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For other places with the same name, see Modena (disambiguation).

Modena is a town of the Emilia-Romagna Region, in the middle of northern Italy.

Understand

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, such as tortellini, Lambrusco wine, balsamic vinegar, and Parmesan cheese. It is a town that, in 40 years, has become one of the richest and most socially advanced in Italy: 77km of cycling paths, 16 cinemas, 25 libraries, and one of the oldest universities in Europe. It sits at the crossroads between the Brenner motorway and the Autostrada del Sole, just 40km kilometres from the important railway and airport node of Bologna. Tourists from all over the world visit the art treasures in Modena: the 12th century cathedral and masterpieces of Italian Romanesque art, that together with the Piazza Grande and the Ghirlandina tower, create a complex of unique beauty, included by UNESCO in the "wealth of mankind".

Get in

By plane

  • Airport Guglielmo Marconi (BLQ), Via del Triumvirato, 84, Bologna, ☏ +39 051 647 9615. 05:00-24:00. The nearest airport is Guglielmo Marconi Airport in Bologna, about 6km from Bologna train station and 40km from Modena. 

The airport can be reached:

  • by motorway A1 Milano–Bologna
  • by train along the Modena–Bologna line, which provides frequent service
  • by a SETA shuttle bus from 05:15-21:30 from Modena to the airport and from 06:15-22:30 from the airport to Modena. The fare is €15 per person. Tickets can be bought on the bus. Baggage is free and minors accompanied by at least two relatives travel free of charge.

By train

  • Modena Railway Station (Trenitalia Gruppo Ferrovie dello Stato), Piazza Dante, 14 (Near town centre). Modena is on the train line, Milano-Piacenza-Parma-Modena-Bologna, so it can easily be reached from the main nearest towns. At the station you'll find a number of ATCM buses (the local transport company), by which you can reach the main areas of the town or the surroundings. National Call centre Trenitalia (train schedules and booking service) 892021, every day 24 hours. For assistance to the disabled phone 199 303060. Window for national and international railway tickets: Hours: M-Su, 06:00-21:00. Self-service ticket machines are available. There's no left-luggage office. 

By car

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

By bus

  • Bus Station (ATCM, Azienda Trasporti Collettivi e Mobilità), Via Bacchini, 1, ☏ +39 80 011 1101. Tickets, 05:30-20:30. 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). Modena Province is divided into 41 districts, each with a different fee. The ticket is valid for a limited amount of time once you get on the bus, depending on the specific district. 

Get around

The town is easily walked, though it occupies more than 183,000 square metres. In the historic centre, inside where the city wall once stood, are found the most important buildings.

The town is crossed by a major street, the Via Emilia, a historic Roman road that 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 through the middle of the town, in an east-west direction.

By public transit

Modena trolleybus

Modena is well served by a trolleybus service, one of the largest in Italy, composed of 3 lines, and a bus service. All public transport is provided by SETA. Tickets can be bought directly on the bus, thanks to an automatic ticket machine.

Urban buses run from 06:00-21:00. The night urban line 7N runs from 20:30-22:30. Extra-urban buses run through the surrounding province at many different times and on many different routes.

By car

The historic centre of Modena is a restricted area (ZTL), meaning only residents, commercial operators, or tourists staying at hotels in the centre and with a special permit can go there. Access is regulated by an automated system, named Modena City Pass, which allows local police to monitor cars and motorbikes through a network of webcams placed at access points. These webcams are always on and continuously register the number plates of passing cars, sending the information to a 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), purchased at ACI (Automobil Club Italia) offices or at some tobacconists in the town centre. Parking is usually free at night (20:00-08:00).

By taxi

Two radio taxi services are available 24/7, also for trips in the province or even further. The services include booking by SMS and services for disabled people.

By bicycle

Bicycles can be rented at:

  • C'entro in bici (Free Bicycle), Piazza Grande 14. 07:00-24:00. This is an Italian word pun that refers to the possibility of cycling to the centre. Modena offers everyone a free bicycle. You can take free yellow bicycles at the Tourist Information Office where you fill in a form and pay a deposit of €20. Tourists must be of legal age and have a valid ID. 
  • Novi Sad Park, Viale Monte Kosica (On the side of the stage, behind the stands). M-F, 07:00-19:00, Sa 07:00-12:00. Closed Su. 
  • Policlinico (general Hospital) (Largo del Pozzo, before the entrance to the paid parking space). M-F, 06:30-19:30PM; Sa, 06:30-13:30. Closed Su. 

See

The Cathedral - Romanesque arches
Ducal Palace
Piazza Grande
  • Cathedral. Audioguides can be useful to discover the cathedral, the cathedral museums, Piazza Grande, and the town hall. They are available in Italian, English, French, German, and Spanish. You can rent them, accompanied by a folding leaflet with maps of the monuments, at the museums of the cathedral and Tourist Information Office in Piazza Grande 14 for €4, plus entrance to the museums or monuments. 
  • 1 Ducal Palace of Modena (Palazzo Ducale di Modena), Piazza Roma, 15. Formerly the palace of the Duke, which ruled Modena until 1859. Today the palace is the headquarters of the Military Academy. The museum of the military academy displays weapons, memorabilia, and military items (flags, uniforms, drums, etc. 
  • Ghirlandina Tower. Su & public holidays from Apr-Oct & 31 Jan, 09:30-12:30, 15:00-19:00. Closed in Aug and on Easter Su. 86m high and the symbol of the city. UNESCO has added the Ghirlandina, together with the cathedral and Piazza Grande, to its list of heritage sites. 
  • Museum building, Viale Vittorio Veneto, 5, ☏ +39 059 203 3125, . Daily, 08:00-19:30. The Museum Building, built in the 18th century, was converted in 1881 into a museum housing the paintings and books of the Este family. 
  • Palazzina dei Giardini (Corso Canalgrande). 17th century building. 
  • Piazza Grande. A UNESCO heritage site. It is the centre of life of the city. It is a festive, crowded place on Saint's Day (31 January) in honour of the local patron saint, San Geminiano, and on the Thursday before Lent. In front, in the apse of the cathedral, the pole, tile, brick, and fathom units of measure are engraved, to assure honest trading in the piazza. This bears witness to the fact that the piazza was a place of great economic importance and the heart of the city. 
  • San Cataldo Cemetery. 
  • Town Hall. M-Sa, 08:00-19:00; Su and public holidays 15:00-19:00. Closed in Aug and on Easter and Christmas. Su and public holidays €2; combined with a visit to the Ghirlandina Tower, €3. Free weekdays. 

Automotive museums

  • Automobili Pagani (In San Cesario sul Panaro, Via dell'Artigianato, 5 (Mo)). Guided tours of the factory are available only by reservation M-F, or on Saturday Morning but without workers. The guided tour lasts approximately 45 minutes. 
  • 2 Enzo Ferrari Home Museum (Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari), Via Paolo Ferrari, 85. The house in which Enzo Ferrari was born in 1898. Its ultramodern external structure in yellow aluminium suggests the bonnet of a car. The museum's mission is to acquaint the public with Modena's dedication to the automobile and racing, as well as with the story of this great figure in the history of car design and manufacturing. Exhibits include multimedia installations and displays. 
  • 3 Ferrari Museum, Via Dino Ferrari, 43 (Maranello, a short distance from the Ferrari plant). Traces the history of the Ferrari firm and of its car. The Ferrari Museum in Maranello also offers its visitors a guided bus tour inside the Fiorano test-track proving grounds and Viale Enzo Ferrari, an avenue which runs through the cluster of new production and other buildings making up the Ferrari "cittadella". Visitors may not leave the bus or take photographs or videos during the tour. Booking in advance is recommended. 
  • Righini Private Collection of Vintage Cars (Panzano of Castelfranco Emilia). Open on request. 

Churches

  • Church of St Augustine. 
  • Church of St Biagio. 
  • Church and College of San Bartolomeo. 
  • Church of St Francis. 
  • Church of St Peter. 

Events

  • Modena World of Motors (Modena terra di motori). 1st-2nd week of Apr. Exhibition of luxury vehicles in the historic centre. Exhibition and show of cars and motorcycles by Ferrari, Maserati, et al. 
  • Philosophy Festival (Festivalfilosofia), Largo Porta Sant' Agostino 337 (Modena, Carpi, Sassuolo), ☏ +39 059 203 3382, fax: +39 059 203 3120, . Mid-Sep. For 3 days Modena, Carpi, and Sassuolo offer meetings with the greats of contemporary thought with philosophic dinners, films, shows, and exhibitions. 

Theatres

Do

  • Balsamic Vinegar Factory Tour, ☏ +39 059 203 2660, . To visit a balsamic vinegar production "acetaia" you can contact the Modena tourist office. They'll book a tour for you in one of the factories on the day you request. Free. 

Eat

  • Trattoria Aldina, Via Luigi Albinelli 40, ☏ +39 059 236106. Mon to Sat noon to 2.30 pm, Fri and Sat also 8 to 10.30 pm. specialities: tortellini, veal escalope in balsamico sauce, brassato (beef in Red wine sauce) 
  • Pasticceria San Biagio, Via Emilia Centro 77, ☏ +39 059 217284. Mon to Sat 930 am to 1pm, 3.30 to 7.30 pm. speciailties are 'barozzi (chocolate cake) and rosine. 

Splurge

  • 1 Osteria Francescana, Via Stella 22, ☏ +39 59 210 118. Mon to Fri noon to 9.30 pm, Sat 6 to 9.30 pm. Constantly voted as one of the world's best restaurants, Osteria Francescana under the guidance of head chef Massimo Bottura elevates Italian cuisine to it's finest. Prices starts at €130 excluding wine. 

Drink

On Via Taglio, Via Gallucci, and Piazza della Pomposa there are many cafés and pubs, wine bars, and brunch-cafés.

Sleep

Mid range

  • 1 Villa Gaidello Bed & Breakfast, Via Gaidello 18, ☏ +39 059 926806, fax: +39 059 926620. A large farm and estate of renovated farmhouses dating back to the 1700-1800s, surrounded by lush grounds and trees. 

Splurge

Buy

  • Mercato Albinelli, Via Luigi Albinelli 13. daily 6.30 am to 2.30 pm., Sat also 4.30 to 7.30 pm. art nouveau market hall with lots of pasta, vegetables, fruits, cheese and saucage specialities 
  • Enogastronomia Giusti, Via Farini 74, ☏ +39 059 222533. Mon to Sat 9.30 am to 1pm, 3.30 to 7.30 pm. all types of regional specialities, great selection of wines 
  • Azienda Pedroni, Via Risala 4, ☏ +39 059 549019. Mon to Sat noon to 3pm, Fri and Sat also 8 pm until midnight. great choice of balsamico vinegar, 

Connect

  • Main Post Office, via Emilia Centro, 86, ☏ +39 059 2053337. M-F, 08:00-18:30; Sa, 08:00-12:30. Thirty other post offices in town. 
  • Municipal Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi is available in many areas of the town. For the service you must ask the municipality for an account. A deposit is required. Apply here: 
  • Antonio Delfini Municipal Library, Corso Canalgrande, 103, ☏ +39 059 203 2940. 
  • Information at Palazzo dei Musei (Museum Building), Viale Vittorio Veneto, 5, ☏ +39 059 203 3125. 
  • Public Relations Office, Piazza Grande, 17, ☏ +39 059 20312. 

Go next


This city travel guide to Modena is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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