Modena city tour:
The city guide and our travel tips for your trip to Modena
The historic center of Modena is a must for every tourist. Strolling through the city streets like a Modenese and stopping at a bar to have breakfast with a cappuccino a slice of the traditional bensone should be a must. Take time to visit this gem of Emilia Romagna and be influenced by the relaxed yet bubbly lifestyle in the city's historic center.
For those who want more than just getting lost in the city and contemplating its beauties, it is of course possible to hire a private tourist guide, who will accompany you around the city and give you more detailed information about the city's monuments and perhaps reveal some special tips. Another very popular way to discover the historical center and its secrets in a more original way is to join a free walking tour of Modena. A free walking tour allows you to discover the hidden sides of the city. Besides the traditional tours, here you will find tours on very different themes, such as Modena and its waterways, street art in Modena, street food tours and industrial Modena.
For all those who do not like guided tours and prefer to be their own tour guide, here is a complete city guide of Modena where you will find all the monuments, streets and museums that you should definitely include in your city tour of Modena:
Modena city of art & culture
Discover the historical centre, museums and cultural events not to be missed. Here are Modena's must-see sights:
The beating heart of Modena: Piazza Grande
Piazza Grande is the beating heart of Modena. Located right in the center of the city, it is a beloved gathering place for locals and a must-see destination for tourists. Piazza Grande gathers within it some of the city's most important buildings, such as Modena Cathedral - Duomo di Modena and the Ghirlandina Tower, which together have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.
In this square religious power and temporal power meet: the Modena Cathedral and the City Hall.
Cathedral of Modena - Duomo di Modena
The Cathedral of Modena, is together with the Ghirlandina Tower the best known and most significant monument in the city of Modena. The construction of the Cathedral designed by architect Lanfranco, began on June 9, 1099. This monument is of fundamental importance to the city of Modena, not only because the Cathedral is one of the greatest masterpieces-for the time very innovative-of the European Romanesque style, but also because the tomb of St. Geminianus, the patron saint of the city, is located here.
Opening hours:
- Tuesday to Sunday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (continuous hours);
- Mondays from 7 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and 3.30 p.m. to 7 p.m;
- January 31, the Feast of the Patron Saint Geminianus, extended hours 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
Tourists are not allowed to visit during celebrations, holy masses and on Sunday mornings.
The Ghirlandina Tower
With its height of an impressive 86.12 Meters, the Ghirlandina Tower is a key element of Modena's skyline, and also the best point to view the city from above.
The Ghirlandina Tower - true symbol of Modena - is open to visitors. For those who are not afraid of heights and the 200 steps required to reach the top of the tower, here is general information for climbing the tower and seeing Modena in 360°:
Opening hours
Monday - Friday: 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. - 7 p.m.Saturday, Sunday and holidays: 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m.
Costs
Full price ticket: 3.00 Euro Reduced ticket: 2.00 Euro for children (six years and older), students (up to 26 years) and over 65
Free entry:
For children (up to 5 years old), people with disabilities and their carers
To visit the tower, a reservation is required.
You can book your visit online on Visit Modena, the Official Tourist Information Website of Modena, and you can pay at the Ghirlandina Tower at the time of the visit.
Otherwise, you can email info@visitmodena.it, torreghirlandina@comune.modena.it or contact the Tourist Information and Reception Office at 0592032660.
Thematic tours of the Ghirlandina Tower and events such as Aperitif in the Tower can also be booked.
On the northern facade of the Ghirlandina Tower is located the Sacrario della Ghirlandina (Ghirlandina Shrine), dedicated to the Modenese partisans who fell in World War II.
Palazzo Comunale di Modena
The Palazzo Comunale is still the seat of the city hall of Modena. Palazzo Comunale groups a series of buildings that arose in medieval times, connected by a long portico of marble columns, which seems to enclose the square and give it its famous quadrangular shape. Further decorating the square is the Clock Tower with its characteristic Immaculata balcony.
Torre dell’Orologio - The Clock Tower
The Clock Tower - Torre dell'Orologio - stands in the center of the Town Hall where earlier the ancient Torrazzo apparently stood. Only at the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century did the tower take the form in which it stands today. In 1508 the octagonal tower dome designed by Bartolomeo Bonascia was erected. In 1730 the clock designed by Ludovico Riva was installed. The statue of the Madonna was installed in the niche by the tower's marble balcony only in 1805.
The main access to the Clock Tower is located under the archway of the palace Palazzo Comunale in Piazza Grande.
La Bonissima
La Bonissima is a distinctive white marble statue placed on the facade of Palazzo Comunale at the corner with Via Castellaro. Although it is not certain who this figure is meant to depict, La Bonissima is one of Modena's symbols and is much loved by the citizens.
The statue depicts a simply dressed woman with clothes of medieval fashion and a long braid of hair falling over her shoulder. The woman appears to smile at passersby. The name given to this statue, La Bonissima, means "the good woman", "the beautiful woman" or "the kind-hearted woman".
There are 3 main theories about the identity of the woman depicted in this statue:
1. The noblewoman named Bona
According to a Modenese rumor passed down through the centuries, later put in writing by the Modenese chronicler Jacopo de' Lancellotti in 1468, the statue would depict a very rich woman named Bona, who in times of great famine would spend large sums of money to buy wheat for the entire citizenry.
2. Countess Matilda of Tuscany
The second theory, instead, recognizes in Bonissima the Countess Matilde di Canossa (Countess Matilda of Tuscany). She was also referred to as la Gran Contessa "the Great Countess" and enjoyed at the time considerable authority in the city of Modena.
3. The Office of Bona Opinione
The third possible theory is that this statue does not actually depict a physical person, but rather on a symbolic level a public office of the Municipality: Ufficio della Bona Opinione (Office of Good Counsel). The office where the statue was originally placed.
Pietra Ringadora
While walking around Piazza Grande, you may happen to wonder what that big marble stone next to Modena Cathedral is and what it is used for: It is Pietra Ringadora.The big stone made of ammonitic veronese red marble was used in the Middle Age as a tribune and pulpit for the Modenese orators, who could stand on the stone and speak to the citizens. The name "Ringadora" could also come from making amends for a crime committed. In this sense, the name of the stone would refer to the fact that debtors were publicly ridiculed and forced to return assets to creditors. From the fifteenth century, the stone was used as a stone of public shame.
Palazzo Ducale di Modena
The sumptuous baroque Palazzo Ducale built in 1291 by Duke Francesco I d'Este was designed by Bartolomeo Avanzini. Today the ducal palace is the seat of the Military Academy of Modena. From 1650 onwards, the famous artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini also participated in the construction of the palace. Other renowned architects who took part in the project were Francesco Borromini and Pietro da Cortona.
Palazzo Ducale was the residence of the Estense Court until the last Duke Francis V of Habsburg-Este 1859.
The palace can only be visited with a guided tour on Saturdays and Sundays, which must be booked in advance.
With a guided tour, you can visit the inner courtyard and its two-storey Baroque arcade. Through the monumental staircase adorned with Roman statues, you can access the wonderful rooms of the palace such as Sala del Trono (the Throne Room), Salottino d'Oro (the Golden Parlour) and Salone d'Onore (the Hall of Honour).
Teatro Comunale di Modena and the Monument to Luciano Pavarotti
Only a few steps away from the majestic Palazzo Ducale is the Teatro Comunale di Modena, the symbol of an opera tradition with deep cultural roots in the popular culture of this area. Among the many illustrious names that are linked to this theatre such as Mirella Freni, Raina Kabaivanska, Nicolai Ghiaurov, since 2007 one in particular stands out. That is the internationally renowned opera singer Luciano Pavarotti, to whom the theatre has been dedicated since 2007. In front of the theatre entrance you will see the statue in honour of Luciano Pavarotti.
Museums 🎨
Palazzo dei Musei
Largo Porta Sant'Agostino
Palazzo dei Musei is an imposing 18th century palace located in the historic centre of Modena at Largo Porta Sant'Agostino. As its name suggests, it is the ideal place for those who are looking for a day of culture. Palazzo dei Musei in fact houses several cultural institutions, including the Musei Civici and the Galleria Estense.
Musei Civici
The Municipal Museums of Modena comprise a large collection of works of art, archaeological finds, and ethnographic objects, as well as arts and crafts that tell the story of the city and the region.
Galleria e Medagliere Estense
Galleria Estense displays a rich collection of paintings, sculptures, musical instruments and decorative arts from the collection of the Dukes of Este. In total, the Galleria Estense has four salons and eighteen rooms that display the remarkable artistic heritage accumulated by the Dukes of Este. Among the most important works on display are the Madonna and Child by Correggio, the Portrait of Francesco I d'Este by Velázquez, the Triptych by El Greco and the marble bust of Francesco I d'Este by Bernini. The Estense Medagliere contains coins, medals, seals and precious stones of great historical and artistic value and is a must for numismatic enthusiasts.
Museo della Figurina
The Museo della Figurina is dedicated to the world of picture cards and cards collection. It exhibits a vast collection of sports, historical, advertising and entertainment figurines, offering a nostalgic and cultural journey. Opened to the public in 2006, the Museum displays over 500,000 picture cards that were donated by Giuseppe Panini to the city of Modena in 1992. The museum is designed to display the entire history and evolution of collectible cards.
Museo del Duomo
The cathedral museum was opened in 2000 on the occasion of the Great Jubilee. The collection on display includes artistic-liturgical objects dating from the Romanesque period to the 19th century, such as sculptures, reliquaries, textiles and paintings.
In the room reserved for ancient codices of the Chapter Archive, the codex Leges salicae from the late 11th-early 10th century, a text containing the decrees of Charlemagne, is on display.
Casa Museo Luciano Pavarotti
The Casa Museo Luciano Pavarotti was opened to the public in 2015 and is dedicated to the life and career of the famous Modenese tenor. This museum is located in the house that Maestro Pavarotti built in the Modenese countryside, a large estate, where Pavarotti lived the last years of his life. This museum displays stage costumes, photographs, videos and personal items that tell the story of the tenor's extraordinary career and private life.
Giardino Ducale Estense
The Giardino Ducale Estense in Modena is a historical public garden located in the heart of the city. It was designed in the 17th century as a private garden for the Ducal family of Este. The garden, with its tree-lined avenues, statues, fountains and flowerbeds, is a place of great beauty and tranquillity, ideal for walks and for finding some shade on summer days. Cultural and public events are often organised here during the summer.
