Octavian relieved the city with the help of the Senate.Ĭicero called it Mutina splendidissima ("most beautiful Mutina") in his Philippics (44 BC). In the civil war following Caesar's assassination, the city was besieged again, this time by Mark Antony, in 44 BC, and defended by Decimus Junius Brutus. The city eventually surrendered out of hunger, and Brutus fled, only to be slain in Regium Lepidi. The first siege was by Pompey in 78 BC, when Mutina was defended by Marcus Junius Brutus (a populist leader, not to be confused with his son, Caesar's best known assassin). In the 1st century BC Mutina was besieged twice. Nonetheless, it was rebuilt, and quickly became the most important centre in Cisalpine Gaul, both because of its strategic importance and because it was on an important crossroads between Via Aemilia and the road going to Verona. Mutina was refounded as a Roman colony in 183 BC, to be used as a military base by Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, causing the Ligurians to sack it in 177 BC. The outcome of the siege is not known, but the city was most likely abandoned after Hannibal's arrival. Livy described it as a fortified citadel where Roman magistrates took shelter. Although the exact date of its foundation is unknown, it is known that it was already in existence in the 3rd century BC, for in 218 BC, during Hannibal's invasion of Italy, the Boii revolted and laid siege to the city. The territory around Modena (Latin: Mutina, Etruscan: Mutna) was inhabited by the Villanovans in the Iron Age, and later by Ligurian tribes, Etruscans, and the Gaulish Boii (the settlement itself being Etruscan). See also: Timeline of Modena Ancient times This climate is described by the Köppen climate classification as Cfa. Summers are hot and winters are cool, with snowfall. It has an average annual precipitation of 809 millimetres (31.9 in). Modena has a humid subtropical climate, with continental influences. San Faustino (S.Faustino-Saliceta San Giuliano, Madonnina-Quattro Ville).Buon Pastore (Buon Pastore, Sant'Agnese, San Damaso).Crocetta (San Lazzaro-East Modena, Crocetta).
Centro storico (Historical Center, San Cataldo).The comune is divided into four circoscrizioni. The Apennines begin some 10 kilometres (6 miles) from the city, to the south. The city is connected to the Panaro by the Naviglio channel. Their presence is symbolized by the Two Rivers Fountain in the city's center, by Giuseppe Graziosi. Modena lies on the Pianura Padana, and is bounded by the two rivers Secchia and Panaro, both affluents of the Po River. 3.3 Late modern and contemporary (Renaissance).įamous Modenesi include Mary of Modena, the Queen consort of England and Scotland operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti and soprano Mirella Freni, born in Modena itself Enzo Ferrari, eponymous founder of the Ferrari motor company Catholic priest Gabriele Amorth chef Massimo Bottura comics artist Franco Bonvicini the band Modena City Ramblers and singer-songwriter Francesco Guccini, who lived here for several decades. Modena is also known in culinary circles for its production of balsamic vinegar. The Cathedral of Modena, the Torre della Ghirlandina and Piazza Grande are a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. The Biblioteca Estense houses historical volumes and 3,000 manuscripts. Italian military officers are trained at the Military Academy of Modena, and partly housed in the Baroque Ducal Palace. The University of Modena, founded in 1175 and expanded by Francesco II d'Este in 1686, focuses on economics, medicine and law, and is the second oldest athenaeum in Italy. One of Ferrari's cars, the 360 Modena, was named after the town itself. Modena ( UK: / ˈ m ɒ d ɪ n ə/, US: / ˈ m oʊ d-/, Italian: ( listen) Modenese: Mòdna Etruscan: Mutna Latin: Mutina) is a city and comune ( municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy.Ī town, and seat of an archbishop, it is known for its car industry since the factories of the famous Italian upper-class sports car makers Ferrari, De Tomaso, Lamborghini, Pagani and Maserati are, or were, located here and all, except Lamborghini, have headquarters in the city or nearby. Cathedral, Torre Civica and Piazza Grande, Modena UNESCO World Heritage Site