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Late spring and early autumn are the best times: warm days and good light for walking. Summer is hot and humid, with frequent heat waves. Winter is cold, damp and often foggy, with occasional snow.

The biggest event of the year is Festivalfilosofia, a philosophy festival held over a weekend in mid-September in Modena, Carpi and Sassuolo. Lectures, concerts and exhibitions fill the squares and courtyards, and most events are free. Book a room early for that weekend.

The UNESCO-listed heart of Modena is Piazza Grande, where the cathedral, its tower and the town hall stand together.

• Duomo di Modena was begun in 1099 by the architect Lanfranco. The stone reliefs by the sculptor Wiligelmo on the façade tell the story of Genesis. Entry is free.
• Ghirlandina is the cathedral's bell tower, about 86 m tall, and the symbol of the city. You can climb about 200 steps to the bell-ringers' room. Visits need an advance booking for a time slot.
• Palazzo Comunale has historic council rooms open to visitors. One of them keeps the wooden bucket from the legend of the Secchia Rapita (the stolen bucket).
• Musei del Duomo sit next to the cathedral. They show the original Romanesque carved panels from the cathedral roof and the cathedral treasury.
• Galleria Estense holds the art collection of the Este dukes. Highlights are a portrait and a marble bust of Duke Francesco I d'Este, by Velázquez and Bernini.
• Palazzo Ducale was the Baroque residence of the Este dukes and is now Italy's military academy. It can be visited only on guided tours on weekends, booked through the tourist office.
• Museo Enzo Ferrari combines Enzo Ferrari's birthplace and his father's workshop with a modern gallery under a yellow curved roof. Its changing exhibitions show racing and road cars. It is a short walk from the station.
• Casa Museo Luciano Pavarotti is the villa where the tenor spent his last years, on the southern edge of the city. It shows his stage costumes, awards and photos.

In the old town, the Votive Church of Modena was built after the plague of 1630, and the Modena Synagogue dates from the 19th century. The Museo della Figurina celebrates collectible stickers, a fitting theme in the home town of the Panini sticker company.

These activities are typical of Modena and hard to find elsewhere.

• Hear an opera in Pavarotti's home town: the Teatro comunale Pavarotti-Freni is named after Luciano Pavarotti and the soprano Mirella Freni, both born in Modena. Its opera season runs from autumn to spring.
• Go deeper into the Motor Valley: car lovers can book a tour of the Maserati factory in the city.
• Cycle along the Panaro river: a mostly flat cycle path leads south from the city through the countryside towards Vignola.

Modena is a good base for the Motor Valley, the wine hills to the south and the other art cities of Emilia. These trips are listed from closest to farthest.

• Nonantola (≈20 min by car): a small town with a large Benedictine abbey, known for its carved Romanesque portal.
• Carpi (≈20 min by train): a calm town with a huge Renaissance square and the castle of the Pio family.
• Maranello (≈25 min by car, or by the pre-booked Ferrari shuttle bus from Modena station): the home of Ferrari. The Ferrari Museum shows race cars and Formula 1 history next to the factory.
• Bologna (≈25 min by train): the regional capital, known for its long arcades, towers and food markets.
• Castelvetro di Modena (≈30 min by car): a hill village with a square paved like a chessboard, surrounded by Lambrusco Grasparossa vineyards.
• Parma (≈30–40 min by train): an elegant city with a Romanesque cathedral and baptistery, and the home of Parma ham and Parmigiano Reggiano.
• Vignola (≈35 min by car): a town with a well-kept medieval castle, famous for its cherries in late spring.
• Ferrara (≈1 hour 15 min by train via Bologna): a Renaissance city with a moated castle and walls you can walk or cycle on.

Modena is one of a chain of historic cities in Emilia-Romagna linked by fast regional trains.

• On the Via Emilia: Bologna to the east and Parma to the west.
• Farther east: Ferrara and the mosaic city of Ravenna.
• On the Adriatic coast: Rimini.

• By air: the nearest airport is Bologna Guglielmo Marconi, about 50 km away. A direct shuttle bus to Modena takes about 50 minutes. Or take the Marconi Express monorail to Bologna Centrale and a train to Modena, about 1 hour in total.
• By train: Modena station is on the northern edge of the old town, about 15 minutes on foot from Piazza Grande. Regional trains run often to Bologna (20–30 minutes) and Parma (30–40 minutes), and Milan is about 2 hours away. See Trenitalia.

• On foot: the old town is flat and compact, with long arcades that give shade and shelter from rain. Most sights are within a 15-minute walk of Piazza Grande.
• By bike: Modena is flat and has many cycle lanes. Cycling is a common way to get around for locals.
• By bus: city buses are run by SETA. The simplest way to pay is to tap a contactless bank card or phone on the validator by the front door. The fare is the same as a paper ticket. You can also buy tickets at tobacconists, machines or in the app. See SETA Modena.
• To the Ferrari museums: a ticketed shuttle bus, booked in advance, runs a few times a day between Modena station, the Museo Enzo Ferrari and the Ferrari Museum in Maranello.

• Is a car worth it?: not for the city, which is easy on foot and by bike. A car helps for the hill villages, the vineyards and the balsamic vinegar producers in the countryside.
• Parking: use the paid car parks on the ring of avenues around the old town and walk in, for example the underground car park at Parco Novi Sad.
• Restrictions: the historic centre is a limited traffic zone (ZTL) watched by cameras. Do not drive in without a permit, or you will receive a fine by post.

Food is central to life in Modena. Look for tortellini in broth, tigelle (small round flatbreads) filled with pesto modenese, a spread of lard, garlic and rosemary, and puffy fried gnocco fritto with cured meats. Zampone and cotechino, two rich pork sausages, are winter dishes. Drink Lambrusco, the local sparkling red wine.

Real traditional balsamic vinegar (Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena) is aged for at least 12 years in sets of small wooden barrels. Many family vinegar lofts, called acetaie, offer visits and tastings; book ahead. For lunch and local products, go to the Mercato Coperto Albinelli, the covered market from 1931. The lanes around Piazza Grande and Via Emilia are full of trattorias. For a special occasion, chef Massimo Bottura's three-Michelin-star Osteria Francescana is in the old town; tables must be booked far in advance.

Modena is a safe city with little crime aimed at tourists. Lock your bike well, as bike theft is common. In summer, heat waves and mosquitoes are the main nuisances, so carry water and repellent. In winter, thick fog can make driving on country roads difficult. Tap water is safe to drink.

The Romans founded the colony of Mutina here in 183 BC, on the Via Emilia. Roman tombstones from that time line the portico of the Palazzo dei Musei. In the Middle Ages the city grew around the tomb of its patron saint, Geminianus. Duomo di Modena was built over his tomb.

In 1325 Modenese soldiers defeated Bologna at the battle of Zappolino and carried off a wooden bucket as a trophy. The poet Alessandro Tassoni turned the story into the comic poem La Secchia Rapita, and the bucket is still kept in Palazzo Comunale.

In 1598 the Este family lost Ferrara to the Pope and moved their court to Modena. Duke Francesco I began Palazzo Ducale in 1634, and the dukes filled the city with churches and art. In 1831 the patriot Ciro Menotti led a failed revolt against the duke and was executed; his statue stands in front of the palace. The duchy ended in 1859, and Modena soon became part of a united Italy.

In the 20th century Modena became a centre of fast cars. Enzo Ferrari was born here in 1898, and Maserati moved its factory to the city on the eve of the Second World War. The cathedral, the tower and Piazza Grande were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1997.

Quick practical facts for Italy at a glance: