Modena things to do
Modena things to do
Modena things to do
The Via Emilia serves as the main street of Modena Hotel website design, which, of all the towns in the road's path, is perhaps the most exquisite, with a Romanesque cathedral that is a masterpiece; a superb museum of paintings; and streets of palaces, churches, ar cades, and squares that have not changed since the days of Stendhalso that the town itself is a work of art. Modena was scarcely hit in the last war; whatever damage has been done to the medieval quarter was perpetrated not by bombs but by the Este family when they arrived from Ferrara at the end of the 16th century.
Modena was to be their new capital, Baroque was their style, and money was no object. New avenues were cut through the old city, and the Palazzo Ducale, second in size only to that of the Gonzagas in Mantua, was built to dominate the center, which it still does. Later a small, elegant opera house was built (both Luciano Pavarotti and Mirella Freni are Modenese). When the city walls came down after the unification of Italy they were replaced by treelined promenades. Many an avenue was once a canalas is re vealed by the namesand old Modena must have had a Venetian air; some of the piazzas near the cathedral still do.
Like Venice, Modena is a city best appreciated when explored on foot.
The Galleria Estense is the painting museum, housed in the Palazzo dei Musei (at the far end of via Emilia Centro) along with the Este library. It took years to reorganize the picture galleries, but the result has been worth waiting for: one of Italy's best arranged collections. The Estes arrived as would be expected with cartloads of works of Cosme Tura and the School of Ferrara, but they went right on collecting. Duke Francesco I went to Madrid and had his portrait painted by Velazquez (who in turn came to Modena on a buying trip for the king of Spain and was proudly shown the portrait in the palace).
He also commissioned a flamboyant bust from Bernini, and that we see, along with a selection of Veroneses, Tintorettos, Guardis, and even an El Greco. On the floor below the gallery is the Biblioteca Estense, and though all of its 600,000 books and 15,000 manuscripts are hardly on permanent view, one room is open to the public to show the library's prizes. Featured is the Bible of Borso d'Este, with 1,020 pages illuminated by a team of artists, including Taddeo Crivelli. It is certainly the most valuable illustrated manuscript we have from the Ital ian Renaissance. It is in good company, with priceless Byzan tine codices, French miniatures, and a fascinating collection of maps. One of the latter represents countries by their fauna; the coast of Brazil is the curved back of a green cockatoo.
Towering over Modena is the cathedral's Romanesque campanile, called the Ghirlandina thanks to the bronze garland on its weather vane; it reminded the Spanish Se phardim of their Giralda in Seville. The Duomo itself has been returned to its original Romanesque self, yet its inte rior has a Byzantine air, with its painted crucifix glowing over the raised main altar backed by arches and separated from the nave by a magnificent rood screen. The cathedral is closer to San Marco in Venice than to its Norman contemporaries in Apulia. It is a veritable museum of sculpture, with the work of the Lombard Wiligelmo later added to by the Campionese artists who came down from Lugano. There is even more in the cathedral museum, with its remarkable metopes brought down from the buttresses to rooms where they can be properly seen. More treasures surround the tomb of San Geminiano in the crypt, and lovers of wood intarsia shouldn't miss the Coro.
The lateral side of the Duomo facing the piazza Grande at the center of Modena is worth contemplation best done over an aperitif in one of the cafes opposite (providing that it is not a weekend, when a hurly burly antiques fair descends with its carts and stands). Modena's main shopping street is the via Farini, which leads to the dominating facade of the Palazzo Ducale.
The more fanatic gourmets who come to Modena look at nothing at all and head speedily for the famed Fini at rua Frati Minori 54. Practically an institution, Fini was founded in 1912 alongside a salumeria, since redecorated, it has retained its relaxed atmosphere and superior service. You would hardly suspect that the family has organized its own export service for many of the delicacies that find their way to your table here: their own salamis, hams, and pates; their zampone, or stuffed pig's foot (which is sliced like a sausage when served). The Salumeria Telesforo Fini is now located at corso Ca nalchiaro 139, in case you want some delicacies to take home.
Aceto balsamico, the heady vinegar for which the region is famous, also may be purchased at Fini, Authentic balsamico, made from Trebbiano grape juice, has a slightly caramelized flavor due to a long cooking process. The cooked juice is aged in a series of at least five casks made from different varieties of wood. The very best balsamicos are aged for decades. The concentrated nectar that results is very potent and would typically be offered as an after dinner liqueur or a restorative. Lucrezia Borgia recommended it to alleviate the pain of childbirth. Nowadays balsamico is served drizzled over ice cream, berries, or other fruits, or even over Parmigiano Reggiano cheese but rarely in salad dressing.
The Finis have their own vineyards, where they produce the best of Lambruscos: the Sorbara. But in case this doesn't appeal to you, the restaurant has a wine list of 150 labels, both Italian and French, noted by province. Their pate of prosciutto and chicken is an ideal opener; their pastas change with the season. If you are lucky, the menu will have a pasticcio of tortellini, served with a rich bechamel and encased in a crisp pastry shell. The cuisine of Modenaand the town considers it completely apart from that of Bologna and Parmainvolves a great deal of labor.
To accompany the boiled meats, zampone, and fowl of the bollito misto a bevy of sauces are wheeled up, among them salsa verde, then a peperonata of diced peppers, and the piquant mix ture of preserved fruits known as mostarda di Cremona. Truffles lace the dishes here as they do all over the North, turning up in risottos, shaved over veal cutlets, or topping chicken already swimming in whiskey and cream. The dishes at Fini need not be heavy, though: Witness the lightly fried brains and sweetbreads, the kidneys trifolati, and the liver cooked with sage. A chocolate semifreddo is one of the best desserts of the house; of course, all the cakes and tarts are made on the premises. Tel: (059) 223314; Fax: (059) 22 0247. Closed Mondays, Tuesdays, and August; expensive.
There are many other good restaurants in Modena. On the grand side there is the Borso d'Este at piazza Roma 5, facing the palace; and in a more modest bracket, Oreste (piazza Roma 31; Tel: 059 243324; closed Sunday evenings and Wednesdays) or Enzo, upstairs at via Coltellini 17 (Tel: 059225177; closed Tues days). Also good is da Danilo, located on a quiet side street at via Coltellini 31, where you can dine alfresco on garganelli (ridged pasta quills) in a light tomato and chicken sauce, or thick slices of rich zampone with tender beans perfumed with garlic. For morning coffee, stop at Giusti, near the piazza Maggiore, for a cappuccino and warm chocolatefilled croissants. Next door, Giusti is also a gourmet shop, where excellent balsamic vinegar from a variety of producers, olive oil, driedfunghi porcini, and other delica cies are sold. In back there is a tiny osteria, only five tables, where you can taste some of the best food in Modena. Reserva tions are a must (Tel: 059222533; closed Sundays, August, and December).
For the pleasure of walking in Modena, the more central your hotel, the better. (It should be noted that the Hotel Fini, on Modena's outskirts, is a completely separate establish ment from the restaurant, which is in the middle of town.) A list of Italy's most beautiful hotels would have to include Modena's Canalgrande, set as it is in a former bishop's palace, its lobbies hung with Baroque portraits and spar kling with chandeliers, and its rooms overlooking the parterres of a small garden. There is a choice of simpler lodgings, in particular the Roma, right on the via Farini, and the Liberta.
In Castelvetro, 19 km (12 miles) south of Modena, you can dine at a hilltop castle at the aptly named AI Castello, either outdoors on the pretty flower decked terrace or inside in the lofty dining room. It is popular with families and young Modenese. Fritto misto all'italiana is a favoritean assortment of fried foods that may include meats, zucchini, squash flowers, olives, pota toes, apple rings, and a creamy pudding, according to the season. In the front room, you can purchase the owner's homemade balsamic vinegar, which may be sampled driz zled on moist Parmigiano for an appetizer or over ripe strawberries (in season) for dessert.
Modena is the next city northwest of Bologna on the Via Emilia, a scarce 39 km (24 miles) away, a particularly pleas ant town to stay in and far less expensive than Bologna. So if Bologna is packed because of one of its innumerable trade fairs, it can be visited from Modena quite easily.
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