Fitness junkies and calorie-counters had better give Modena a wide berth. For here there is an abundance of everything that declares war on washboard abs: prosciutto di Modena, parmigiano reggiano, aceto balsamico tradizionale, tortellini, gnocco fritto and much more. But anyone who loves good food and gluggable wines will feel, in Luciano Pavarotti’s home town, as if in a land of plenty – and will even want to take a small stash of these delicacies home.
A visit to Modena is best begun with a relaxed stroll through the old town. With its well-kept lanes and imposing arcades that make a walk enjoyable even in the rain, this liveable city is among the most beautiful in northern Italy. Worth seeing above all is the Piazza Grande, with Modena’s most historically significant buildings: the Romanesque cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta e San Geminiano and the Torre Ghirlandina bell tower. These masterpieces of medieval architecture have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.
From there it’s only a stone’s throw to the historic Mercato Albinelli, where some 30,000 locals and tourists satisfy their culinary cravings each week. Here you’ll find pretty much everything heart and palate could desire. The market is open daily except Sundays, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can not only shop here but also have lunch – hand-made, wafer-thin tortellini, for instance.
For an aperitivo or a coffee in between, the Modenesi like to drop into the Caffetteria Drogheria Giusti on Via Farini. At host Alessandro’s, you treat yourself to a glass of excellent Lambrusco and some of the delicious Prosciutto di Modena. This aromatic, faintly sweet ham lives quite unjustly in the shadow of its better-known cousin from neighbouring Parma. Perfect alongside it: gnocco fritto, deep-fried dough pillows of flour, water, lard and salt. But beware: the airy, light little parcels are addictive!
Lambrusco: Famous. Notorious. Unknown.
Wine connoisseurs may turn up their noses at the word Lambrusco, but the prejudices against this sparkling red ought to be long behind us. No other wine brings as much cheer and joie de vivre to the glass as dry Lambrusco! Yes, you read that right: dry it should be. For in its homeland Lambrusco is traditionally drunk dry. Sweet Lambrusco is a relatively recent invention, made only for export.
Only when, in the 1960s, the wine began to be fermented in large tanks (the Charmat method) did Lambrusco with residual sweetness become possible. As a sweet wine it became, under the name «Italian Coca-Cola», an export hit in America and thus world-famous: at the height of the boom, 200 million bottles went to the USA alone each year. The «Lambrusco fever» ended abruptly with the 1986 methanol scandal; its image was ruined.
To this day, Lambrusco struggles with its reputation as the sweet fizz from the supermarket shelf. Yet there has long been a whole range of top Lambrusco, and it pairs superbly with food. Lambrusco isn’t grand, it’s simple – not in the sense of banal, but genuine, uncomplicated, fresh, fruity, direct. A feel-good elixir. Worth knowing: Lambrusco isn’t one wine but many. One thing, though, all the good ones share: they are dry.
Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena – a Rare Delicacy
The real balsamic vinegar, Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena DOP, is exceedingly rare and precious. It has nothing in common with the one-dimensionally sweet, more or less sticky «balsamic» mass products from the supermarket – except the little word balsamico, which is only part of its name. The difference lies in the often-overlooked addition Tradizionale and the protected designation of origin DOP. The only permitted ingredient is grape must from native vines grown in the province of Modena.
The reduced must matures in ever smaller wooden barrels – the so-called batteria of five to twelve casks – in the loft of the acetaia, exposed to the seasonal swings in temperature. At the earliest after twelve years, a tenth may be drawn from the smallest cask; only after a strict sensory examination may the vinegar call itself Tradizionale di Modena DOP and go on sale in the standardised 100-millilitre bottle. A bottle usually costs around 60 euros, the Extra Vecchio versions (at least 25 years) close to 100 euros. But a few drops are enough to elevate the most varied of dishes.
Motor Valley: the Cradle of Motorsport
Emilia-Romagna. Vinegar and oil, the region’s black gold: the world-famous aceto balsamico and the motor oil of the many sports-car makers, motorcycle builders and racetracks around Modena. It is no accident that the roughly 300-kilometre stretch between Piacenza in the north-west and Rimini on the Adriatic is called the «Motor Valley». It is the home of horsepower, the cradle of motorsport. There are four racetracks, among them the iconic Imola – the «Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari» – which hosted Formula 1 until 2006 and where, on a black weekend in 1994, Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger were killed.
The region around Modena is home to Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Pagani and Ducati, all of which have museums for their fans and offer factory tours. Add to that countless private collections – most of them little known and not open to the public. A few, like the Panini Motor Museum (the unofficial Maserati museum), can be visited on request. More information about the region: motorvalley.it
The Museums and Works
Museo Enzo Ferrari, Modena: on the edge of the old town lived the young Enzo Ferrari, who had his first workshop here; his birthplace now houses the archive and a museum devoted to Enzo’s life story. Via Paolo Ferrari 85, Modena. — Museo Ferrari, Maranello: about 25 km away, by the factory; everything here revolves around the company’s history, the Scuderia and over 70 years of the Cavallino Rampante in Formula 1; factory tours possible. Via Alfredo Dino Ferrari 43, Maranello.
Automobili Lamborghini, Sant’Agata Bolognese: legend has it the marque was born of a quarrel between Enzo Ferrari and Ferruccio Lamborghini. The museum shows the key models – from the LM002 off-roader to the Veneno; production (currently of the Revuelto hybrid) can be toured. Via Modena 12. — Pagani, San Cesario sul Panaro: Horacio Pagani, formerly at Lamborghini and Ferrari, has built his own cars since 1999 (Zonda, Huayra). The small museum at the headquarters is a must, with a manufactory tour on weekdays. Via dell’Industria 26.
Maserati, Modena: founded in Bologna in 1914, headquartered in Modena since 1940, just three streets from Ferrari; the Factory Tour offers deeper insight. The marque’s historic museum is the Collezione Umberto Panini a little outside town (visits by appointment), with 19 road and racing cars. — Ducati, Borgo Panigale (Bologna): the Panigale is named after its place of production. Factory tour and museum are equally worthwhile. Via Antonio Cavalieri Ducati 3.
Our Winemaker Tips Around Modena
Cantina della Volta (Bomporto): Christian Bellei makes only bottle-fermented sparkling wines by the traditional method – Champagne his model; cantinadellavolta.com. — Cleto Chiarli (Castelvetro): the family’s premium estate with its own vines (Vecchia Modena Premium, Grasparossa Vigneto Cialdini); chiarli.it. — Corte Manzini (Castelvetro): a 50-hectare family operation; its intensely fruity Lambrusco Grasparossa rank among the best year after year; cortemanzini.it.
Fattoria Moretto (Castelvetro): the Altariva brothers craft structured, ambitious organic Lambrusco, single-vineyard wines hand-harvested; fattoriamoretto.it. — Francesco Bellei (Bomporto): since 1920, now owned by the Cavicchioli family, specialising in Metodo Classico and Lambrusco rifermentato in bottiglia; francescobellei.it. — Paltrinieri (Sorbara): Alberto Paltrinieri’s Radice, 100% Sorbara, is one of the best-known Lambrusco rifermentato in bottiglia; cantinapaltrinieri.it. — Zucchi (San Prospero): ten hectares, fresh, fruity, straight wines, now with daughter Silvia’s own line; vinizucchi.it.
Our Favourite Eateries in and Around Modena
Caffetteria Drogheria Giusti (Via Farini, Modena): the obligatory aperitivo at Alessandro Nicolini’s – finest Lambrusco and little treats, under the arcades when it rains; caffetteriagiusti.it. — Osteria Stallo del Pomodoro (Largo Hannover 63, Modena): artisanal products, ever-changing seasonal dishes, wines from small family estates; stallodelpomodoro.it. — Trattoria Bianca (Via G. B. Spaccini 24, Modena): Emilian cuisine at the highest level, an institution since 1948, «just like Nonna’s»; trattoriabianca.it.
Trattoria Entrà (Entrà, MO): out of the way, hard to find without sat-nav – and yet usually fully booked; in the Previdi family since 1969, one of the area’s best addresses; trattoriaentra.it. — Foresteria Cavicchioli (San Prospero, MO): imaginative pizzas from digestible «semi-integrale» flour, with Lambrusco – nothing pairs better; the Bottega del Vino stocks the GIV group’s wines; foresteriacavicchioli.it.
Shopping Tips
Mercato Storico Albinelli (Via Albinelli 13, Modena): the market opened in 1931 in the heart of Modena, a paradise for gourmets; mercatoalbinelli.it. — Salumeria Guerzoni (Gorzano, MO): after the Ferrari museum, the stop is a must for prosciutto, salame, coppa and pancetta. — Caseificio 4 Madonne (Lesignana): a tour of the parmigiano reggiano ageing halls, with tasting and shop; caseificio4madonne.it.
Acetaia del Cristo (San Prospero): a fine maker of real aceto balsamico tradizionale di Modena DOP; you can follow the production and taste different kinds – even Michael Douglas ages his here; acetaiadelcristo.it. — Agrinascente (Fidenza, PR): the perfect stop on the way home, right on the A1 towards Milan, for prosciutto, culatello, parmigiano, tortellini and more; agrinascente.it.
This article appeared in MEN issue 2/23 (November 2023).
