Art and Fast Cars

As our train from Bologna pulled into Modena Station we could see the curved yellow building of the Museo Enzo Ferrari.  Once we had worked out which way to go, it was only a short walk to the entrance.

This museum is located at the house where he was brought up. There are two parts of the museum, the  house itself and the gallery in the new building we saw from the train. We started with the gallery: a pristine white display area in which Ferraris of various vintages are displayed to their advantage.  A slightly bored-looking woman wandered around with a broom ensuring there were no stray specks of dust underneath the cars, whilst opera music played in the background.

Around the walls of the gallery, where they wouldn’t interfere with the views of the cars, were  a series of display panels about the life of Enzo Ferrari (1898-1988) and the history of motor manufacture in Modena. I found out that Enzo Ferrari actually started out as a racing driver for Alfa Romeo, whilst Maserati were making racing cars in Modena. After World War II Ferrari also began to construct racing cars.  In 1957, all 14 cars in the F1 line up were either Ferrari or Maserati – not only all Italian, but all from the same town. 

Right on schedule at 10.40 a.m. the gallery went dark for a film presentation. This was projected onto three walls and showed key events in the lifetime of Enzo Ferrari with a largely operatic soundtrack. No voiceover was needed. At one point the soundtrack was Nessun Dorma sung by Pavarotti – appropriately enough as the singer was also from Modena.

Contrary to what the Lonely Planet guidebook said, the exhibition in the house and workshop was not about the life of Enzo Ferrari, but about engines, with some more beautiful cars (and a speedboat) on display, although there was also a replica of Ferrari’s office at Maranello.

Having seen our fill of Ferraris, we walked into the centre of Modena past the Palazzo Ducale (once the home of the Este Dukes and birthplace of James II's Queen Maria de Modena, now military academy) but took a wrong turning and ended up going a very long way round before we finally found the Duomo. On the plus side, we managed to have a look in the covered market on the way.

Modena's cathedral is celebrated as the finest Romanesque church in Italy, and was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The pink marble exterior looks like some sort of sugar confection, with the pink spire of the Ghirlandina tower rising behind it. Inside is dark, and Romanesque in style – very different to many of the other churches we visited which had lavish Baroque interiors.

We stopped for a gelato on the way to the Palazzo de Musei.  I chose one labelled (in English), ‘Sweet Summer’ which was creamy with a passion fruit flavour. On arrival at the Palazzo de Musei, we found that the Civic Museums were closed for the summer break, but fortunately the Galleria Estense which was what we had come to see, was open. This gallery, which was far more extensive than I expected, houses the Este family collection of northern Italian paintings from late medieval to 18^th century along with some Flemish works.

Walked back to Piazza Grande, and had tea in a cafe, just next to the Palazzo Communale or town hall. The waiter brought me a cup with a slice of lemon in it, an Earl Grey teabag in the saucer, and a teapot.  Before I could stop him, the waiter poured water from the pot into the cup, leaving the teabag where it was. 

Our final visit of the day was to the Palazzo Communale, the 17^th century town hall where the historic rooms with elaborate painted ceilings are open to visitors free of charge.

All in all an enjoyable day out in Modena, my one regret being that we didn’t find time to sample the other local speciality: balsamic vinegar. I made up for it by having a delicious vegetable soufflé with balsamic dressing for dinner back in Bologna.