the middle of the Po valley, in one of the most advanced areas in the whole continent (the evidence for this is unknown at this time), and it is positioned on the main trading routes between Northern Europe and the Mediterranean Sea. It sits at the crossroads between the Brenner motorway and the "Autostrada del Sole", just a few miles from the important railway and airport node of Bologna. Tourists from all over the world are attracted to visit the art treasures in Modena: the 12th century Cathedral, masterpieces of Italian Romanesque art, that, together with Piazza Grande and the Ghirlandina tower, creates a complex of unique beauty, included by UNESCO among the "Wealth of Mankind". Modena is also known as the Land of Motors. You can find the main supercars factories in Modena or in the province like Ferrari, Maserati or Pagani Zonda. People can visit a lot of museums and private car collections like Museum Enzo Ferrari (in town), Museum Ferrari (in Maranello), Panini car collection, Stanguellini car collection and many others... The territory of Modena and province is synonymous of good food too. The precious Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese or Lambrusco wine are just some examples of it. Food lovers can visit the farms and see the making of these great products.

Get in

Modena City can be reached:

by motorway: the town can be reached by motorway A1 Milano-Napoli, exit Modena Nord (5 km from the town centre) or Modena Sud (10 km from the town centre). The town is at the southern end of motorway A22 of Brennero.

by train along the Milano – Bologna and Verona – Modena lines, which provides frequent links;

by bus service: The main coach station of Modena is located at Via Bacchini 1 and the ticket office is open daily 5:30AM-8:30PM. Modena can be reached by any of a large number of suburban buses, which connect it to the most relevant villages of the surrounding Province (Carpi, Sassuolo, Fiorano, Campogalliano, Correggio, Soliera, Vignola, Pavullo, Nonantola, Maranello and others). The transport company in the whole Province is SETA. The surface of the Province of Modena is divided into 41 districts, each with a different fee; the ticket is valid for a certain amount of time since you get on the bus, depending on the specific district.

Get Around

The town is easily walkable, though it expands over more than 183,000 square meters. In the historic centre, closed by an imaginary line where the city wall once stood, we find the most important buildings. The town is crossed by a fundamental street, the Emilia way, the historic Roman way that once connected Modena with other important towns and cities of the Region, and that still represents one of the main traffic ways in Italy. The street runs right through the middle of the town, in an east-west direction.

Public transportation

Modena is well served by a wide trolleybus service – one of the biggest in Italy – composed of 3 lines, and a bus service; all the means of transport are provided by SETA (Società Emiliana Trasposrti Autofiloviari)[5]. Tickets can be bought directly on the bus, thanks to an automatic ticket machine (the machine is not giving change so it's better to have the exact amount in coins). Urban buses run from 6AM-9PM; the night urban line 7N runs from 8:30PM-10:30PM. Extra-urban buses run through all the surrounding Province at many different times and on many different routes.

By car

The whole historic centre of Modena is a vehicle restricted area (ZTL), meaning only residents, commercial operators or tourists staying at hotels in the centre and with a special permit can go there. The access is regulated by an automatic system, named Modena City Pass, which allows local police to monitor the access of cars and motorbikes through a network of webcams placed at the main access points; these webcams are always on and continuously register the number plate of passing cars, sending the information to an automatic control and alerting system.

In other areas, parking is in part free (identified by a white line) and in part with fee (blue line); the amount of the fee depends on the city area. Payments can be made with coins by nearby park meters; on Sundays and public holidays parking is free. Alternatively, payments can be made with a prepaid card (20 €), to be purchased at ACI (Automobil Club Italia) offices or at some tobacconist's in the town centre. Parking is usually free at night (generally 8PM-8AM).

Among free parking spaces around the centre there is Parking Novi Sad with about a hundred places and the parking space by Giovani di Tien An Men Place - Viale Monte Kosica with 462 places; another large parking space is in the front of the train station (parking space Porta Nord), while parking space ex AMCM in viale Carlo Sigonio can still offer dozens of places despite the area being under repair. Among paid parking spaces: parking space in Viale Rimembranze / Viale Martiri della Libertà (334 places), parking space in Viale Vittorio Veneto (271 places), parking space in Roma Square (166 places, ahead of Ducal Palace), parking space Bluparking La Civetta (140 places; former fruit and vegetable market) with access from via Borelli.

By bicycle

The Municipality of Modena offers everyone a free service of bicycle rental. Registration at the Municipality and a deposit of 20 € are required. Any bicycle available at one of several spots in the town can be used; at the end of the day the bike must be returned to the same place where it was taken. The service is open from 7AM-12AM.

Bicycles can also be rented at these points:

•   Novi Sad Park, Viale Monte Kosica (on the side of the stage, behind the stands). M-F 7AM-7PM, Sa 7AM-12AM.

•   Policlinico (general Hospital) in Largo del Pozzo, before the entrance of the paid parking space. M-F 6:30AM-7:30PM, Sa 6:30AM-1PM.

Visit

- Duomo di Modena: Erected in 1099 in the place where previously an early Christian church and the sepulchre of San Geminiano stood - whose body was solemnly transported to the cathedral on 30 April 1106 in the presence of the countess Matilde di Canossa - it was consecrated by Pope Lucius III on 12 July 1184. Designed by the architect Lanfranca, it is entirely covered with white marble and adorned with numerous sculptures.

- Ghirlandina Tower: so called because of the double twist of balustrades which crown it like a garland, is 86 meters high and the symbol of the city. It harmoniously combines two styles of two different eras: the square-based part is coeval with the cathedral and follows the Roman architectural canons, while the octagonal-based part and the pyramid which constitutes the cusp are from a later period with a more clearly Gothic style (they were started in 1261 on design of Arrigo da Campione and completed in 1319).

- Land of Engines: Farrari, Bugatti gallery 

Eat 

Here, the pleasures of the table are an art handed down over the generations where rich and tasty dishes combine humble roots and a refined culture of gastronomy - the pride of the nobles and the elegant court of the Este dukes. Visitors can start their tour of the tastes and flavours of cuisine in Modena from the retail places, ideally in the Modena Indoor Food Market, and then travel to the production centres themselves: dairy farms, to enjoy tastings of parmigiano reggiano (Parmesan cheese), vinegar producers to delight in the unique, enticing taste of traditional balsamic vinegar, and then where hams are cured and wine cellars offering a fine glass of Lambrusco DOC, Modena's sparkling red wine. And since such visits will certainly stimulate the palate, this "tour" comes to a superb conclusion at table in one of the many welcoming restaurants in the city.

- Trattoria Aldina: (top pick by Lonely Planet) cloistered upstairs in a utilitarian apartment block, Aldina feels like a precious secret guarded loyally by local shoppers, who room in from the adjacent produce market

- Hosteria Giusti: with only four tables, a narrow back-alley location, no real signage and a 90-minute daily opening window, this perplexingly unassuming austere isn't real seeing itself up for legendary status

- Osteria Francescana: claiming the no.3 spot on San Pellegrino's influential "world's 50 best restaurants" list is a big deal, eps. when your business is based, not in Paris or New York, but Modena

- Trattoria Ermes: another fabulous, affordable little lunch spot, tucked into a single wood panelled room at the northern edge of downtown Modena

- Market: Modena's fresh-produce market has its main entrance on Via Albinelli

- Antica Pasticceria San Biago: for the sweet of tooth

- Ristorante da Enzo and Trattoria II Fantino: classic and traditional cooking.

Sleep

- Villa Gaidello: The Azienda Agricola Il Gaidello is a vast agricultural estate situated in the fertile Po River valley (the Pianura Padana) just outside the town of Castelfranco Emilia. The farm uses organic cultivation methods that respect both land and environment to obtain products of superior quality. Il Gaidello is also an Agriturist Farm, which is called Villa Gaidello. The complex of 250-year-old farm houses is located in an oasis of tranquillity.

- Hotel Cervetta 5: as a review, it's a charming B&B in the center of Modena. 

- Best Western Hotel Liberta: a bit dated but a clean hotel in a excellent location.

- Hotel Estense: they said, in Tripadvisor, all was fine, and good location for walking.