• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Time Travel Turtle

A travel blog with stories beyond the brochure

  • HOME
  • ABOUT ME
  • CONTACT ME
  • BY COUNTRY
    • WEST EUROPE
      • Belgium
      • England
      • France
      • Germany
      • Ireland
      • Liechtenstein
      • Luxembourg
      • Netherlands
      • Northern Ireland
      • Scotland
      • Switzerland
      • Wales
    • NORTH EUROPE
      • Estonia
      • Finland
      • Latvia
      • Lithuania
      • Norway
      • Sweden
    • SOUTH EUROPE
      • Cyprus
      • Gibraltar
      • Greece
      • Holy See
      • Italy
      • Malta
      • Portugal
      • San Marino
      • Spain
    • EAST EUROPE
      • Austria
      • Belarus
      • Croatia
      • Czech Republic
      • Hungary
      • Montenegro
      • Poland
      • Serbia
    • NORTH ASIA
      • China
      • Japan
      • Kazakhstan
      • Kyrgyzstan
      • Mongolia
      • North Korea
      • Tajikistan
      • Uzbekistan
    • SOUTH ASIA
      • Cambodia
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Myanmar
      • Malaysia
      • Nepal
      • Philippines
      • Singapore
      • Sri Lanka
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • NORTH AMERICA
      • Antigua & Barbuda
      • Belize
      • Canada
      • Costa Rica
      • Guatemala
      • Mexico
      • USA
    • SOUTH AMERICA
      • Argentina
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Uruguay
    • AFRICA
      • Egypt
      • Morocco
      • Namibia
      • South Africa
    • OCEANIA
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
    • MIDDLE EAST
      • Jordan
      • Turkey
  • MOST POPULAR
    • The world’s oldest backpacker
    • Orangutans in Borneo
    • The need for speed
    • Trying to get out of the slum
    • The lake swamped with tourism
    • Journey into Dreamland
    • The village where life begins again
    • Is Cambodia safe for travellers?
    • Making the perfect gin and tonic
  • UNESCO

When art and architecture meet

May 14, 2020 | Michael Turtle | 13 Comments

WORLD HERITAGE SITE

The cathedral in Modena, Italy

When the cathedral in the Italian city of Modena was put on the World Heritage List, UNESCO described it as “a masterpiece of human creative genius”.

It’s a big call but, then again, over the years this part of Italy has been the birthplace of some of the world’s most famous musicians, painters and scientists. Perhaps it should be no surprise that it would be home to a building like this.

Modena Cathedral, Modena World Heritage Site, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Modena Cathedral, Modena World Heritage Site, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

The UNESCO description goes on. Apparently the Modena cathedral is a masterpiece “in which a new dialectical relationship between architecture and sculpture was created in Romanesque art”.

It seems you have to be a creative genius human to understand what that means.

Modena Cathedral, Modena World Heritage Site, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Modena Cathedral, Modena World Heritage Site, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Modena Cathedral, Modena World Heritage Site, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

The best way to understand is with your eyes, not with your brain.

Entering the cathedral, bumping into a young man who’s standing in the doorway crossing himself, apologising in a whisper, and then looking up for the first time to see the interior of the church… that’s when it starts to make sense.

Modena Cathedral, Modena World Heritage Site, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

The building is a joint creation of architect Lanfranco and sculptor Wiligelmus. Because of this relationship, the cathedral is not so much a construction as a sculpture.

Modena Cathedral, Modena World Heritage Site, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

The figures, the patterns, the scenes which are carved into the walls and the columns seem organic.

The very structure of the interior seems in harmony with the artwork and you can’t imagine one without the other – at one point I even consider whether the whole place would collapse if you tried to remove some of the statues.

Modena Cathedral, Modena World Heritage Site, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Presumably it wouldn’t (in case you were actually wondering too).

The cathedral has stood on this same spot since the 12th century and had many alterations over the years. The numerous changes and the even more numerous tests of time have not damaged the cathedral.

It’s not on the typical tourist trail but it’s definitely worth a visit while you’re in the Emilia Romagna region.

THE BEST ACCOMMODATION IN MODENA

Although some people visit as a day trip from Bologna, I think it’s worth staying overnight in Modena to explore everything properly

BACKPACKER

It’s not a typical hostel but the lovely Ostello San Filippo Neri has some great dorm beds.

BUDGET

Just out of town, Country Rooms Modena offers budget rooms in the quiet countryside.

BOUTIQUE

For something special, PHI Hotel Canalgrande is in a former duke’s palace – and is decorated accordingly.

LUXURY

And for modern luxury, I would recommend the five-star Best Western Premier Milano Palace Hotel.

This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For more info click here. You can see all the UNESCO World Heritage Sites I’ve visited here.

Time Travel Turtle was a guest of the Emilia Romagna tourism board but the opinions, over-written descriptions and bad jokes are his own.

Emilia-Romagna Travel Guide

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT EMILIA-ROMAGNA?

To help you plan your trip to Emilia-Romagna:

  • It may not be Italy’s most famous city but here’s why you should visit Bologna
  • The mosaics in Ravenna are some of the most stunning you’ll ever see
  • Find out why Modena Cathedral is a World Heritage Site
  • The best things to see in the historic city of Ferrara
  • Rimini is known for its beaches, but don’t miss this colourful neighbourhood
  • Learn some Italian cooking at the home of the country’s first cookbook’s author
  • You haven’t truly tasted balsamic vinegar until you’ve tried it in Modena
  • With famous local ham and cheese, Parma has to be one of Italy’s best food cities
  • Learn more about the Ferrari car company at these excellent museums
  • The experience of a lifetime – driving a Lamborghini on Imola racetrack!

Let someone else do the work for you:

You may also want to consider taking a tour in Italy, rather than organising everything on your own. It’s also a nice way to have company if you are travelling solo.

I am a ‘Wanderer’ with G Adventures and they have great tours of Italy.

You could consider:

  • Highlights of Italy (8 days)
  • Ultimate Italy (14 days)
  • Local Living Tuscany (7 days)
  • Iconic Italy – National Geographic (14 days)

When I travel internationally, I always get insurance. It’s not worth the risk, in case there’s a medical emergency or another serious incident. I recommend you should use World Nomads for your trip.

Reader Interactions

    Comments Cancel reply

  1. Bret @ Green Global Travel |

    May 14, 2012 at 2:52 pm

    Reply

    Great photos, Michael, especially the one with the statue in the foreground. I just love the creepy pageantry of Italian religious art!

    • Michael Turtle |

      May 16, 2012 at 1:19 am

      Reply

      Thanks, Bret. The religious art here is really interesting… but there sure is a lot of it! 🙂

  2. AlexBerger |

    May 15, 2012 at 4:40 am

    Reply

    Love the detail shots from inside the Cathedral!

    • Michael Turtle |

      May 16, 2012 at 1:20 am

      Reply

      Thanks. It was a hard one to capture… but you get the general idea…

  3. Angela |

    May 16, 2012 at 1:53 am

    Reply

    Beautiful pictures of a masterpiece 🙂

    • Michael Turtle |

      May 20, 2012 at 9:08 pm

      Reply

      Thanks Angela. The photos don’t do it justice, though. It’s an absolutely stunning building.

  4. candice michelle |

    May 17, 2012 at 7:20 pm

    Reply

    Wow! Great shot! love to see this! Thanks for sharing!

    • Michael Turtle |

      May 20, 2012 at 9:18 pm

      Reply

      Thanks!

  5. Wanderplex |

    May 23, 2012 at 5:13 am

    Reply

    Wow, that really is a stunning cathedral. Thanks for sharing – all I really knew of Modena before is that it’s where Balsamic Vinegar comes from, haha 🙂

    • Michael Turtle |

      May 24, 2012 at 4:40 am

      Reply

      Well, if you’re interested in the vinegar, you can check out this post about it: https://www.timetravelturtle.com/2012/05/best-balsamic-vinegar-modena/

  6. GoTravelFurther |

    June 1, 2012 at 7:09 am

    Reply

    Beautiful! We’ve always wanted to go to Modena. We’re bog fans of architecture.

    • Michael Turtle |

      June 6, 2012 at 3:16 am

      Reply

      You could spend a long time inside the church – it’s beautiful and has so much detail.

Primary Sidebar

This is the website of travel writer, Michael Turtle. After working in broadcast journalism for a decade in Australia, Michael left Sydney to travel the world indefinitely and write about the places, people and experiences he discovers. This isn't a diary - these are real stories from the world.

Want Occasional Updates?

Sign up to be the first to hear the latest about the adventures of Time Travel Turtle. You'll also get access to special offers and exclusive news.
Thank you! You have successfully subscribed to our newsletter.

Search

  • PRIVACY POLICY