Novi di Modena between street art, nature and history
Accommodation in Novi di Modena
Novi di Modena is a typical town in the lower Modena plain. When planning your trip, you can take in historic buildings and artistic traces alongside a landscape of rice fields, artificial lakes and protected hedgerows. If you would like to explore Novi di Modena by theme, you can consider the street art cycling route, the wetland trail and the historic buildings separately.
File:Cavo C.C.A.B.M. - Novi di Modena, Modena, Italia - 12 Gennaio 2025 01.jpg
Photo: Giorgio Galeotti via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Street art and landscapes by bicycle
The street art cycling route runs mainly through Parco della Resistenza and Parcobaleno. There, it showcases murals created between 2016 and 2018 by Ericailcane, Bastardilla, Giorgio Bartocci, Luca Zamoc, Basik, Mat! and Francesco Bevini. If you would like to combine cycling with contemporary art, this route offers a clear cultural focus.
The natural areas also give Novi di Modena a distinctive profile. In the “Laghetti Borsari” nature area, a colony of various heron species breeds, with more than 150 nests. Southeast of the town centre, the wetland trail passes through a landscape shaped by rice fields and artificial lakes. The lakes are used for intensive fish farming, recreational fishing and waterfowl hunting.
This landscape also includes the protected Coccapana and Resega hedgerows. They are named after the respective localities where they are located, are protected at regional level and have been included in the European SPA register of protected areas because of their historical and natural significance.
Buildings spanning different periods
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 pre-Romanesque apse and the semicircular remains of the Romanesque apse are still visible. The Torre dell’Orologio in the town centre is a 20th-century reconstruction of an older building and houses a bell cast by Alberto III Pio.
On the outskirts of Novi di Modena, near Ponte Garbese, stands Villa Facci, built from 1805 onwards. The elegant palace contains several richly frescoed rooms. In the hamlet of Sant’Antonio in Mercadello, there is also Palazzo Pio di Savoia, a rectangular fortified structure dating approximately from the mid-15th century, with four corner towers. The Teatro Sociale in Novi di Modena was built between 1923 and 1929.
From Roman times to the fortress
Archaeological finds in the Novi di Modena area confirm the existence of a settlement from Roman times. The first historical source mentioning the “Castrum Nove” dates from 979. In the 13th century, the castle of Novi di Modena took on the form of a true fortress. A more recent artistic layer was added as part of the Totart Festival: artists created murals in Novi di Modena in 2016 and 2017.
More destinations for your trip planning: Sassuolo, Nonantola, San Donnino, Maranello, Finale Emilia, Castelfranco Emilia, Bastiglia and Carpi.
To the main travel overview: Modena.
