Modena & Bologna, Emilia-Romagna
If you see this after your page is loaded completely, leafletJS files are missing.
Traveling through Emilia-Romagna, we made stops in both Bologna and Modena, and Reggio Emilia—three cities that sit just a short train ride apart but offered strikingly different impressions.
Bologna – A City Under Construction
Sony A7R III
f/9
24mm
100
1/125 secBologna was meant to be a quick but worthwhile stop, yet it felt limited. The city’s central street, its grand axis, was covered in scaffolding and construction, a symbol of a city in transition rather than a destination in full bloom. Our timing didn’t help: we arrived just as a massive protest filled the main square and surrounding streets. Police shut down the central train station, and for a time we weren’t even allowed to leave. Instead of the lively student atmosphere Bologna is known for, we experienced its energy at its most chaotic.
Modena — A Pleasure Surprise
By contrast, Modena was a delight. The journey there included a brief stop in Reggio Emilia, which struck us as bleak and covered in graffiti, but arriving in Modena felt like stepping into a different story. The city is the right size to explore on foot, with elegant squares and just enough bustle to feel alive without being overwhelming.
Our visit coincided with a psychology festival that spilled into the streets—book stalls, outdoor markets, music, and plenty of gelato stands creating a festive atmosphere. It gave the city a vibrancy that felt spontaneous and genuine.
One of the highlights was touring a local Giusti balsamic vinegar production house. Unlike the mass-market IGP balsamic you find on supermarket shelves, the artisan aceto tradizionale is aged in wooden barrels for decades, developing oaky, smoky, and deeply complex flavors. Tasting it was like discovering a whole new food—something richer and more nuanced than anything available back home in the United States.
Where Bologna left us with an impression of disruption, Modena left us charmed. It may not be as well-known, but its mix of livable scale, festive spirit, and culinary heritage made it one of the most pleasant surprises of our trip. If you’re traveling through Emilia-Romagna, Modena deserves a stop—especially if you’re ready to taste balsamic vinegar the way it was meant to be.