A Tourist in the North

Steve

Autumn colors of the vineyards in Northern Italy made the landscape all the more spectacular  

While we were here we wanted to take the opportunity to explore some other parts of the country, so we put together a week long trip that included Florence, Venice, and Modena.  Both Jo Anne and I had been to Florence and Venice previously, but Modena was an unknown.  All I really knew was that the Ferrari factory is based in Modena, but for me that was not really a draw.  (Never been much of a gear head.)  From the time when we arrived in Florence, what really struck me (as it did on our previous trip north) was how different northern Italy is when compared to the Amalfi coast.  The cities have such a different feel to them, not only due to the cooler climate, but clear differences in architecture, food, and culture.

I enjoyed all three cities, but found Modena to be the most interesting of the three.  While I think that this is partially due to the fact that it was my first visit, what I really enjoyed was that Modena feels like a real Italian city.  While Florence and Venice offer world renown art and architecture, to me the soul of these cities seems less intact.  For these places, tourism has become so a large part of the economy that they seem to exist solely so that people like me can wander through them and gawk.  This is certainly more the case in Venice than Florence.  Don't get me wrong.  Venice is one of the most unique and beautiful cities I have ever had the pleasure of visiting.  I thoroughly enjoyed this last visit and I hope to return someday.  However, as I cut through throngs of tourists along the grand canal I couldn't help but feel that no Italians really live there anymore.  (I don't believe you will ever find one of the city's residents riding in one of the many gondolas that crowd the docks, unless he is of course, a gondolier.)  Every aspect of the city seems organized around the tourist dollar, forcing those who work in the shops to commute from outside the city because it has gotten too expensive for the majority to live within the city proper.  It is a sad dilemma that the more a city bases its economy on the tourist trade, the more it risks becoming a parody of itself.  And while Positano faces the same problem to some extent, here there is an off season when the tourists vacate the premises (well, most of them ;) giving the town a chance to catch its breath and regain its identity.  This is less the case for Venice, where carnival draws a solid crowd in winter.

Cruising along the grand canal is a great way to take in the beauty of Venice.

In contrast, Modena was clearly a thriving city with an identity steeped in food and fast cars.  We toured a farm that produces balsamic vinegar (more fascinating than it sounds) and a dairy that produces parmesan cheese, both products that in part define this region of Italy.  We stayed in the historic part of the city, where the streets are lined with clothing shops, cafes, and a variety of nondescript small businesses doing the things small businesses do.  All the things that bring a city to life and give it personality.  The morning I was there was cloudy and quite cool, and I watched people bundled in coats and scarves crowd the counter at the local bar for a quick expresso before heading off to offices and shops.  Many of them were commuting on bicycles, as cars are limited in the old part of downtown.  And all this coming and going is set against the backdrop of a cityscape whose foundation was laid down by the Romans thousands of years ago.  For me it was one of those little moments you kind of savor because it feels as though it couldn't happen anywhere else in the world.  I wish we had arranged to spend more time in Modena, not only because they take food to a whole new level, but because I feel like we just skimmed the surface of a place that offers a great depth of experience.  Chalk up one more reason for our next trip to Italy. 

The girls tolerated the gondola tour, which they thought would be exciting until they got in the gondola.

A momentary lapse of crowds in St Mark's square.

Carnival came early for a select group of Venetian visitors.

The entry to villa San Donnino, one of the locations where they produce traditional balsamic vinegar.

Standing among barrels of traditional balsamic vinegar, which ages a minimum of 12 years.  Minimum aging for the good stuff: 25 years.

Did I mention we won a lifetime of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese?  (Not sure how we are going to get it home.)