Modena
Discover Modena
A concise introduction to Modena, its geography, history and culture.
Introduction
Modena is a city of about one hundred and eighty thousand people on the Via Emilia in central Emilia Romagna, roughly forty kilometres north-west of Bologna.
Its centre is flat, compact and built around the Piazza Grande, which together with the cathedral and the Ghirlandina tower forms a UNESCO World Heritage site — inscribed for the cathedral in particular, an early and unusually complete Romanesque building with a documented architect and sculptor.
The city was the capital of the Estense duchy from 1598, and the ducal palace at the top of the old town is now the Italian military academy, which is why you will see cadets in the streets.
The other Modena is industrial and lies just outside: the ring of towns producing sports cars, machine tools and ceramics, and the attics across the province where vinegar ages for decades.