Modena, Italy


Weekend in Modena (24-26 SEP)


We came to Modena, Italy mainly because we had friends traveling in Italy and Modena was the best time and place where our itineraries allowed a rendezvous. I had not seen my naval academy roommate, Ryan, in 25 years and now we are seeing he and his wife Gail for the second time in three weeks.  The previous meeting was at my naval academy class reunion the weekend after Labor Day.


The best reason to come to Modena is for the food but the city is beautiful and charming with plenty of sights and lots of human activity adding to the energetic vibe.

In addition to having a couple good meals, including a notable restaurant called  Franceschetta58, we also visited the home-turned-museum of Luciano Pavorotti who was born and raised in Modena.  Pavarotti was born in 1935 and died in 2007 of pancreatic cancer in the house we visited.  The museum displayed all kinds of memorabilia from Pavorotti's early days of rising to fame in operatic performances to his activism on behalf of peace and child welfare in war torn countries, including his annual "Pavarotti and Friends" fundraising concerns which brought in stars from all genres of music; my personal favorites were Bono, Sting, and Jon Bon Jovi.  Pavarotti broke all kinds of barriers bringing opera to the mainstream while traveling the world, connecting with peopel through his singing, and interacting on the global stage with celebrities and leaders alike.




Bono at one of the "Pavarotti and Friends" benefit concerts to raise money for chldren in war-torn nations.  Pavarotti inspired Bono to write the song "Miss Sarajevo" 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWXQdw-YvVM


In Modena's Piazza Grande, we part of the filming for an upcoming movie about Enzo Ferrari. It looks like the piazza will be the setting for a racing scene through a course marked by hay bales and vintage advertising signs, circa the 1950s perhaps.  Maybe this will be the counter-message to Ford vs Ferrari and the Italian racers will be the good guys this time.  We look forward to watching for the movie to come out and expect what we saw will probably consume 10-20 second of the movie.



It wouldn't be a visit to an Italian centro historico (historic city center) without going in the duomo (church for a look) or climbing a tower.  We did both.  Construction of the cathedral began in 1099 and and the church tower has a time capsule placed in 2017 to be opened in 2099 at the 1,000 year anniversary of the tower's beginning.  You wouldn't think a 930 year old tower would be safe to climb but it is open to visitors, so up we went.  Great views of the city despite the overcast conditions.

We also saw the “Chamber of the Stolen Bucket” which is something of a trophy for the city of Modena in which the bucket was captured from neighboring Bologna in the Battle of Zappolini in 1325 and ever since had been a token of honor protected by the city and celebrated as a symbol of a victory in a fight whose cause no one can remember.  Seems a lot like when Navy steals the Army mule before the Army-Navy game. 

Outside the tower.

Inside the tower.





Time capsule to be opened in 2099 at the tower's 1,000 year anniversary.  



Modena is the home of balsamic vinegar so we also did a balsamic vinegar tasting and tried certified balsamic, which as a minimum age of 12 years.  We also sample some extra aged balsamic that is over 25 years old and we looked at, but did not taste, a bottle that has been aged for 133 years. As they explained it, balsamic vinegar is basically cooked grape juice from a number of grape varieties and put into a barrel constructed from seven different type of wood. The barrels are kept in an attic where they it cooks (and get reduced) in the summer and ages in the winter.  Once a year, the vinegar is moved from one barrel to the next.  After 12 years, they can either extract it to sell or keep aging it for another year.  This, of course, is for artisinal balsamic.  The process for industrial quantities that you get in the grocery store is completely different.  "Like the difference between a Ferrari and a Fiat" as the lady in the tasting room explained to us.  

 Balsamic vinegar tasting.  Non toccare!

Food and Drink

Mozzarella di bufalo and Pizza di bufala.  Making up for 12 years of mozzarella di bufala deprivation in one sitting.

Tortelloni (big size tortellini is a specialty of Modena).  Dinner on a piazza where we had tigelle bread with thin cuts of meat (another specialty of Modena).



Modena is the Mecca of tortelloni (big) and tortellini (small)  
Felt more like a pasta shrine than food market.  

No trip to Italy is complete without cappuccino.    

Other Scenes of Modena


Best wall lamp ever.







Location: Loc. Casaletto, 06030 Sellano PG, Italy

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