Modena -

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Modena

The final day of driving reminds us why we’re glad to be returning the car. Navigating into the Florence airport car return is dodgy and we end up missing a couple of turns. Fortunately we left ourselves plenty of extra time just in case this happened. Glad to be rid of the car, we take the tram into the Florence city center.

Side Note: My son Justin sent me a package at our Florence hotel a few weeks ago, but it was held up in customs and didn’t end up arriving until after we had left for Castiglione del Lago. The hotel held it for me until we returned.

Once I retrieve the package, I meet Tom at the train station where he was waiting for me. I finally open the much awaited gift, which I now know to be a wooden locket necklace, thanks to Fedex Italia for ruining the surprise. Nevertheless, the thoughtfulness as well as the card bring a tear. It’s a pretty wooden pendant that twists into a heart, which slides open revealing a wee photo of Justin as a little boy; it’s one of my very favorites.

A train change in Bologna is required to reach Modena, but no worries, it’s easy to navigate. Soon we’re exiting the train station and notice the building looks exactly like a train station. Not some industrial building, nor a squalid one; but rather it’s a tidy building and painted a fresh yellow. We walk a few blocks to our hotel, which is SO much easier since we are traveling light. We note how tidy the streets seem and the buildings all seem to be freshly painted and well kept.

The concierge recommends a walk to the shopping area, which is only a few blocks away. So we head out, thinking to grab an early dinner or apertivo while we’re at it. Meanwhile I am keeping a steady lookout for a new pair of boots since my beloved Sorel booties have a hole worn in the ankle area. It seems Modena spends money on looking good and it works. The first thing we see is an portable outdoor ice skating rink! Mind you, it’s about 45F, so creating an ice rink seems like an expensive endeavor. Nonetheless, the rink is packed with kids of all ages having a grand time.

We are wowed by the Christmas decorations, particularly on the main shopping street. It’s beautiful and teeming with well-dressed Italians and street performers alike. We find Freedom Cafe for apertivo and have one of our favorite meals so far. Did you know they roll pizza dough into little balls and fry it? Yeah, it tastes like delicious dough air. Topping off a near perfect day, we spot a shoe store with boots on display that look promising. It turned out to be operated by a mother and daughter. They have my size in the boot and they are very comfortable. The mother proudly displays wearing the same boot, she loves them. I’m sold and walk away with a bargain pair of Italian boots.

The next day we tour the museum at Giuseppe Giusti, a balsamic vinegar distillery just outside of town. It’s possible to take a bus, but we opted for a taxi for about €20 each way. And it was worth it. First, the tour was free and they did not expect us to buy anything, although we did. We learned so much about the process, it was very interesting. Did you know the barrels are made from a variety of woods, not just oak? And also, the doilies aren’t just decorations from your grandmother, they use them to cover the openings in the barrels, since they must have air flow, but don’t particularly want dust or spiders inside. It seems we’ve added to our learned experiences : Art, History, Geography, now Culinary Perfection. I can confirm that authentic balsamic vinegar with the DOP classification is liquid gold. The tiny bottle from a 100 year old batch sells for nearly €600!

Later that evening we dine at Uva d’Oro, a busy little restaurant with dozens of copper vessels and devices hanging from the ceiling. Tom orders lasagna and I order the house made tortelloni, similar to tortellini but folded differently and slightly larger. The waiter delivers some square, puffy, biscuit looking creation to another table that looks amazing so we ask for that, too. Of course we topped it all off with a heavenly tiramisu. Everything was delicious and I highly recommend this restaurant for an authentic, delicious Modena meal. Bonus, they served the balsamic vinegar from the same family owned place that we toured earlier.

In summary, when we return to Italy, we will definitely want to visit Modena again. If you have the chance, definitely put it on your list.

Next up: A visit to Verona and into the Alps to Innsbruck, Austria

Here’s a link to the excellent restaurant Uva d’Oro. Below, Pavarotti waves ciao!