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Home > Travel to Italy > Emilia Romagna > Modena
Modena ::.
 Travel and Tourism Information
MODENA
The Cathedral, whose construction began in 1099, is a masterpiece of Romanesque style, both for its architecture and for the cycle of scultures by Wiligelmo which decorate the facade and the entrances. Piazza Grande, the heart of the town is framed by the Ghirlandina tower, 87 metres tall and the L-shaped 17th-century town hall or Palazzo Comunale, which takes up two sides of the piazza and actually incorporates several medieval buildings.
The Museum Palace (Palazzo dei Musei) is on L.go Porta Sant'Agostino. The building houses the famous Galleria Estense, the Museo Lapidario (sculptures, tombs, epigraphs) and the Biblioteca Estense (manuscripts) The Estense is one of the most important Italian galleries, hosting paintings from the 13th to the 18th ventury; works by Bernini, Velasquez, Correggio and El Greco.
Palazzo dei Musei also houses several municipal museums: a Medieval and Modern Art and History Museum, containing paintings and sculptures dating from the Middle Ages to the modern age, an Archaeological Museum and an Ethnological Collection. Palazzo Ducale was started in 1598 when Modena became the capital of the Estense domain. It has an interesting courtyard; inside the noteworthy Hall of Hounour, the frescoed Assembly hall, the Gold Room.
The palace houses the Accademia Militare di Modena, one of Italy's most prestigous military colleges.
Also interesting: S.Agostino ( sumptous interior with Baroque decorations); S.Pietro ( built on the site of an old Benedictine convent; Renaissance facade; paintings by Dosso Dossi, Carlo Ricci, Nicoḷ dell'Abate.)
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Modena
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