The Frecciarossa from Bologna Centrale to Modena takes 17 to 20 minutes; the slower regional train takes 25 to 30 minutes and costs around €3 to €5 single versus €8 to €15 for the high-speed. Both are adequate for a 20-minute journey. Trains run multiple times per hour. Modena station is a flat 15-minute walk from the historic centre, or a five-minute taxi.
March in Modena: the city is in full working mode - the university is in session, the markets are running, and the Ferrari museum is open year-round. The Palio di Modena runs in June; motor events are in autumn. March is between all of them and the city is operating for its own population.
The Cathedral and Piazza Grande
Modena Cathedral (Duomo di Modena, begun 1099, UNESCO World Heritage Site) is the starting point - one of the finest Lombard Romanesque churches in Italy, with Wiligelmo's Genesis reliefs on the façade (around 1106) representing one of the earliest examples of monumental narrative sculpture in Western art since antiquity. The interior is a single nave of plain Lombard stone. Entry is free; the nave is flat.
The Piazza Grande in front of the cathedral is the civic centre - a wide market square flanked by the Palazzo Comunale and medieval arcaded buildings. The Ghirlandina bell tower (89 metres) can be climbed for a view over the Po plain; this involves stairs.
The Enzo Ferrari Museum
The Museo Enzo Ferrari (MEF) on Via Paolo Ferrari occupies a purpose-built structure incorporating the original house where Ferrari was born in 1898. The contemporary pavilion - a sweeping yellow aluminium canopy by Future Systems, completed in 2012 - covers the entire site and houses a rotating collection of Ferrari road and race cars on a single flat floor of polished concrete. Entry approximately €18.
The collection rotates annually; in March it typically includes Formula 1 cars from championship seasons alongside road cars from various decades. The building itself is an architectural statement - the yellow canopy visible from the approach road, the 19th-century house preserved within.
Maranello, where the Ferrari factory is located, is 18 km south (local bus or taxi from Modena). The Ferrari Museum in Maranello is the racing heritage complement to the MEF and worth combining if time and legs allow; the factory itself is not publicly accessible.
Traditional Balsamic Vinegar
Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena (the PDO-protected traditional version, distinct from commercial balsamic) is aged for a minimum of 12 years in a sequence of barrels of progressively smaller capacity - oak, chestnut, cherry, mulberry. A 100ml bottle of 12-year aged traditional costs €50 to €80.
The Mercato Albinelli (Modena's covered food market, Monday to Saturday mornings - note it is closed Sunday, so this is a Monday trip option) has several stalls selling the traditional variety alongside Parmigiano-Reggiano and local salumi. Tasting before buying is standard practice. Acetaia Giusti (established 1605) near the town centre offers guided tastings by appointment.
Where to Eat
The post-marathon lunch in Modena is tortellini in brodo - the tiny stuffed pasta of Modena (distinct in size and filling from Bologna's version, a distinction the Modenese and Bolognesi maintain with the intensity of a genuine regional rivalry), served in a clear capon broth. Trattoria Ermes on Via Ganaceto: no reservations, open for lunch, Modenese home cooking. Queue before 12:30.
The aged balsamic drizzled over a chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano - the canonical pairing - is available at any deli or market stall and is the specifically correct combination to eat standing up in a Modena market.
Getting Back
Multiple services from Modena to Bologna Centrale throughout the day, 20 minutes. From Bologna Centrale, the Marconi Express monorail to Bologna Airport takes 7 minutes.