Modena in 2 days, on foot

This 2-day self-guided walking plan for Modena covers 18 narrated sights in an easy day-by-day order. Each day is split into a morning and an afternoon loop, and every stop has a two to three minute audio story in the Gingerguide app.

You set the pace: this is a suggested order, not a schedule. Walk it in 2 days, or stretch it out. Reorder freely; Modena rewards a detour.

Day 1

Morning

1. Modena Cathedral (Duomo): A UNESCO World Heritage Romanesque masterpiece built from 1099, celebrated for Wiligelmo's extraordinary carved portal reliefs, the finest Romanesque sculpture in Italy.
2. Ghirlandina Tower: The 89-metre Romanesque-Gothic campanile adjacent to Modena Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for housing the legendary "Secchia Rapita", a stolen bucket that started a war.
3. Ferrari Museum (Galleria Ferrari, Maranello): The official museum of the world's most iconic racing brand, 20km from Modena in Maranello, with Formula 1 cars, championship trophies, engines, and the original factory where Ferrari was born.
4. Casa Enzo Ferrari Museum: Enzo Ferrari's birthplace in central Modena, transformed into a striking museum with a spectacular ripple-roof pavilion by architect Jan Kaplický, celebrating the Ferrari story in its home city.
5. Palazzo dei Musei & Estense Gallery: Modena's great cultural institution housing the magnificent Este dynasty art collection and the Biblioteca Estense, home to the breathtaking Bible of Borso d'Este, one of the greatest illuminated manuscripts ever made.

Afternoon

1. Piazza Grande: The UNESCO World Heritage ensemble at the heart of Modena, where the Romanesque Cathedral and Ghirlandina Tower face the Palazzo Comunale across the city's main civic square.
2. Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena: Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena DOP, aged minimum 12 years in a sequence of seven different wood barrels, is one of the world's most complex and costly condiments, made only in Modena.
3. Nocino Liqueur Tradition: Nocino is Modena's traditional walnut liqueur, made from unripe green walnuts harvested on the feast of St John (June 24) and steeped in alcohol for months.
4. Tortellini: the Great Dispute: Modena and Bologna have argued for centuries over who invented tortellini, but it was the Dotta Corporazione del Tortellino of Bologna that registered the official recipe in 1974.

Day 2

Morning

1. Luciano Pavarotti's Modena: Luciano Pavarotti, the most famous tenor in the world, was born in Modena in 1935 and maintained deep ties to his hometown throughout his life. The city celebrates his memory with the Pavarotti International Festival.
2. Maserati: the Trident of Modena: Maserati was founded in Bologna in 1914 by six brothers, but moved to Modena in 1937 and has been associated with the city ever since. The trident logo is taken from the Neptune fountain in Bologna's Piazza Maggiore.
3. Palazzo Ducale: Modena's magnificent Baroque ducal palace, built in the 17th century for the Este family, now serves as the Italian Military Academy, one of Italy's most prestigious military institutions.
4. Osteria Francescana: Massimo Bottura's three-Michelin-star restaurant in Modena was named the World's Best Restaurant twice (2016 and 2018), transforming traditional Italian cooking into avant-garde culinary art.
5. Mercato Albinelli: Modena's beloved covered market, built in 1931 in a fine Art Deco style, where local vendors sell fresh produce, cheeses, salumi, fresh tortellini, and local Modenese specialities in a vivid daily market.

Afternoon

1. Modena Food Trail: Land of Engines and Food: Modena's culinary identity extends beyond balsamic vinegar to include prosciutto di Modena DOP, Lambrusco wine, cotechino and zampone (traditional pork sausages), and the vibrant food market culture of Emilia-Romagna.
2. Synagogue of Modena: Modena's monumental synagogue, completed in 1873 in the area of the former Jewish Ghetto, is one of the most beautiful 19th-century synagogues in northern Italy.
3. Church of Sant'Agostino: Modena's baroque Church of Sant'Agostino contains one of the most dramatic sculptural ensembles in Italy: Guido Mazzoni's terracotta "Compianto sul Cristo Morto" (Lamentation over the Dead Christ), a masterpiece of 15th-century realism.
4. Motor Valley: Maranello & Beyond: The Motor Valley of Emilia-Romagna, centred on Modena and Maranello, is the world's greatest concentration of high-performance automotive manufacturing, Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Pagani, and Ducati all have their homes here.

Full Modena guide and all stops →