The province of Modena, according to the best tradition of Emilia, is a land full of flavours, nature and love for motors.
Its chief town, Modena, is a city with an important past, risen along the ancient Via Emilia; it seems to have an Etruscan origin, followed by Celtic and Roman settlements. The city, which was long time the capital of the Estensi's dukedom, underwent vast urban and architectural changes. Further structural changes occurred during the 18th century under Francesco III and under the austrian-Estensi dynasty during the 19th century.
The city hosts little jewels of art, such as the Romanesque Cathedral, completely made of white marble and located in the heart of Modena, in the Piazza Grande, which has been included, together with the square and the Ghirlandina, in the World Heritage list of the UNESCO.
The Ghirlandina is the bell tower which rises majestically over the roofs of the houses, its name deriving from its marble balustrades, light as garlands around the spire. Located in the same square, one finds the ancient City Hall, a complex of medieval buildings remodelled during the 17th-18th centuries, and the Civic Tower. Nearby, there are the Boarding School and the Church of S. Carlo, historic heart of the inhabitants of Modena, with the wide colonnade of the Boarding School, the entrance and the grand staircase, frescoes and rooms of unseen beauty.
Walking along the Via Emilia you will reach the Museums Palace, which houses the most important cultural institutes of the city, such as the Epigraphy Museum and the Estensi Gallery, which keeps many masterpieces and works of art, the Civic Museums, the Municipal Historic Archive and the Estensi Library, with important illuminated codices and the famus Bible of Borso d’Este illuminated by Taddeo Crivelli.
The streets of Modena cross over each other, a consequence of the construction of buildings and streets following the paths of the canals which once flowed in the heart of the city. An example is Corso Canal Grande, one of the most characteristic streets, crossed by the Via Emilia, with its residential buildings. In the first stretch of this street there is the Church of S. Vincenzo and the Municipal Theatre, then the Ducal Palace, an impressive princely building built in the 17th century which arose partially on an ancient castle founded by the d’Este Family and is now seat of to the prestigious Military Academy of Modena.
Moving from the centre of Modena to the province, one shouldn’t miss to visit some of the numerous towns in the surrounding district, with their many outstanding marvels.
Passing Castelfranco Emilia moving towards Panzano, one should stop at Villa Sora, with its huge surrounding park and a green area retained to be the major example of 19th century romantic gardens, offering many attractive glimpses, from the stables to the orangery in neo-gothic style.
Nonantola is the location of the renowned Benedictine abbey founded by the abbot Anselmo around the half of the 8th century AD. The abbey's archive guardes unique pieces in the world, such as a great number of parchments and diplomata of Charles the Great, Mathilda of Canossa, and Frederick Barbarossa.
Fortresses and castles cover the country as a mark of its considerable past. Among the most beautiful manors stands that of Vignola, a medieval fortress turned into a well-preserved aristocratic residence, with towers, drawbridges and moats. Finale Emilia shows the 15th century d’Este Fortress; Carpi the impressive castle, best known as Palazzo dei Pio; Monte Cucco the early medieval castle, the village and the Parish of Renno. Finally, one may visit Sassuolo and the Ducal Palace, holiday resort of Francesco I d’Este, with its splendid rooms and frescoes.
Concerning museums, each city or town has its own. Among the great number covering the country, one in particular strikes motors lovers. In Maranello, the Ferrari Gallery exhibits the legendary cars, pictures and trophies which have made the brand renowned all over the world.