During the Grand Tour in the 17th century, young men from the upper echelons of society travelled through Italy as an educational rite of passage. It centred on classical culture, and the shared knowledge became an invisible link connecting people who had undertaken it. Traditionally, it included stops in Florence, Venice, Rome, and Naples.
A town like Modena was certainly not included, as it was considered lacking in historical significance. Perhaps that’s exactly why today, when tourists are complaining about saturation and peak mass tourism in Venice, Rome, and Florence, that Modena is such a great place to visit.
Situated on the south side of the Po Valley, Modena is perhaps most famous for its strong link to the car industry. In its outskirts are three car museums. The most famous is the least interesting: the Enzo Ferrari Museum is housed in a sleek building where everything is overpriced, and the exhibition takes about ten minutes to walk through. Men lean over the old sports cars, taking photos and filming the cars from every angle, while patient wives either wait outside or stand alongside their husbands, mentally far away.
