Emilia-Romagna continued to spoil us. Our final days around Modena were packed with beauty, history, and exceptionally good food.
Today, Elena planned for us to visit the Ducal Palace in Sassuolo. In 1634, Duke Francesco I d'Este commissioned Roman architect Bartolomeo Avanzini and theatrical stage engineer Gaspare Vigarani to transform the old medieval fortress on the site into a magnificent country palace. This was the same duke who commissioned the grand palace that now houses the Military Academy in Modena. Apparently, this was his summer residence.
When we first arrived, Elena noticed that the chapel on grounds was open. Since she had never seen it accessible before, we took full advantage. Inside she spoke with one of the volunteers who enthusiastically launched into an in-depth tour of the chapel entirely in Italian. Thankfully, one thing I've come to appreciate about many older Italian ladies is how beautifully clear and precise their Italian tends to be.
The chapel is the Chiesa di San Francesco in Rocca (Church of Saint Francis at the Fortress). It was designed to serve both as the palace's private Palatine Chapel and as a public church for the local community.
Structurally, it is connected directly to the palace through a hidden internal corridor leading from the Duke's private apartments straight into the upper gallery of the church. This allowed the royal family to attend mass privately without stepping outside or mingling with the common citizens below.
Window to the Duke's private box
The interior is a jaw-dropping explosion of Baroque theatricality designed to mirror the palace itself. French court artist Jean Boulanger used elaborate trompe-l'oeil techniques to make the relatively small chapel appear far larger than it actually is. Painted balconies, soaring columns, and heavenly skies filled with angels create the illusion of endless space.
Trompe L'oeil
The Brotherhood of the Holy Crucifix
Behind the altar lies the retro-choir, home to the Confraternita del Santissimo Crocifisso, the Brotherhood of the Holy Crucifix. This influential local brotherhood was charged with maintaining the chapel and guarding the miraculous Sacro Tronco crucifix.
Placing the choir behind the high altar allowed the brothers to conduct private prayers and meetings while remaining physically close to the secret crucifix hidden within the church.
Retro-choir
The Sacro Tronco
The Sacro Tronco itself was fascinating. Under normal circumstances, visitors only see a large framed painting hanging on the wall. Hidden behind it is a recessed chamber containing the 16th-century wooden crucifix.
The altar was ingeniously engineered with a pulley and counterweight system. When activated, the painting lowers like a theater curtain to reveal the dazzling silver-accented crucifix behind it.
Aside from emergency prayers, the crucifix is normally unveiled only during Holy Week, so we were incredibly lucky to witness the demonstration. Our guide absolutely insisted we stay until we had seen every detail. Meanwhile, her younger assistant worked furiously behind the altar operating the mechanism.
Sacro Tronco
Before entering the main palace, Elena insisted on one more stop: Il Fontanazzo, also known as the Peschiera Ducale. Built between 1650 and 1696, this spectacular Baroque water feature was designed less like a simple pond and more like an elegant artificial ruin melting into the landscape.
It once hosted elaborate aquatic festivals, floating concerts, and even staged naval reenactments for visiting dignitaries. On ordinary days, however, it functioned as a fish hatchery supplying fresh fish to the Duke's kitchens.
Il Fontanazzo
Finally, it was time to tour the palace itself. The Ducal Palace of Sassuolo is one of the most magnificent Baroque residences in northern Italy. Originally a fortress, it was transformed into an opulent estate where the Este family could escape the summer heat of Modena.
Palazzo Ducale di Sassuolo
Standing proudly at the entrance to the courtyard was a statue of Neptune looking extremely pleased with himself, which amused both Ira and me.
Neptune
At the ticket office, we discovered that Coop members receive a small discount. Once again, our Coop card continued proving its worth. In case you're new to this blog and are not in on the inside joke, you can check out our Coop adventure here)
Inside , the tour began with the spectacular Scalone d'Onore, the Grand Staircase of Honor. It was designed as a theatrical experience intended to overwhelm visitors from the very beginning. Massive illusionistic frescoes create the impression of endless balconies, arches, and open skies, making the narrow stairwell feel monumental.
Scalone d'Onore
Hall of the Guards
At the top of the staircase sits the Hall of the Guards, separating the Duke's apartments from those of the Duchess. Every inch of the room is covered in elaborate frescoes designed to immerse visitors in political symbolism and artistic grandeur.
The faux green malachite columns are painted so skillfully they seem to shift as you walk past them. Above Apollo sits surrounded by the nine muses, celebrating the Este family's role as patrons of art, science, and culture.
The Hall of Guards
As we moved through the lavish rooms, Ira spotted the exterior section of the hidden passageway connecting the palace directly to the chapel's private box seats.
Secret Passageway to the Chapel Box seats
Gallery of Bacchus
One of my favorite rooms was the Gallery of Bacchus. Rather than hanging actual tapestries, the artists painted the walls to look as though they were draped with luxurious fabric scenes depicting Bacchus, god of wine and ecstasy. Painted folds, shadows, and creases make the "fabric" look astonishingly real.
Tiny cherubs peeking out from the margins helped blur the boundary between artwork and architecture.
Cherub under a faux tapestry
From the terrace, we enjoyed sweeping views over the Parco Ducale. At its height, the estate grounds stretched more than 12 kilometers and were once compared to Versailles. Today, the park remains open to the public and is popular with locals for walking, jogging, and cycling beneath the old trees.
Parco Ducale
After our tour, we drove to lunch at Corte degli Ulivi in Campogalliano, specializing in gnocco fritto and tigelle, two iconic staples of Emilian comfort food.
Gnocco fritto is puffy-fried bread that should be stuffed while hot, to practically melt the prosciutto or cheese inside. Tigelle (properly called crescentine) are small round breads sliced open and filled with cured meats, cheeses, or cunza--a spread made from pork lard, garlic, fresh rosemary, and Parmigiano Reggiano.
Naturally, we also sampled another variety of Lambrusco.
Gnocco and Tigelle
Cured Meats
After lunch we headed to Correggio, wandering down Corso Mazzini toward the clock tower while noticing the remnants of the old steam tramway tracks embedded in the street.
Corso Mazzini, Correggio
We stopped briefly inside the Basilica Collegiata dei Santi Quirino, where Elena pointed out the organ donated by Dr. Ronzoni.
Basilica Collegiata dei Santi Quirino
Later we met up with Elena's daughter and grandchildren for gelato at the award-winning Gelateria dei Principi. Elena finally got her long-awaited gelato fix.
Baci and Lampone
Back at the house, we enjoyed an intentionally light salad dinner on Robby's terrace while soaking in the peaceful evening views.
View from the terrace
Originally we planned to leave Modena immediately the next morning, but Elena declared that we absolutely could not leave without trying tortelloni.
So naturally, we stayed for lunch.
Before eating, we walked over to visit the Pavarotti family gravesite. I was surprised by how modest and accessible the cemetary felt.
Famiglia Pavarotti
Just down the street was the neighborhood restaurant where fresh tortellini and tortelloni were being handmade in plain sight all day long.
We sampled several varieties, though Ira's favorite was the tortelloni with cream sauce drizzled with balsamic vinegar.
Making Pasta
Tortelloni
We also had tortellini in broth, which instantly brought back memories of our first bowl with Melissa in Bologna back in February 2024. Hard to believe that was already so long ago.
And with that final lunch, our Modena adventure came to an end. We walked back to the apartment, said our good byes and hit the road once again.
Modena gave us far more than beautiful buildings and unforgettable meals. It gave us generous hospitality, hidden stories, and the feeling that Emilia-Romagna, like Italy in general, lives through its traditions, its food, and its people.
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