Modena is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Modena is one of the most important industrial areas in Europe. It is widely considered to be the capital of the supercar and sports car industry as home to the Ferrari, Maserati, De Tomaso and Pagani car manufacturers and related industries.

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Map of Modena (province)

• 44.6458210.925721 Modena, embellished by the Este dynasty, has an elegant cathedral and is a major centre for car manufacture.
• 44.67811.0422 Nonantola had flood-prone land reclaimed by the monks of its fine abbey.
• 44.78333310.8853 Carpi has a historic centre and textile industry.
• 44.88711.0674 Mirandola was badly damaged in the earthquake of 2012.
• 44.59711.0535 Castelfranco Emilia has a 17th century fortress built by Urban VIII.
• 44.52638910.8666676 Maranello is best known as the base for Ferrari and their racing team.
• 44.510.957 Castelvetro di Modena has a castle, old centre, and many nearby wineries.
• 44.53311.0178 Spilamberto has a stout castle.
• 44.467119 Vignola nearby has an impressive 15th century fortress.
• 44.33310.83310 Pavullo nel Frignano has Montecuccolo castle.
• 44.23310.76711 Sestola in the hills has botanic gardens and a fortress rebuilt in the 16th century.
• 44.210.61712 Pievepelago is a mountain resort with winter sports.

Modena Province stretches across the broad flat plain of the Po valley. Its southern part is in the Apennine mountains, with the rivers Secchia and Panaro flowing north into the plain to join the Po. For most of the medieval period the area was controlled by the Este dynasty, who embellished the palaces, castles and churches that remain Modena's major attractions. The province in its present footprint was created in 1859 in the run-up to the unification of Italy. It became industrial, with food production, ceramics and textiles, but is best known as the base for Ferrari automobiles: several museums mark this legacy.

The area suffered a chain of major earthquakes in May / June 2012, centred 36 km north of Bologna. Everywhere was affected, with the worst damage in Mirandola, Finale Emilia, Camposanto, Medolla and Cavezzo. 17 people died in this province. Restoration of the historic buildings remains a work in progress.

44.53511.2881 Bologna Airport (BLQ ^IATA) is closest, but you've much more choice flying in to Venice or one of the Milan airports.

Intercity trains run hourly from Milan to Piacenza, Modena, Bologna and on south. Regional trains between Piacenza and Bologna also stop in Modena.

Intercity buses normally connect Modena to Bologna and Reggio Emilia, but are very sparse in early 2021.

Autostrada A1 runs along the valley, while A22 heads north to Mantua and Verona.

Buses fan out from Modena to all the towns in the province.

Mi Muovo^{[dead link]} is an integrated public transport pass for the region. Short-stay visitors might use "Mi Muovo Multibus", a 12-trip bus ticket, see Emilia Romagna#Get around.

• Modena has the cathedral, and several palaces and churches clustered round its main piazza.
• Modena also has museums relating to Ferrari automobiles, based here.
• Carpi has a grand central piazza with two museums within its town hall and a cathedral.
• Maranello has Ferrari Galleria, a motor museum. It's close to Formagine, which has a medieval castle, and Sassuolo with its Ducal Palace.

• The mountain towns have hiking, with winter sports at Pievepelago.
• Football: Sassuolo Calcio play soccer in Serie A, the country's top tier, but since 2013 their home stadium is in Reggio Emilia.

• Modena specialties include zampone or cotechino sausage (often served with polenta and lentils), cappello del prete ("priest's cut") shoulder of beef, and crescentine thin round breads eaten with cold meats or with cunza, pork lard.
• Modena along with Reggio Emilia is the only source of balsamic vinegar. There are two types of balsamic vinegar, the first called "Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena", the most expensive, aged for more than 25 years, produced with traditional methods, and "Balsamic Vinegar of Modena", produced industrially and less expensive.
• Modena is one of the few sources of Parmesan cheese.

See Emilia-Romagna for other regional specialties.

Lambrusco is made in Modena and adjacent provinces. It is perhaps the most famous of the sparkling red wines. Connoisseurs can distinguish the different varieties at the first sip: the red Lambrusco di Sorbara (produced in the plain) has a more delicate aroma and a scent of violets; the Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro (produced on the hill) has a higher alcohol content and a characteristic red foam. In both cases, it is a lively table wine that should be drunk quickly, before it evaporates: it is not a vintage wine, indeed, it gives its best a year after bottling, while the novello is an ideal wine for toasts and celebrations. It is said that Lambrusco "suffers" particularly from transport: therefore it should be fully enjoyed only in the Modena area. This has not prevented it from being successfully marketed a bit throughout the world (even if this great diffusion has perhaps meant a lowering of quality).

Among the liqueurs, the most typical is certainly the nocino, an alcohol infusion of the green husks of walnuts, which is recommended for its intense flavour and digestive properties; among the sweets, we should mention the bensone , a sort of sweet bread, baked in the oven and decorated with sugar grains: it is eaten cut into slices and dipped in wine.

• Standard advice about traffic and care of valuables.

• The obvious choices are Bologna, Padua and Verona.