Modena
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Modena
Mòdna ( Duomo Palazzo Comunale | ||
---|---|---|
ISTAT code 036023 | | |
Patron saint | San Geminiano | |
Saint day | 31 January | |
Website | Official website |
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
---|---|
Criteria | Cultural: i, ii, iii, iv |
Reference | 827 |
Inscription | 1997 (21st Session) |
Modena (
A town, and seat of an
The
since 1997.Modena is also known in culinary circles for its production of balsamic vinegar.[6]
Famous Modenesi include
Geography
Modena lies on the
The Apennines begin some 10 kilometres (6 miles) from the city, to the south.
The comune is divided into four
- Centro storico (Historical Center, San Cataldo)
- Crocetta (San Lazzaro-East Modena, Crocetta)
- Buon Pastore (Buon Pastore, Sant'Agnese, San Damaso)
- San Faustino (S.Faustino-Saliceta San Giuliano, Madonnina-Quattro Ville)
Climate
Modena has a humid subtropical climate, with continental influences. It has an average annual precipitation of 809 millimetres (31.9 in). Summers are hot and winters are cool, with snowfall. This climate is described by the Köppen climate classification as Cfa.
Climate data for Modena | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 5.6 (42.1) |
8.5 (47.3) |
13.1 (55.6) |
17.6 (63.7) |
22.5 (72.5) |
26.8 (80.2) |
29.7 (85.5) |
29.0 (84.2) |
25.0 (77.0) |
19.0 (66.2) |
12.3 (54.1) |
6.5 (43.7) |
18.0 (64.3) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 2.4 (36.3) |
4.6 (40.3) |
8.7 (47.7) |
12.8 (55.0) |
17.2 (63.0) |
21.2 (70.2) |
23.8 (74.8) |
23.3 (73.9) |
19.8 (67.6) |
14.5 (58.1) |
8.9 (48.0) |
3.5 (38.3) |
13.4 (56.1) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −0.7 (30.7) |
0.8 (33.4) |
4.3 (39.7) |
8.0 (46.4) |
12.0 (53.6) |
15.7 (60.3) |
17.9 (64.2) |
17.6 (63.7) |
14.6 (58.3) |
10.0 (50.0) |
5.6 (42.1) |
0.6 (33.1) |
8.9 (48.0) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 55 (2.2) |
54 (2.1) |
65 (2.6) |
77 (3.0) |
71 (2.8) |
63 (2.5) |
46 (1.8) |
59 (2.3) |
67 (2.6) |
87 (3.4) |
94 (3.7) |
71 (2.8) |
809 (31.8) |
Source: Climate Data[7] |
Municipal administration
From 1946 to 1992, Modena had a series of Communist mayors. From the 1990s, the city has been governed by center-left coalitions.
The legislative body of the municipality (comune) is the City Council (Consiglio Comunale) which is composed by 35 members elected every five years. Modena's executive body is the City Committee (Giunta Comunale) composed by 9 assessors, the deputy-mayor and the mayor. The current mayor (2019) of Modena is Gian Carlo Muzzarelli, member of the Democratic Party.
History
Ancient times
The territory around Modena (
In the 1st century BC, Mutina was besieged twice. The first siege was by
In December 2008, Italian researchers discovered the pottery center where the oil lamps that lit the ancient Roman empire were made. Evidence of the pottery workshops emerged in Modena, during construction work to build a residential complex near the ancient walls of the city. "We found a large ancient Roman dumping filled with pottery scraps. There were vases, bottles, bricks, but most of all, hundreds of oil lamps, each bearing their maker's name", Donato Labate, the archaeologist in charge of the dig, stated.[citation needed]
Middle Ages
Its exiles[why?] founded a new city a few miles to the northwest, still represented by the village of Cittanova (literally "new city"). About the end of the 9th century, Modena was restored and refortified by its bishop, Ludovicus. At about this time the Song of the Watchmen of Modena was composed. Later the city was part of the possessions of the Countess Matilda of Tuscany, becoming a free comune starting from the 12th century. In the wars between Emperor Frederick II and Pope Gregory IX Modena sided with the emperor.
The
Late modern and contemporary (Renaissance)
Enlarged and fortified by
His son Francis V was considered a just ruler, and famously tended the victims of war and cholera with his own hands. However, he too had to face yet more foreign-inspired revolutions and was temporarily expelled from Modena in the Revolutions of 1848. He was restored, amidst wide popular acclaim, by Austrian troops. Ten years later, on 20 August 1859, the revolutionaries again invaded (this time the Piedmontese), annexing Modena to the revolutionary Savoyard Kingdom of Italy.
Main sights
Ducal Palace
The Ducal Palace of Modena, initiated by Francesco I d'Este in 1634 and completed by Francis V, was the seat of the Este court from the 17th to 19th century. The palace occupies the site of the former Este Castle, once located in the periphery of the city. Although generally credited to Bartolomeo Avanzini, it has been suggested that advice and guidance in the design process had been sought from the contemporary luminaries, Cortona, Bernini, and Borromini.
The Palace currently houses the
The Palace has a Baroque façade, from which the Honour Court (where the military ceremonies are held) and the Honour Staircase can be accessed. The Central Hall has a frescoed ceiling with the 17th-century Incoronation of Bradamante by
Town Hall
Facing the Piazza Grande (a
It is characterized by a Clock Tower (Torre dell'Orologio, late 15th century), once paired with another tower (Torre Civica) demolished after an earthquake in 1671. In the interior, noteworthy is the Sala del Fuoco ("Fire Hall"), with a painted frieze by Niccolò dell'Abbate (1546) portraying famous characters from Ancient Rome against a typical Emilia background. The Camerino dei Confirmati ("Chamber of the Confirmed") houses one of the symbols of the city, the Secchia Rapita, a bucket kept in memory of the victorious Battle of Zappolino (1325) against Bologna. This relic inspired the poem of the same title by Alessandro Tassoni. Another relic from the Middle Ages in Modena is the Preda Ringadora, a rectangular marble stone next to the palace porch, used as a speakers' platform, and the statue called La Bonissima ("The Very Good"): the latter, portraying a female figure, was erected in the square in 1268 and later installed over the porch.
The Cathedral and the Ghirlandina
The Cathedral of Modena and the annexed campanile are a
The sculptor
The
Other churches
- San Vincenzo: erected in 17th century over a prior 13th-century church. The original design was by Paolo Reggiano, but completed by Bernardo Castagnini, probably helped by the young Guarino Guarini. The interior contains frescoes by Sigismondo Caula portraying episodes of the Lives of Saints Vincent and Cajetan. The dome was destroyed during World War II. This church houses the funerary monuments of the Dukes of Este.
- Santa Maria della Pomposa: also known as Aedes Muratoriana, is probably the oldest religious church in town, documented as early as 1135. Little remains of the original medieval temple. Construction of the present church is mainly due to Ludovico Antonio Muratori, the parish priest (1716–1750), who rebuilt it from the ground.
- San Giovanni Decollato: church of St. John Baptist Beheaded built in the 16th century over a pre-existing temple dedicated to St Michael, and modified in 18th century.
- Sant'Agostino: 14th-century church of St Augustine, largely renovated in 1663 for the funeral of Alfonso IV d'Este. The sober original structure was embellished with 17th-century stuccoes and a panelled ceiling. The most notable artwork is the Deposition (1476) by the Modenese Antonio Begarelli, once in the church of San Giovanni Battista. Traces of a 14th-century fresco by Tommaso da Modena can still be seen.
- Franciscans, and not finished for two centuries. The Gothic-style church houses one of Begarelli's masterworks, a Deposition of Christ made up of thirteen statues.
- San Giorgio: church of St George, and also known as the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin Helper of the Modenese People. The church boasts a venerated image of the Madonna as a main altarpiece. The main altar (1666) was built with polychrome marbles by Antonio Loraghi. The layout is that of a Greek cross, and was erected in 1647.
- San Bartolomeo, Modena
- Plague of 1630.
Synagogue
- The Synagogue, opposite the Palazzo Comunale, was built by the Jewish community of Modena in Lombardesque style and inaugurated in 1873.
Other sights
- Mercato Albinelli, a historical covered market founded in 1931
- Orto Botanico dell'Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, a botanical garden
- San Cataldo Cemetery, designed by avant-gardist Italian architect Aldo Rossi (1971–1997)
- Home (museum) of Luciano Pavarotti[9]
Culture
Museums
Museum Palace
The Museum Palace, on the St. Augustine square, is an example of civil architecture from the Este period, built as a Hostel for the poor, together with the nearby Hospital in the late 18th century. Today it houses the main museums of Modena:
- Cosmé Tura and brothers Annibale and Agostino Carracci. The most famous works are the two portraits of Francis I d'Este, a sculpture by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and a canvas by Diego Velázquez.
- Estense Library, one of the most important libraries in Italy.
- Museum of Medieval and Modern Art.
- Municipal Museum of Risorgimento.
- Este Headstones Museum.
- Roman Lapidary Museum.
- Graziosi Gallery of Plaster Casts.
- City Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology.
The Estense Gallery and Library have reopened on 29 May 2015 after the earthquake of 2012. The Gallery has been completely restored but some pieces are still damaged and thus cannot be seen.
Museums of the Cathedral
Opened for the Great Jubilee in 2000, the Museum of the Cathedral houses a rich collection of artistic heritage, in particular liturgical ornaments and furnishings. Apart from the finds of the cathedral building site by Wiligelmus and Lanfranco, such as romanesque metopes and roof decorations, in the Lapidary there are also reliefs, sculptures and inscriptions of the Roman, Medieval and Renaissance era found in the cathedral area during the restoration works between the 19th and the 20th century.
Museum Enzo Ferrari
Inaugurated on 10 March 2012, the museum complex includes Enzo Ferrari's birthplace and a futuristic automotive design gallery, painted in the yellow that Enzo Ferrari chose as the background for the Prancing horse on his logo. The exhibition gallery was designed by the famous architect Jan Kaplický, who suddenly died in 2009, and carried on by his associate and loyal assistant Andrea Morgante.
The interior features a multimedia display of pictures, unpublished films and precious mementoes of Enzo Ferrari's life as a man, driver and car-maker throughout the 20th century.
The Exhibition Gallery houses a flexible mounting representing story, figures, places and races of the Modenese sport motor racing.
Museum of Collectible Cards
Founded in 1986 by Giuseppe Panini, who then decided to donate his collection to the city, the Museo della figurina was opened to the public on 15 December 2006. It is located inside the Santa Margherita Palace, which also houses the Delfini Library and the City Gallery.
The Museum houses several collections, including, apart from the classic stickers, cigarette cards, letter seals, matchboxes and calendars, all of which represent a very important historical document of the development of picture cards throughout the years.
Teatro Comunale Modena
The
Under the Mayor of Modena in collaboration with the Conservatorio dell'Illustrissima Comunità (Conservatory of the Most Illustrious Community), architect Francesco Vandelli was engaged to design the Teatro dell'Illustrissima Comunità, as the theatre was first called, "for the dignity of the city and for the transmission of the scenic arts".[10] Paid for in the manner typical of the time – from the sale of boxes – in addition to a significant gift from Duke Friedrich IV, Vandelli created a design for the new theatre combining ideas from those in Piacenza, Mantua, and Milan, and it opened on 2 October 1841 with a performance of Gandini's Adelaide di Borgogna al Castello di Canossa, an opera specially commissioned for the occasion.
Cuisine
Modena has a rich and diversified cuisine, often including meats, hams and salamis. One of the most famous modenese dishes is zampone (the fatter and heartier version) or cotechino Modena (cotechino is leaner and less fat than zampone). Cotechino dates back to around 1511 to Mirandola, where, whilst besieged, the people had to find a way to preserve meat and use the less tender cuts, so made the cotechino. By the 18th century it had become more popular than the yellowish sausage had been around at the time, and in the 19th century was in mass production in and around the area.
Modena's contribution to the Italian pasta culture are tortellini and tortelloni, which are squares of pasta shaped in the form of a ring and stuffed with meat or cheese.
Cappello del prete is also a popular meal, which is a very fatty pig's trotter. Other dishes include torta Barozzi or torta nera, which is a black tart (a dessert made with a coffee/cocoa and almond filling encased in a fine pastry dough), ciccioli, made by slowly cooking, compressing, drying, and aging fatty, leftover pieces of pork, and pesto modenese, which is cured pork back fat pounded with garlic, rosemary and Parmesan, used to fill borlenghi and crescentine.
Modena contains Italy's most acclaimed restaurant, Osteria Francescana, which holds three stars in the Michelin Guide since 2013 and, as of 2018, has been named as the best restaurant in the world in The World's 50 Best Restaurants.[14]
Arts
Art studio fuse* is based in Modena.
Economy
Modena and its province is one of Italy's most affluent areas, thanks to a rich agriculture and numerous small and medium manufacturing enterprises. Among the largest employers are BPER Banca, the publishing company Panini Group;[15] Cremonini Group, one of Europe's largest meat packaging and catering companies; Grandi Salumifici Italiani and Parmareggio, Gruppo Fini other large food processing companies; Liu Jo, a large clothing company.
Automotive industry
Modena is, along with Turin, one of Italy's main centres of the automotive industry, with a rich history and tradition in this field. The iconic Ferrari brand was founded in Modena by Modenese legendary car tycoon Enzo Ferrari, and today is headquartered just outside the city, in the suburb of Maranello. Several other Italian luxury automobile manufacturers such as Pagani and Maserati are headquartered in the Modena area. The electric motorcycle maker Energica Motor Company is headquartered in the city.
Notable people
- Vittorio Bellentani (1906–1968), engineer and racing driver
- Maurizio Ceresoli (born 1983), racing driver
- Giuseppe Castagnetti (1909–1965), Roman Catholic politician
- Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), founder of Ferrari
- Mirella Freni (1935–2020), operatic soprano
- Stefano Modena (born 1963), racing driver
- Luciano Pavarotti (1935–2007), operatic tenor
- Sergio Sighinolfi (1925–1956), racing driver
Transport
Rail
Modena railway station, opened in 1859, forms part of the Milan–Bologna railway, and is also a terminus of two secondary railways, linking Modena with each of Verona and Sassuolo.
Urban transport
Modena's urban public transport network is operated by SETA. The network includes the Modena trolleybus system.
Demographics
At the census of 2011, there were 179,149 people residing in the city. The population density (persons per square kilometre) was 978.9/km2 (2,535.3/sq mi). Minors (children ages 18 and younger) totaled 16.2 percent of the population compared to pensioners who number 22.5 percent. This compares with the Italian average of 18.1 percent (minors) and 19.9 percent (pensioners). The average age of Modena resident is 44 compared to the Italian average of 42. Between 2002 and 2007, Modena grew by 2.4%, while Italy as a whole grew by 3.6%.[16][17] The current birth rate of Modena is 9.62 births per 1,000 inhabitants compared to the Italian average of 9.45 births.
As of 2006[update], 89.6% of the population was Italian. The largest foreign group comes from other parts of Europe (namely Romania and Albania): 3.9%, followed by North Africa: 2.4%, and Sub-Saharan Africa: 1.9%.
Sport
Modena has a strong sporting tradition, linked mainly to motor racing as the birthplace of Enzo Ferrari, founder of the eponymous motor racing team and car manufacturer based in nearby Maranello. The Ferrari 360 Modena was named after the city. Modena is known as the world's 'Supercar Capital', being the nearest large town to the homes of Maserati, Lamborghini, Pagani and previously also Ducati and De Tomaso.[citation needed]
The city has had two major football clubs:
Volleyball plays an important role in Modena's sport history, with Modena Volley having won 12 National championships, four Champion's League seasons, and other trophies.[19]
There is also a baseball club with 50 years' tradition—the Modena BBC, currently playing in the A-Series of the Italian Baseball League.[20]
International relations
Twin towns – sister cities
Modena is
- Almaty, Kazakhstan
- Benxi, China
- Highland Park, Illinois, United States
- Linz, Austria
- Londrina, Brazil
- Novi Sad, Serbia
- Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States
Consulates
See also
- Autodromo di Modena
- Duchy of Modena and Reggio
- List of Dukes of Ferrara and of Modena
- Mary of Modena, Queen of England
References
- ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ "Modena". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020.
- ^ "Modena". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
- ^ "Modena". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
- ^ Redazione (10 July 2020). "Aceto balsamico di Modena DOP IGP: una storia millenaria". beverfood.com (in Italian). Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ "Climate: Modena". Retrieved 13 March 2015.
- ^ a b c d Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 18 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 641–642.
- ^ Casa Museo Luciano Pavarotti – Home of Luciano Pavarotti, now a museum
- ^ Quoted in Lynn, p.191
- ^ Council Regulation (EC) No 813/2000 of 17 April 2000 supplementing the Annex to Commission Regulation (EC) No 1107/96 on the registration of geographical indications and designations of origin under the procedure laid down in Article 17 of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92, designating balsamic vinegars from Modena and Reggio Emilia.
- ^ "History of the consortium". Consorzio Tutela Aceto Balsamico di Modena. 4 November 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- ^ "Balsamic Vinegar". Italiaregina.it. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- ^ "World's best restaurant for 2018". CNN Travel. 19 June 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
- ^ "Corporate Info Archived 23 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine." Panini Group. Retrieved on 5 September 2009.
- ^ "Statistiche demografiche ISTAT". Demo.istat.it. Archived from the original on 9 July 2006. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
- ^ "Statistiche demografiche ISTAT". Demo.istat.it. Archived from the original on 26 April 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
- ^ "Italia, Mallett Conferma il Gruppo Dei Concocati per il Test di Modena con Fiji". www.federugby.it.
- ^ "Palmares". Modena Volley (in Italian). Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ "Modena Baseball Club | Modena Baseball" (in Italian). Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ "Gemellaggi e Reti nazionali ed europee". comune.modena.it (in Italian). Modena. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
- ^ "Sister Cities". visitlakecounty.org. Highland Park. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
Further reading
External links
- Official website of the Modena Tourist Information Office (in English)
- Description of the cathedral
- Webcam Modena Street webcam located Via Sauro, downtown Modena