Ferrari, Pavarotti, and balsamic vinegar — the heartbeat of Emilia-Romagna's food culture
Modena is a prosperous city in Emilia-Romagna that packs an extraordinary amount of Italian cultural achievement into a compact historic centre: the birthplace of tenor Luciano Pavarotti, home of the Ferrari and Maserati automobile dynasties, and the origin of traditional balsamic vinegar (Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena DOP — aged 12 to 25 years in sequential casks of decreasing size until it reaches a thick, complex syrup worth more per gram than most spirits). The Osteria Francescana, Massimo Bottura's three-Michelin-star restaurant, sits in the historic centre and is routinely rank…
Modena (Roman Mutina) was one of ancient Rome's most important cities on the Via Emilia, a military stronghold in the wars against the Gauls and a significant trading hub. In the medieval period it became the capital of the Este Duchy (1288–1796), one of the most cultured courts of Renaissance Italy — the Este dukes were major patrons of the arts, commissioning works by Titian and Dosso Dossi. The Cathedral of Modena, begun in 1099 by master builder Lanfranco and sculptor Wiligelmo, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and among the finest Romanesque cathedrals in Italy; the leaning Ghirlandina ca…