From the railway station, follow via Crispi to the Tempio dei Caduti, imposing example of neo-Romanesque style. From there, turn left to reach the Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari°°: the birthplace of ‘the Drake’ is a leading museum, a paradise for fast cars lovers in the heart of the land of motors.
Going toward the city historical centre, wonderful 18th-century palaces could be seen along corso Vittorio Emanuele°, such as Palazzo D’Aragona Coccapani°. At the end of the avenue, there is also the back of the enormous Palazzo Ducale°° (Ducal Palace), one of the greatest Baroque palaces in Italy, former seat of the Duke in the centuries when Modena was a capital. On its right, Piazza San Domenico° and then Piazza Roma°° are opened, from where you can admire the extraordinary facade of the Palazzo Ducale°°.
Then, walking along the elegant via Farini°, there is the street which cuts the centre into two parts, the via Emilia°°. On the right, you can find the lovely Piazza Mazzini°°, where houses in the Liberty style were built at the beginning of the 20th century, once Jewish ghetto (as the Neoclassic Synagogue testifies). The square is just opposite the Palazzo Comunale and the UNESCO site. Here, you can visit the 1000-year old Duomo, international masterpiece of the Romanesque art, and its wonderful bell tower Ghirlandina. To have an idea of the treasure of the Cathedral, the Musei del Duomo°° are the right place.
The Albinelli Covered Market°°, in the Liberty style, is very close to Piazza Grande and it is the lively and coloured gathering of all the delicatessen of the world famous typical Modenese cuisine.
On the nice via dei Servi°, the rich Church of San Bartolomeo°° is Baroque. You can get lost in the narrow and characteristic streets of this part of the historical centre, walking under the porticoes and in the little squares. Reach the monastery of San Pietro°°, have a look at the winding corso Canal Chiaro°° and piazzetta San Giacomo°.
Then, arrive at Piazza Sant’Agostino°° (maybe through via Carteria, where the church of San Barnaba°° is, or rua Muro°, street of the Renaissance). Here, don’t forget the Sant'Agostino church°°, Estense Pantheon, and the Palazzo dei Musei°°. In particular, enter the Galleria Estense°°, probably one of the best museums in Italy, showing masterpieces of the most famous artists in the world, and the Musei Civici°°, dedicated to the history of the town.
From here, the piazza della Pomposa° and the Foro Boario°°, an incredibly long 19th-century market for livestock, are near. Through via Taglio, come back to the Palazzo Ducale°° and then arrive at corso Canal Grande°°: see the Palazzina dei Giardini Ducali°°, the Palazzo Santa Margherita°, the Teatro Comunale Luciano Pavarotti°° (witness of Modena as land of the Italian bel canto), the church of San Vincenzo°° and several historical houses. From there, you can also see the church of San Biagio°°. Back into the via Emilia°°, walk until the best place for Modeneses to meet: the portico of the Collegio San Carlo°°.
Like that – visiting the pages linked above – you can have a quite complete idea of the town. For all the rest, which is a lot, don’t hesitate to visit laguidadimodena.it!
[Images signed with 'laguidadimodena.it' are by the Author. The others are kindly given by the respective Institutions (at the end of the pages, the copyrights). In any case, none of the images from this website is freely available]
