Modena and other Bologna, Italy Off The Beaten Path Tips

Modena is an ancient town in Emilia-Romagna, 40km northwest of Bologna. It is a charming place, with lovely arched porticos and a magnificent main square.

We have now visited Modena twice and highly recommend it, even if you only have a few hours as a day trip from Bologna. Make sure you at least check out Piazza Grande and the impressive Duomo.

It is home to Balsamic Vinegar, and there are countless places where you can taste and buy this delicious product. The region surrounding Modena is home to the factories of some of the famous Italian car makers, such as Ferrari and Maserati, which gives the town its nick-name of "the capital of engines".

For more information, check out my Modena page.

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The town of Maranello is located 49km west of Bologna, and is famous for being the birth place of Ferrari. The town is home to the Ferrari factory and museum, and everywhere you look you see people walking about in their Ferrari overalls (factory workers I hope!).

Alex is a big fan of Ferrari's and I am not adverse to any shiny sports cars, so we made a visit to Maranello a top priority on our Sep 2006 Italy trip.

The highlight of a visit to Maranello is Galleria Ferrari, which is a museum charting the history of Ferrari. Here you can get right up close to a large range of shiny Ferraris and decide which one you want for Christmas ; )

Also, make sure you take a wander around town as you are sure to see a new Ferrari or two coming in/out of the factory.

For more information, check out my Maranello page.

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Website: http://www.barchetta.cc/english/All.Ferraris/Events/Maranello.visit/Touring.Marnello.htm

Located in Sant'Agata Bolognese, around 33km northwest of Bologna, is the Lamborghini Factory & Museum. We headed there one afternoon to have a drool over the delicious cars.

We were told we had to make an appointment in advance to visit the museum, so I rang a couple of weeks prior to our visit to book a time. However, when we arrived we were able to just wander around and no one questioned us or asked for our name.

The museum is basically filled with Lamborghinis. It is set over two levels, and there is a fabulous range of old and new cars, along with several formula 1 cars. I really loved the old red 350GT with a square rear-end, and the bright green Countach.

From the 2nd level of the museum you could peek into the adjoining factory. It was really interesting actually being able to see the Lamborghini assembly line, albeit from a distance.

Museum Hours: Mon-Fri 9am - 12noon & 2pm - 5pm
Entrance is free of charge.

Located just outside the town of Sant'Agata Bolognese, 33km northwest of Bologna.
Via Modena 12, 40019 Sant'Agata Bolognese

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Phone: +39 (051) 68.17.611