Things to see and do Modena

The Cathedral of Modena, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the most important examples of Lombard Romanesque art in Italy. Here are kept the relics of the patron saint of Modena, San Geminiano. The foundation stone was laid by the architect Lanfranco in 1099, but the building was not completed until 1323. Decorated with a large rose window, the facade is decorated with bas-reliefs with episodes from Genesis and prophets, executed by the Lombard Wiligelmo, one of the first representatives of Romanesque sculpture in Italy.The north portal (known as "de la Poissonnerie"), also richly sculpted, shows the cycle of months and - more unusual - an episode from the legend of King Arthur. Inside, take the time to admire the profusion of sculpted elements that decorate the 13th century rood screen and the capitals of the columns of the crypt, all decorated with different motifs (note the two-tailed mermaid!).

Adjacent to the Duomo, an interesting Museo del Duomo (Diocesan Museum) houses a fine collection of sacred objects and tombstones from the Romanesque period. It contains in particular the metopes (12th century), bas-reliefs that surmounted the cathedral's buttresses, with symbolic motifs

Next to it stands the Ghirlandina, a 13th century campanile 87 m high, symbol of the city. His name would come from the two garlands of small columns surrounding his arrow. According to another hypothesis, it was baptized by the Jews who came from Spain because of its resemblance to the Giralda of Seville.

Inaugurated in 1931, the Albinelli food markets are the oldest in the city and among the most beautiful in Italy. In liberty style, in the centre of the halles stands a statue also dating from the beginning of the 20th century. A picturesque and colourful market not to be missed.

Located on the ground floor of Palazzo Comunale, the Modena Tourist Office offers a very efficient service. It reserves for you guided visits to the Palazzo Ducale of Modena, to the wineries, to the acetaie, and proposes oenogastronomic itineraries. This is where you can book your visit to the Acetaia Comunale and purchase the Unesco combined ticket giving access to the Torre Ghirlandina, the Museo del Duomo and the Acetaia Comunale. In addition to this, you will find the city map, brochures in French and the cultural calendar

In 1630, the region was infested with plague. The citizens of the city then implore the Virgin Mary to protect them from this devastating disease and promise him back to build a church on his behalf. The construction of the latter shows that the wish was fulfilled. By entering the left, we find the illustration of this imploration of the Virgin.

Set in a group of buildings built between the 11th and 15th centuries, the majestic town hall's lounges are worth a look for the frescoes and paintings that decorate them. Don't miss, in one of the rooms, the Secchia Rapita (the removed bucket), a testimony to the old antagonism between Modena and Bologna: wishing to bring the humiliation of the Bolognese to a climax, the soldiers of Modena succeeded in 1325 in entering the city and stealing a bucket, a sign that the Bolognese were not even capable of protecting the most humble object!

It is very bright and decorated very carefully. And as a result, it was a church-based church that welcomed the just dead bodies of the Ducal family.

Who, as a child, has never collected Panini stickers, to stick in an album on the theme of the football world cup or his favourite cartoon? Originally from Modena, the Panini brothers founded a publishing house specializing in figurines (self-adhesive images) in 1961. In the 1990s, the company donated 500,000 pieces (stickers, cigarette boxes, etc.) to the city of Modena, which made up the museum's collection. Part of it is on permanent display in showcases that evoke the pages of a scrapbook to be leafed through.

San Vito di Spilamberto, a small town in Italy's Modena province, is home to Aceto Balsamico del Duca di Adriano Grosoli Srl. This manufacturer offers a wide range of aceto balsamico products, from panettone to traditional Modena DOP aceto balsamico. The products are renowned for their unique taste, balanced between sweet and sour, and for their characteristic fragrance. Aceto Balsamico del Duca dal 1891 offers various lines of balsamic vinegar, all characterized by careful packaging and the judicious use of different raw materials.

The traditional DOP balsamic vinegar is rightly called "black gold" if we consider that it takes 500 kg of grapes to obtain two litres of vinegar and at least twelve years of patience before the first drops of the precious elixir are extracted from the barrel! Aware of the patrimonial value of this product, Modena founded its municipal vinegar factory in 2003, under the attic of Palazzo Comunale, where several batteries of barrels rest. The guided tour goes back over the balsamic production process and ends with a tasting session.