If you have ever flown from Northern Europe to Bologna, for those familiar with the towns in its proximity, as the plane banks ready for landing, you’ll get a view of Modena. It is the first city north of Bologna headed in the direction of Parma or Milan. Modena is a mere 15 to 25 minute train trek from the Emilia-Romagna capital, and a fabulous city in its own right.
The city of Modena is at the southern end of the Po Valley, a real gem of a place. Aside from the occasional football tourist, petrol heads are more likely to flock here, as on the outskirts of the city is the Ferrari company, museum et all. Having met a couple at breakfast in my Bologna hotel on one trip, they were proudly telling me they’d been to Modena. However, Piazza Grande or Parc Novi Sad meant nothing to them, they’d essentially got off the train, onto a mini-bus to Ferrari and back! Modena had merely been viewed from a bus window, and even then only residential areas. They hadn’t seen anything worthy of their time, other than the wonderful car plant and museum, obviously! Believe me, Modena is worth a proper visit, with UNESCO World Heritage sights in three locations, most exquisitely the aforementioned Piazza Grande. But if cars are your thing, Modena is your mecca, as not only will you find Ferrari in town, but Maserati, Lamborghini and De Tomaso are all based here!
The city’s most famous son was Luciano Pavarotti a proud Modena man, and every year he would host a hugely popular music festival “Pavarotti and friends” at the enormous Parco Novi Sad, where music stars of Italy and beyond would share a stage with the great man, James Brown, Eric Clapton and Tracy Chapman were amongst those who appeared. One song I always recall, Miss Sarajevo with U2 was played live here in Modena. Novi Sad in Serbia is a twin town, but after Luciano died, the Parco was renamed Parco di Piazza d’Armi, perhaps as it was once military grounds, but now it’s a welcome green space in a city, where all the cool people hang out. It’s very easy to have a peek at the Parco as it is right opposite the Alberto Braglia stadio, and possibly the nearest place where you could grab a beer without being right at the ground.
If you have Balsamic Oil tucked away on a shelf in your kitchen, then closer scrutiny of the bottle will tell you it is from Modena. Emilia-Romagna is the culinary capital of Italy, and while nearby towns might be more famous for hams and cheeses, a dash of Balsamic oil is always a welcome condiment, thereby making sure Modena doesn’t miss out on the munching party, washed down by the local vino, Lambrusco if that’s your thing.
The local football team has experienced the full immersion therapy of Italian calcio’s highs and lows. Founded in 1912, they have graced Serie A a few times, and once losing a semi-final to Alessandria in 1920/21 which was as close as they ever came to getting their hands on a Scudetto. They do have some silverware in the form of two Anglo-Italia Cup wins in consecutive seasons in 1981 and ‘82, a period of the intriguing competition of old when it was at its most chequered with just 4 teams getting involved from both countries, taking the gloss of such goings on perhaps, but you’ve got to be in it to win it as they say!
In the ‘50’s remarkably Luciano Pavarotti played for the club! He was a winger, and he made a number of first team appearances. Now that must have been an extraordinary sight for those who witnessed the great tenor, in his youth tearing by unsuspecting defenders, giving them sleepless nights, long before he sang Nessun Dorma (none shall sleep)!
Perhaps in a city where some of the world’s most expensive cars are made, the obsession with speed and sleekness has seen countless millions poured into development of piston power, but none or scant few investment monies have found their way to the local football team. My case in point was when I was in Italy in autumn 2017, a third tier joust between Modena and Mestre was considered as a valid option for a game to enjoy, but ultimately the late confirmation of kick off times in Italy can often scupper plans, and on this occasion it precluded this match-up being part of a two fixture day. However, as my train was headed back to Bologna from Ferrara, it didn’t stop me thinking if only there had been a more direct route to Modena, I might have made it to both. I accept car hire would have done the job, but while I have driven in the Faroe Islands, Iceland and the Algarve, I have never plucked up the courage to drive in Italy. Anyway, as it transpired, this game was never played, the fans were locked out and protests were the order of the early evening. Modena hadn’t been paying its bills, and within weeks, without kicking another ball, Modena were bankrupt, and unusually for these failing teams this was a mid-season crash and burn, with the few games they had played being expunged. i canarini (the canaries- and yet their yellow isn’t nearly as screamingly so as Norwich!) were gone. They regrouped as Modena FC 2018 starting just one level down in Serie D the following season, and they were immediately promoted back to where they came in C.
The club have thankfully had more glorious periods in its history, with their last trip to Serie A coming in 2002/03, a first visit to the top table for 38 years, where a last gasp winner on the last day of the season helped stave off relegation in that inaugural return. However the drop was merely delayed another year, and while Modena haven’t been back, their stadium has hosted nearby Sassuolo and more miraculously Carpi playing Serie A action, while they continued to struggle. Serie B is where the club has played the majority of its history, including one astonishing season in 1991/92 when keeper Marco Ballotta only conceded 9 goals in a 34 game campaign, but with too many scoreless draws, it meant they didn’t go up! Modena were managed that season by the hugely popular, almost cult boss Renzo Ulliveri.
Another anecdote of angst occurred when I watched them host Perugia in April 2016 in a Serie B fixture. It was perhaps a prelude to what would unfold 18 months later, and the bankruptcy. Hernan Crespo had just been sacked ahead of the match and the Ultras were taking to the streets in protest. They stayed on the street outside, banging their drums, setting off their flares and singing their songs. Meantime, in the stadium, a relatively sedate atmosphere, save a hardy bunch of midweek travelling Umbrian fans, saw Modena sweep Perugia aside relatively easily. As I headed back to the railway station, an angst ridden experience (more later), I was contemplating what all the fuss was about, Modena obviously had that new boss bounce thing going on. This was April, quite close to the end of the campaign, I had them pencilled into the safe category. But hey, what do I know, this 3-0 win over Perugia was as good as it got, and Modena were relegated in May 2016, the last time the club graced this level.
However, very often in Italy, bottoming out with financial issues can bring fresh shoots of togetherness. Last season, having just got back into the third tier the club were in the play off places when the pandemic came calling. Perhaps with finances now under tighter control, they chose not to get the squad back months later for the incredibly lengthy play off campaign. Instead they made plans for making a better fist of matters in ‘20/21. A fifth place finish was a reasonable progression from the previous season, and courtesy of no Coppa Italia C being contested, Modena didn’t just gain a bye in the first round, but also the second, by which time the 28 sides were whittled down to 13?! I have told you previously that the Serie C playoffs are an intriguing and unusual competition, with the three second placed teams in the different leagues still not involved at that point.
The Stadio Alberto Braglia is a wonderful venue, and with a 21,500 capacity stadium, it is fit for Serie A should the club ever scale those heights again. The interior has been lavishly upgraded and in a region of high sophistication, you wouldn’t expect anything less than a pristine venue. The floodlights are quite unique, adding to the whole enjoyment package, especially for an evening game. Alberto Braglia wasn’t a Modena player, but a highly crowned Italian gymnast of yesteryear, highlighting that the stadium is municipally owned and not the club, a classic failing of Italian clubs, but very slowly it is changing.
The good news is, if you are heading to the Braglia stadium from the railway station, it is just a five minute walk, one of the nearest to a stadium in Italy. Essentially when you come out of the station, walk out through the little piazza, then turn right when you hit the main road, and you’ll walk just a few minutes before the stadium will appear on your left. The bent over nature of the futuristic floodlights means they don’t immediately guide your walk, but this is one of the least complicated ventures to a stadio you’ll undertake, assuming you are not sampling the city ahead of a game, something I would implore you to try if time allows. The caveat to this relatively easy walk is the post match policing, and how it could impact on your quick return to the station for the last train to Bologna for example. I speak from experience here, as the police had formed a cordon and shut off access to the road back to the station giving preference to the away fans. Now if you know your geography of Italian cities and just how complicated a train trip to Perugia would be, especially at 22,45, not one of the visiting tifosi would be doing anything other than get in a car or a bus home. I didn’t have enough time to take the proposed end around option they tried to suggest through the huge park and along another road or two to get back to the station. I basically turned into a frantic tourist bloke and they relented letting me through. As I looked back, some local lad had been emboldened by my success but his frantic act obviously wasn’t good enough!
Modena is a very fine city, fitting in with the jewels of Emilia Romagna as a place worthy of visiting, and with a superb venue to enjoy a game. It’s easily accessed for a day trip too. The backlash against the money men and the money clubs is underway, finally, clubs like Modena are the heartbeat and the fabric of calcio, like so many others, worthy of a visit more so than those at the very top.
Football Adventures with James Rendall 