Modena and its province preserve stories that can be read in their squares, historic buildings, theatres, and museums. But there are others, quieter ones, etched in stone and carved in marble.
This itinerary offers a different perspective on the area, leading visitors through some of its monumental cemeteries, places where art, architecture, and memory intertwine.
From the grandeur of the Cimitero di San Cataldo, to the civic testimonies of Carpi, and on to the intimate Cimitero Ebraico di Finale Emilia, the route unfolds through spaces of reflection and beauty, transforming the visit into an intense and unconventional cultural experience.
We begin our day at the Cimitero Monumentale di San Cataldo, long the city’s main burial site and one of the most significant in the entire province of Modena.
The central and original core is the so-called Monumental Cemetery, designed by the architect Cesare Costa between 1858 and 1876. This historic section preserves funerary monuments and structures of remarkable artistic value, offering precious insight into 19th-century Modenese culture and art.
Strolling along its paths, visitors encounter family chapels, commemorative sculptures, and the tombs of notable figures such as Enzo Ferrari and Olympic champion Alberto Braglia.
Adjacent to the historic section lies the contemporary extension, known as the Cemetery of San Cataldo, designed by architect Aldo Rossi. It is one of the most celebrated works of 20th-century Italian architecture and an internationally renowned destination for scholars and design enthusiasts alike.
Curiosity
The Cemetery of San Cataldo has also served as a film set: several scenes from the international film Ferrari, directed by Michael Mann, were shot right here.
We now head towards Carpi.
Just a short walk from the historic centre, the Cimitero Monumentale di Carpi preserves not only historic tombs and private chapels, but also sites deeply connected to the area’s civic history and collective memory.
Among these stands the monumental tomb dedicated to four partisans who fell on 22 April 1945 during the fighting for the liberation of the city. This space of remembrance is part of a broader context that includes the nearby Museo Monumento al Deportato and the Campo di Fossoli, creating a meaningful route that invites reflection on one of the most dramatic periods of the 20th century.
Travel tip
If this topic interests you, we recommend exploring it further with a dedicated itinerary focused on Campo di Fossoli and its historical context.
The final stop of our day takes us to Finale Emilia, where, surrounded by greenery and silence, lies one of the oldest and most evocative Jewish cemeteries in the region: the Cimitero Ebraico di Finale Emilia.
Once known as the “Horto degli Hebrei,” this sacred space tells over four centuries of history through the 57 remaining gravestones and the remains of around a thousand individuals belonging to the Jewish community that lived in Finale from 1541 until the second half of the 20th century.
The cemetery is accessed through an early 20th-century wrought-iron gate, topped by a Star of David bearing the inscription “Shalom.” Inside, the space is ideally divided into two areas: to the west, the oldest burials, with Hebrew inscriptions facing Jerusalem; to the east, more recent graves, with epitaphs in Italian or bilingual form.
Curiosity
The oldest gravestone dates back to 1585, while among the most recent is that of Elvira Castelfranchi, a Jewish teacher who remained devoted to her vocation and continued teaching despite the restrictions imposed on Jews during the Second World War.
