PLACES TO SEE
Cheese Factory
It is advisable to visit the cheese factory in the morning, because that is when the cheese makers extract the wheels of Parmesan cheese from the boilers. During the visit, guests can also see the salting tubs and the rooms where more than 14,000 Parmesan cheese wheels age at any one time! At the end of the visit, it is possible to sample two types of Parmesan: one that is aged for 12 months and one that is aged for 27 months!
Balsamic Vinegar Factory
The visit to the balsamic vinegar factory is not to be missed. The tour begins at the vineyards and proceeds to the tubs where the grape must is boiled. Here at Clara, the boiling is still done using wood fire! The visit continues in the maturation and aging rooms, where hundreds of barrels, made from different types of wood, mark the slow passing of time! It takes at least 25 years before the boiled must becomes balsamic vinegar!
CULATELLO DI ZIBELLO
From October to February, it is possible to observe the production of culatello salami. During this period, in fact, the climate is optimal for this task, which, unchanged throughout many years, is done exclusively by hand. Throughout the year, guests can visit the cellars where the culatelli and the fiocchetti age according to the rigorous regulations of the culatello consortium, the Consorzio del Culatello DOP.
Lunch at the Podere Cadassa restaurant, which sits right on top of the cellars, is highly recommended. Besides culatello and other types of salami, guests can enjoy the traditional local cuisine with excellent service!
Formigine Pedemontana Cellar
The vineyards and cellars are always bubbling with activity during vintage time! Long lines of tractors bring their precious cargo of freshly picked grapes, and a multitude of colors and smells fill the mild autumn air during this memorable event, which takes place every year in September and October, depending on nature’s whims. At the end of the visit, guests will have the chance to taste some of the wines produced, including the Lambrusco!
Cà Bianca Restaurant
The best way to end a visit to the most characteristic places in the Modenese area is to “put your legs under the table”! At the Cà Bianca Restaurant, traditional and local specialties are served. Recommended are the first course dishes, as well as the tigelle and the gnocco fritto.
The atmosphere is very accommodating, and the restaurant, situated in the rolling hills, offers a splendid panorama of the nearby countryside.
It is also possible to watch the production of handmade pasta and tortellini at the Cà Bianca Restaurant.
Land of Motors
Modena is also the Land of Motors. Aside from Maserati, which is situated very close to downtown Modena, you can visit Ferrari, the private Panini classic car collection, Lamborghini, and, in Bologna, Ducati.
In the autumn of 2011, the new “Casa Natale di Enzo Ferrari” (The Birthplace of Enzo Ferrari) will be inaugurated in Modena.
Land of Castels
In the hills surrounding Modena and Bologna, there is an abundance of small villages and well-preserved medieval towns, including Rocca di Vignola (here it is possible to visit the inside of the fort), Marano Sul Panaro, Guiglia, Castello di Serravalle, l’Abbazia di Monteveglio and Bazzano.