Novi di Modena: Street Art, Nature and History

Novi di Modena is a typical town in the lower Modena plain, where traces of Roman settlements, historic buildings, street art and protected landscapes come together. This creates a varied mix for planning your trip: you can combine cultural discoveries with a cycling tour or focus on the wetlands and their distinctive wildlife. When looking for a holiday apartment, it is therefore worth first deciding on your preferred focus between local history, art and nature.

Discover Street Art by Bicycle

The street-art cycling route offers a special perspective on Novi di Modena. It runs mainly through Parco della Resistenza and Parcobaleno, showcasing murals created between 2016 and 2018. The participating artists include Ericailcane, Bastardilla, Giorgio Bartocci, Luca Zamoc, Basik, Mat! and Francesco Bevini. Murals by artists were also created as part of the Totart Festival in 2016 and 2017. Anyone who wants to experience art not only indoors but also in public spaces can make these works a specific focus of their daily itinerary.

Wetlands, Herons and Protected Hedges

In the “Laghetti Borsari” nature area, a colony of various heron species with more than 150 nests breeds. The wetland route southeast of the town center passes through a landscape characterized by rice fields and artificial lakes. These lakes are used for intensive fish farming, sport fishing and waterfowl hunting. The nature aspect of your stay is therefore particularly suited to visitors who appreciate landscape observation and water-based habitats.

In addition, the protected hedges of Coccapana and Resega represent the historical and natural significance of the surrounding area. Both bear the names of the respective localities in which they are situated, are protected at regional level and have been included in the European SPA register of protected areas. These differing interests can provide useful guidance when choosing your accommodation: nature observation and landscape experiences require a different daily itinerary from a stay focused on local history and architectural heritage.

Historical Traces in the Town and Its Hamlets

The history of Novi di Modena dates back to Roman times, as confirmed by archaeological finds in the area. The first historical source to mention the “Castrum Nove” dates from 979. In the 13th century, the castle of Novi di Modena took on the form of a veritable fortress. This development provides the historical background for several buildings that you can include in a cultural stay.

Today’s Parrocchiale di San Michele Arcangelo dates from the mid-17th century and was built on the ancient Pieve di Santa Maria Maddalena, dating from 980. The polygonal remains of the apse from the pre-Romanesque foundation and the semicircular remains of the apse from the Romanesque foundation are still visible. The town center is also home to the Torre dell’Orologio, the 20th-century reconstruction of an older building. It houses a bell cast by Alberto III Pio.

On the outskirts of the town near Ponte Garbese stands Villa Facci, built from 1805 onward, an elegant palace with several richly frescoed rooms. In the hamlet of Sant’Antonio in Mercadello is Palazzo Pio di Savoia, a rectangular fortified complex dating approximately to the mid-15th century, with four corner towers. The Teatro Sociale was built between 1923 and 1929. Depending on your interests, you can therefore choose your accommodation as a starting point for art, architecture, history or nature experiences, without limiting these themes to a single type of trip.

Further Places for Planning Your Trip

If you would like to compare other destinations as well as Novi di Modena, here are the other places: Palagano, Formigine, Rovereto sul Secchia, Bomporto, Colombaro, Spilamberto, Bastiglia and Cortile.

For the broader travel overview: Modena.