A year of cars and vinegar...
Translated by 
Elizabet Alarcón Martínez
— 14 years ago
Original text by
Águeda Pérez Sánchez
6 0
Tags: Erasmus experiences Modena,
Modena,
Italy
I would need more than days or week to tell about my Erasmus in Modena, but I will summarize.
When someone hears that you are going to Modena, they firstly tell you: “you are going to get fed up of vinegar!” or “Well, well, the Ferrari Modena has something to do?” Yes, sirs, Modena is the country of vinegar, Lambrusco wine, the home of Ferrari and place of the subsidiaries of Masseratti. Luciano Pavarotti was born, brought up and dead in Modena, you could find his portrait in many places of the city as a memory: “Ciao Luciano!” Modena’s typical gastronomy includes Fried Gnoco and Tortelini with basil soup.
Modena is not a big city, but fortunately, the neighbour Bologna offers everything that Modena lacks. Modena is a posh city by nature and its inhabitants are very special and proud of it; do not expect for the myth “Italian people are like Spanish”. The majority has a cold character and to enter into a group of friends is very difficult. Probably, you will make Italian friends from the south. But if you need something, they are certainly very obliging and they help you as much as they can.
Timetables in Modena are a little bit different from Spain. The day starts at 7:30 or 8:00 a.m., they have lunch at 12:30 p.m. and have dinner at 7:00 p.m. Shops close at 6:00 or 7:00 p.m. and at 8:00 there is nobody in the street in winter. The majority of regular buses finish their service over this time, and that is why I advise to buy a bike.
Public transports are: bus, € 1 is one hour of journey, do not mind if you change the bus; taxi, really expensive and the price depends on how many people go in it; train, there are many and for many interesting places thanks to the geographic location of Modena, the train to Bologna lasts just 15 minutes. But I specially recommend the bike. Almost all the city has cycle Lane, Modena has no hills and a bike is fast to go from some place to another.
Modena is called “the green” due to the great number of gardens and green spaces and parks. However, out of the old quarter, Modena has less attractive and less to see, except the parks. The city centre streets are colourful. The flat’s buildings are old small palaces which have been renovated. Windows are made of wood and blinds do not exist! Streets are paved and traffic is limited in the city centre. The Military Academy and The Duomo Place are remarkable. The Duomo Place is in redevelopment work and the Ghirlandina was covered in 2008 in order to restore it, there is no doubt that it worth a deep visit. One of the places that I like the most is the Via Santa Eufemina, in front of the Duomo, it is a small place where the Faculty of Arts (my school) is located. There, you could drink many different coffees, places to sit down with your friends, talk, read or sunbathe with the few sunbeams that you can catch. The coffee shop that is just in front of the faculty’s door is managed by two nice sisters; I recommend to you the “Baltic Birra” and the Swiss chocolate with cream.
When the weather is nice, coffee shops and bars open in the parks, as the Enzo Ferrari Park, the remains of an old racetrack with statues of all the famous drivers, they organise concerts and activities. You also have heated swimming pools and sport facilities, of course, they are quite expensive. There are several cinemas in the city and they cost around € 8. The bars and the “aperitivi moment” are outstanding, for the price of a drink, they serve you a plate and you can take what you want from the buffet. The price of a beer of 40 or 50 cl is € 5. Though in Caffée del Viale it costs € 3.5! A drink in a nightclub is served in a normal plastic glass, not in a tall glass and nightclubs close at 4:00 a.m. There are takeaways everywhere in the city centre where you can buy a piece of pizza for a very cheap price. I recommend the following nightclubs: Red Lion, Sax Caffé, Caffé Concerto, Irish Pub, I Piccari, Disco Tube (or Ohm, as we called it because it was its old name), discoteca Le Scuderie (it opens in May, you need a car or a but to go there, but it worth it) and much more but I do not remember the names, sorry.
The climate is damp. In winter, cold cut through to the bone and sun may not rise in months, fog is common in Modena. In summer, hot is sultry and get ready for the tiger mosquitoes! The storms period starts in May.
Modena has the military character in mind in the culture, with one of the oldest military academies in Italy. In May, a competition of military bands is held and many university students wear the academy uniform or go out at night with cloak, sabre and hat, in the tin soldier fashion. A big fiesta is the day of Saint Gimminiano (patron, custodian and designer of the city) and the Estense Week, called like this because of the family Estense, patron and protector of the city during many centuries.
Renting prices depend on the area and if the room is shared or not. I paid around € 220 per month for one room without paying electricity, water and gas costs, with them, I paid about € 300. Invoices in Italy are really expensive and they charge you tax for paying tax; if you do not believe it, ask an Italian, they are still paying a tax in order to cover the damages of an earthquake in Sicily at the beginning of the last century…
After reading that, you could think that I did not like Modena, that it is a horrible city and no way will you go there. But you are wrong; I love this city because you make it up with your friends. It does not mind if the city is expensive or the weather is depressive…there are always places to go with your friends, you discover corners that you did not know, parks has much to offer and if you get bored, Bologna, the Erasmus capital, is 15 minutes far. In order to speak about Modena, you must go and live it, walk by the streets, get lost and ask the people you find in the street. In short, as many of Erasmus students say, it does not mind where they send you, where you are or if you do not like the city, what really mind are the friends that you make, people with you go. The most beautiful city in the world may be the most horrible. Modena seemed to me the better of the entire world.
Águeda
When someone hears that you are going to Modena, they firstly tell you: “you are going to get fed up of vinegar!” or “Well, well, the Ferrari Modena has something to do?” Yes, sirs, Modena is the country of vinegar, Lambrusco wine, the home of Ferrari and place of the subsidiaries of Masseratti. Luciano Pavarotti was born, brought up and dead in Modena, you could find his portrait in many places of the city as a memory: “Ciao Luciano!” Modena’s typical gastronomy includes Fried Gnoco and Tortelini with basil soup.
Modena is not a big city, but fortunately, the neighbour Bologna offers everything that Modena lacks. Modena is a posh city by nature and its inhabitants are very special and proud of it; do not expect for the myth “Italian people are like Spanish”. The majority has a cold character and to enter into a group of friends is very difficult. Probably, you will make Italian friends from the south. But if you need something, they are certainly very obliging and they help you as much as they can.
Timetables in Modena are a little bit different from Spain. The day starts at 7:30 or 8:00 a.m., they have lunch at 12:30 p.m. and have dinner at 7:00 p.m. Shops close at 6:00 or 7:00 p.m. and at 8:00 there is nobody in the street in winter. The majority of regular buses finish their service over this time, and that is why I advise to buy a bike.
Public transports are: bus, € 1 is one hour of journey, do not mind if you change the bus; taxi, really expensive and the price depends on how many people go in it; train, there are many and for many interesting places thanks to the geographic location of Modena, the train to Bologna lasts just 15 minutes. But I specially recommend the bike. Almost all the city has cycle Lane, Modena has no hills and a bike is fast to go from some place to another.
Modena is called “the green” due to the great number of gardens and green spaces and parks. However, out of the old quarter, Modena has less attractive and less to see, except the parks. The city centre streets are colourful. The flat’s buildings are old small palaces which have been renovated. Windows are made of wood and blinds do not exist! Streets are paved and traffic is limited in the city centre. The Military Academy and The Duomo Place are remarkable. The Duomo Place is in redevelopment work and the Ghirlandina was covered in 2008 in order to restore it, there is no doubt that it worth a deep visit. One of the places that I like the most is the Via Santa Eufemina, in front of the Duomo, it is a small place where the Faculty of Arts (my school) is located. There, you could drink many different coffees, places to sit down with your friends, talk, read or sunbathe with the few sunbeams that you can catch. The coffee shop that is just in front of the faculty’s door is managed by two nice sisters; I recommend to you the “Baltic Birra” and the Swiss chocolate with cream.
When the weather is nice, coffee shops and bars open in the parks, as the Enzo Ferrari Park, the remains of an old racetrack with statues of all the famous drivers, they organise concerts and activities. You also have heated swimming pools and sport facilities, of course, they are quite expensive. There are several cinemas in the city and they cost around € 8. The bars and the “aperitivi moment” are outstanding, for the price of a drink, they serve you a plate and you can take what you want from the buffet. The price of a beer of 40 or 50 cl is € 5. Though in Caffée del Viale it costs € 3.5! A drink in a nightclub is served in a normal plastic glass, not in a tall glass and nightclubs close at 4:00 a.m. There are takeaways everywhere in the city centre where you can buy a piece of pizza for a very cheap price. I recommend the following nightclubs: Red Lion, Sax Caffé, Caffé Concerto, Irish Pub, I Piccari, Disco Tube (or Ohm, as we called it because it was its old name), discoteca Le Scuderie (it opens in May, you need a car or a but to go there, but it worth it) and much more but I do not remember the names, sorry.
The climate is damp. In winter, cold cut through to the bone and sun may not rise in months, fog is common in Modena. In summer, hot is sultry and get ready for the tiger mosquitoes! The storms period starts in May.
Modena has the military character in mind in the culture, with one of the oldest military academies in Italy. In May, a competition of military bands is held and many university students wear the academy uniform or go out at night with cloak, sabre and hat, in the tin soldier fashion. A big fiesta is the day of Saint Gimminiano (patron, custodian and designer of the city) and the Estense Week, called like this because of the family Estense, patron and protector of the city during many centuries.
Renting prices depend on the area and if the room is shared or not. I paid around € 220 per month for one room without paying electricity, water and gas costs, with them, I paid about € 300. Invoices in Italy are really expensive and they charge you tax for paying tax; if you do not believe it, ask an Italian, they are still paying a tax in order to cover the damages of an earthquake in Sicily at the beginning of the last century…
After reading that, you could think that I did not like Modena, that it is a horrible city and no way will you go there. But you are wrong; I love this city because you make it up with your friends. It does not mind if the city is expensive or the weather is depressive…there are always places to go with your friends, you discover corners that you did not know, parks has much to offer and if you get bored, Bologna, the Erasmus capital, is 15 minutes far. In order to speak about Modena, you must go and live it, walk by the streets, get lost and ask the people you find in the street. In short, as many of Erasmus students say, it does not mind where they send you, where you are or if you do not like the city, what really mind are the friends that you make, people with you go. The most beautiful city in the world may be the most horrible. Modena seemed to me the better of the entire world.
Águeda
Content available in other languages
- Español: un año de coches y vinagre...
- Français: Une année de voitures et vinaigre…
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