ART AND CULTURE
The art
The city of Modena has inherited a tradition which began a long time ago, in the architect period, Lanfranco, and the sculptor, Wiligelmus. 900 years ago, these two men were responsible for the building of the cathedral church in Modena or Duomo in Italian, is a masterpiece of a Romanesque art (a Romanesque architecture flourished in Italy in the 12th and 13th century, featuring rounded arches and arcaded façades in plain brick or with marble facing often with free-standing bell-towers. Examples can be found in Assisi, Ferrara, Luca, Milan, Modena, Parma, Pavia, Pisa, Pomposa and Verona.) which UNESCO has declared as a world heritage site along with Piazza Grande and the Ghirlandina tower ( is the bell tower of the cathedral of Modena). Our city has much to offer to those who love Italian art in terms of beautiful monuments such as the 17th -century Ducal Palace in Modena, seat of the Military Academy, the summer residence of the Estensi in Sassuolo, the Renaissance-style of the Piazza Martiri in Carpi, and the medieval abbey at Nonantola, which houses the famous 'Charta' of Charlemagne.
The home of bel canto
The people of Modena love theatres, cinema and good music. The province plays host to 1,500 performances a year, there are 65 cinemas, and there are four theatres in the city of Modena and about ten more in the province. There is no coincidence that singers from Modena have produced some top operatic performers, including Luciano Pavarotti, Mirella Freni and Raina Kabaivanska.
