Modena(Italian: [ˈmɔːdena] is a city and (municipality) on the south side of
the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy.
An ancient town, it is the
seat of an archbishop, but is now
known as "the capital of engines", since the factories of the famous
Italian sports carmakers Ferrari, De Tomaso, Lamborghini, Pagani and Maserati are, or were, located here and all,
except Lamborghini, have headquarters in the city or nearby. Lamborghini is
headquartered not far away inSant'Agata Bolognese, in the adjacent Province of Bologna. One of Ferrari's
cars, the 360 Modena, was named
after the town itself. One of the colors for Ferraris is Modena yellow.
The University of Modena, founded in 1175
and expanded by Francesco II
d'Este in 1686, has traditional
strengths in economics, medicine and law
and is the second oldest athenaeum in
Italy, sixth in the whole world. Italian officers are trained at the Italian
Military Academy, located in Modena, and partly housed in the Baroque Ducal Palace. The Biblioteca Estense
houses historical volumes and 3,000 manuscripts.
Modena is well known in
culinary circles for its production of vinegar
and also for its Military Academy,
Italy's "West Point",
which is housed in the Ducal Palace.
