Here’s an itinerary that takes you on a voyage to discover the personalities and places that have left their indelible mark on history and on the collective imagination.
This itinerary starts in Imola, a city with a sad connection to the celebrated Brazilian race driver, Ayrton Senna.
Senna, one of Italy’s most beloved athletes, died in 1994 in an accident on the Imola circuit during the San Marino Grand Prix. Today, a statue in his honor at the Acque Minerali Park, near the Tamburello Corner where the accident occurred, recalls that tragic event.
Close by is the Checco Costa Museum, which commemorates the Brazilian champion with a mural by the well-known street artist, Kobra, also from Senna’s home country. For Formula 1 enthusiasts, for racing fans in general, and for anyone who admired Senna, these stops are part of an obligatory pilgrimage.
The second stop takes you to the heart of Bologna through its music and art. Bologna, in some ways, gave birth to Giorgio Morandi.
Morandi, one of the most noted painters of the 1900s, is known for canvases with his unmistakable bottles. Located at MAMbo, the Bologna Museum of Modern Art at 14 Via Don Minzoni, the Morandi Museum is home to one of the richest collections of the artist’s works. The paintings on display include Fiori (“Flowers”) from 1950, which depicts a theme the artist confronted often in his work and which progressively evolved into his famous still-life paintings.
Lucio Dalla, one of Italy’s most beloved Italian singer-songwriters, was born and lived in Bologna.
You can get to know him with a visit to his home, where you can explore the spaces in which the artist lived and conceived his greatest works.
Located on Via D’Azeglio, the Lucio Dalla House is only a short distance from Piazza Maggiore and provides an immersion in the sounds, images, and colors that perfectly render Dalla’s multifaceted personality.
The family residence of Guglielmo Marconi (the 150th anniversary of his birth will be celebrated in 2024) stands in the hills of Bologna.
It was in Villa Griffone, in fact, that the scientist set up his first laboratory and carried out his first experiments in wireless telegraphy.
The Villa is managed today by the Marconi Foundation and has become the site of the Marconi Museum.
As you climb toward the Apennines, the summer residence of the artist Giorgio Morandi, in the town of Grizzana (today Grizzana Morandi in his honor), is worth a visit.
The painter moved here for several months each year along with his sisters, leaving the family’s residence in the city on Via Fondazza. The house and the barn convey a sense of peace, exactly what Morandi was seeking when he escaped the chaos of the city.
The site is open on weekends. The artist's studio is particularly evocative and has been left as it was, as if the painter, having decided to seek inspiration with a walk, was about to come through the door once more.
Moving on to the Modena area of the Emilian Apennines, near Pavullo nel Frignano, you’ll come to the Covili House and Museum.
The Covili family has made it possible here to discover the world of the naïve painter, Gino Covili. They’ll tell you about his art and reveal anecdotes from his life, and they’ll convey the emotion and amazement they themselves feel every day in the presence of his masterpieces. When you enter, you’ll be fascinated by the works of art and by the furnishings that recall a centuries-old family history. In the fascinating corners of the home, you’ll experience an aura of creativity in every room.
Continue your journey to Modena in the footsteps of Luciano Pavarotti, the celebrated operatic tenor who made Modena an essential reference point in the international panorama of bel canto.
The Luciano Pavarotti House and Museum is a fundamental stop for an understanding of the life of the Grand Maestro.
Pavarotti spent the last years of his life here, and the Museum puts visitors in touch with his most human dimension. In admiring his personal possessions and learning about his everyday life, as well as through photographs, videos, and a display of the famous costumes that marked his career, you’ll be immersed in the world Pavarotti inhabited.
Continue your day at the Enzo Ferrari Museum, a tribute to the genius of Enzo Ferrari, the founder of the celebrated auto manufacturer.
The museum’s ultra-modern aluminum roof, constructed in the shape of a large, yellow car hood, contrasts on sunny days with the blue of the sky as if promoting the city’s official colors. As you explore the museum’s collections of vintage automobiles, you’ll discover the story behind the legend and savor the excitement and innovative spirit that made Ferrari an icon in the world of high-end cars. All that’s left is to be amazed.
Head next to Piazza Pomposa, one of the most interesting areas of Modena’s city center, for a walk through the story of the celebrated historian and priest, Lodovico Antonio Muratori.
Here, in the historic heart of Modena, the ancient walls and enchanted garden of his rectory house, along with the period furnishings and personal objects in every corner of this house and museum, will carry you back in time and allow you to savor the unique ambience of Muratori’s world.
Just outside the city you’ll find a semi-hidden architectural workshop.
Thick growths of trees and vines surround an astonishing world of shelves overflowing with books: the archive and studio of the architect, Cesare Leonardi.
You’ll learn how Leonardi built his studio out of the yellow-painted fir wood usually used for formwork in construction, and you’ll be amazed by the original drawings for his famous book, The Architecture of Trees, and by his vision for trees and parks.
