Modena Things to Do

The Palazzo dei Musei is a large complex which is home to Modena's main galleries and museums. The most important attraction here is the Galleria Estense, located on the top floor of the building. Here you can see the impressive art collection of the Este family, which consists of paintings and sculptures dating back to the early Renaissance.

Located on the ground floor is the Biblioteca Estense, where you can see one of the country's most valuable collections of manuscripts, letters and books, including the most decorated Bible in existence, the Bibbio Borso.

Also contained in the Palazzo dei Musei is the Museo Civico Archeologico which has a range of Bronze Age exhibits, and the Museo Lapidario Estense with its displays of medieval stonework.

There are different admission fees for each museum/gallery.

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“Among the princesses, who have worn the crown matrimonial of England, many have been born in a more elevated rank than Mary Beatrice of Modena; but few could boast of a more illustrious descent than she claimed as the daughter of the house of Este.”
— from “Lives of the Queens of England” 1848 by Agnes Strickland

In the courtyard of Palazzo dei Musei stands a white marble sculpture.

I am not sure who it is; most likely one of the Este dukes. Perhaps it is Francesco I, Duke of Modena, whose art collection makes up the bulk of Galleria Este on the fourth floor of the museum.

The netting, protecting the courtyard from incoming birds, had fallen around the sculpture when we visited. From certain vantage points the netting looked like a veil.

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The Estense Epigraphic Museum is housed in the portico of the courtyard of the Palazzo dei Musei.

It was established in 1828 by Francis IV, duke of Modena; it was the first public museum in the city to display a collection of ancient and medieval stone artifacts gathered from the city and its territory. The museum was reopened in 2003, at the end of a comprehensive restoration.

The collection is made up of three main groups. The first group consists of inscriptions from the ancient gallery of drawings and medals from the collection of the dukes of Este; a second group includes tombstones of medieval and modern, from the nearby Church of St. Augustine, a third group consists of sarcophagus from the courtyard of the Canons of the Cathedral; this is the number of Roman sarcophagi representative of the region.

Several other exhibits were added in the 19th and 20th century, with donations from private collections and from excavations in public areas and from the necropolis of Roman Modena.

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Located on the top floor of Palazzo dei Musei, Galleria Estense is among the most important Italian art collections; it reflects the dukes of Este’s interest in paintings and sculpture, as well as archaeology and the decorative arts. Notable items include the marble bust of Francesco I d’Este, duke of Modena by Gian Lorenzo Bernini; the same duke’s portrait by Velasquez; Saint Anthony of Padua by Cosmè Tura; Madonna and Child by Correggio; a small, portable altar triptyque by El Greco (Fabulous!) and a Crucifix by Guido Reni. Po Valley paintings from the 14th to the 18th century form an important part of the collection.

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On Piazza Sant’Agostino, at the end of Via Emilia, you will find Palazzo dei Musei, an eighteenth century Neo-Classical building, built from 1764 to 1771. Since 1880 Palazzo dei Musei has houses Modena’s most important museums, including Galleria Estense, the art collection of the dukes of Este; the Estense Library, one of Italy’s most important libraries; the Museum of Mediaeval and Modern Art; the Archaeological and Ethnological Museum; and the Lapidarian Museum.

Ticket price: € 4.00. Reduced: € 2.00 for visitors between 18 and 25 and teachers with permanent contracts. Free for visitors under 18 or over 65, disabled with a companion.

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In Palazzo Comunale, the Town Hall, a number of frescoes telling historical stories of Modena can be seen. The 18th-century frescoes of Sala degli Arazzi (the Tapestry Room, see photos #1 and #2) depict the preparation and signature of the Constance Peace Treaty in 1183, the manifesto that ensured the independence of Modena and other Northern Italian cities from the Holy Roman Empire. Frederic I, Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor, is shown seated on a large chair, wearing a plumed hat.

The eighteenth-century Sala del Vecchio Consiglio (Old Council Room), where the city elders’ stalls (see photo #3) can be seen and the banner painted by Ludovico Lana in 1633 as a thanksgiving for the end of the plague. The ceiling paintings are by Ercole dell’Abate and Bartolomeo Schedoni.

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“We were too happy to get to Modena.”
— from “Pencillings By The Way: Written During Some Years of Residence and Travel in France, Italy, Greece, Asia Minor, Turkey, and England” 1849 by Nathaniel Parker Willis

Modena’s coat-of-arms is made up of a blue cross on the field of gold, it is often topped by the ducal crown and accompanied by the city’s motto.

The Latin phrase Avia pervia is Modena’s motto. ‘Avia’ means difficult paths; ‘pervia’ means easy to walk. Therefore, the motto’s English translation is “Let difficult paths be made easy to walk.” A simplified translation commonly used is “Let’s make easy the things that are difficult.”

All examples shown here were seen in Palazzo Comunale, the Town Hall, open for visits to the public.

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In Palazzo Comunale, the Town Hall, a number of frescoes, telling historical stories of Modena, can be seen. Depicted on the walls of Sala del Fuoco (Fire Room) are scenes from the 43 BC Battle of Modena. These frescoes were created by Nicolò dell’Abate in 1546.