MODENA A historic university town Modena is located in Emilia-Romagna, a north-central region of Italy stretching over a fertile plane and flanking the Apennine Mountains. With its 200,000 inhabitants, it is both tranquil and lively, a place where modernity and tradition meet and engage comfortably with one another. You can explore Modena by having a passeggiata under the porticos overarching its sidewalks or bicycling along the roads following the ancient canals. The cobblestone streets of the historic center and the buildings’ amber shades give you the opportunity to relive the medieval town still filled by the echoes of the court of the Estense family. The people who live here are open and friendly: in the stores or on the street you will always find someone more than willing to chat with you. Unlike better-known Italian cities that appear on every tourist’s itinerary, Modena offers you the chance to hear Italian spoken in every corner. Modena is home to the twelfth-century Romanesque Cathedral declared by Unesco to be among the five hundred masterpieces of the world; the impressive rooms of the municipal palace; the imposing Palazzo Ducale; the collective beauty of numerous churches. The city’s artistic and historic treasures coexist in harmony with bookstores, boutiques where artists and artisans sell their goods, traditional markets, bars where you can sit and drink an aperitivo, as well as Modena’s renowned restaurants and the less formal trattorias.   Finally, it’s central geographic location allows you to reach the major cities as well as the smaller, lesser-known towns of Italy quite easily. Every spot in Italy possesses its unique history, traditions, and habits. The free afternoons and weekends are occasions to make yourself acquainted with the country’s fascinating diversity.

Modena is located in quite a strategic position: it is very close and well connected with some well known cities like Milan, Venice, Verona, Florence, Bologna, Pisa, Siena, and other cities, maybe not as well know, but never the less beautiful and full of interesting things to see. Furthermore, it is possible to make beautiful excursions to the Apennine, the charming mountains on the border of Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany, or easily reach the Adriatic Sea in the east (Rimini, Riccione etc, famous for the most entertaining night life of Italy) or the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea in the west (characterized by beautiful villages such as Cinque Terre or great beaches like the one of Versilia). Below a short description of some of the nearest towns: REGGIO EMILIA. 25 km from Modena, 15 minutes by train. The cathedral, Basilica della Madonna della Ghiara, with some wonderful frescoes, works of the most famous Emilian artists of the seventh century. The Mauriziano, a fifteenth century villa where the poet Ludovico Ariosto sojourned . Reggio Emilia is the city of the Tricolore, the Italian flag, born in 1797 together with the constitution of the Cispadana Republic. The hall of the Tricolore in the city hall is open to the public. Famous, together with Modena and Parma, for the production of Parmigiano-Reggiano, Parmesan cheese. PARMA. 55 km from Modena, 30 minutes by train. Cathedral of the Romanesque-Lombard style, frescoes in the cupola made by Correggio. Palazzo della Pilotta, the palace of the Farnese family and today the center of the Galleria Nazionale and the Bodoniano museum. And for those passionate of lyrics: Parma is also the birth place of Giuseppe Verdi and Arturo Toscanini. FERRARA. 70 km from Modena, direct bus (1,5 hours), train with one change in Bologna. Romanesque-gothic cathedral. Medieval village and castle. Some of the main buildings: Palazzo dei Diamanti, where some important art exhibitions take place every year, and Palazzo Schifanoia, with frescoes made by Francesco da Cossa. The city is still today surrounded by the medieval walls. RAVENNA. 120 km from Modena, train with one change in Bologna. As an antique capital of the western empire, Ravenna conserves still today the greatest creations of the Byzantine art in Europe. The biggest part of the buildings erected between the fourth and sixth centuries are still untouched. Dante Alighieri, the farther of the Italian language, died in exile in Ravenna, where it is possible to visit his grave. MANTOVA. 67 km from Modena, 1 hour by train. Mantova lies on the right bank of the river Mincio, which forms three lakes. Duke's palace, a complex of buildings from different epochs and in diverse styles. Palazzo Te, masterpiece of Giulio Romano. Sant’Andrea's church, where is buried Andrea Mantegna. Mantova is the birth place of Virgilio. CREMONA. 120 km from Modena, train with one change in Fidenza. Magnificent medieval and renascence buildings surrounding the main square, Piazza del Comune: cathedral, baptistery, Palazzo del Comune and Torrazzo. Cremona is famous for its lute-maker school, which most famous teacher was Stradivarius. Stradivarius Museum. PADOVA. 153 km from Modena, train with one change in Bologna. Chapel of Scrovegni with frescoes made by Giotto. Eremitani's church with frescoes made by Mantegna. Piazza del Santo with the Basilica of Sant’Antonio and the bronze monument of Gattamelata made by Donatello. Important university founded in 1222.

    

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