Spilamberto: Balsamic Vinegar, History and Trails along the Panaro

Spilamberto between Balsamic Vinegar and History

Spilamberto combines the production of traditional balsamic vinegar with historical traces and the Percorso Natura along the Panaro. It also has links to pilgrimage through the site where the Ospitale di San Bartolomeo was found and the eastern route of the Via Romea Nonantolana.

The World of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar

The Museo dell'Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale is located on the ground floor of Villa Fabriani. It presents all stages of balsamic vinegar production: from selecting the vineyards and making the barrels through the grape harvest, pressing the grapes and cooking the must to the acetaia. For your visit, you can book guided tours by telephone or email at the Museo Archeologico di Spilamberto.

The town's events also draw on the balsamic vinegar tradition. The Fiera di San Giovanni takes place every year around June 24, the feast day of John the Baptist, the patron saint of Spilamberto. During the Fiera di San Giovanni, the Palio di San Giovanni is awarded to the best homemade balsamic vinegar. Another annual event is MAST COT, held on the first weekend of October. MAST COT celebrates the outdoor cooking of the must, the moment when the production of traditional balsamic vinegar begins. With the feast day in June and the October weekend, this theme is represented by two clearly distinct points in Spilamberto's annual calendar.

The Rocca, Centuriation and the History of Pilgrimage

The Rocca Rangoni belonged to the Rangoni margraves for more than 650 years. In the Spilamberto area, traces of two different orientations of the centuriation can also still be seen. These two historical references give the town's history different chronological and thematic emphases: the Rocca points to the long connection with the Rangoni margraves, while the surviving traces of the centuriation make another historical layer visible in the area.

At the site where the Ospitale di San Bartolomeo was found, a grave was identified as that of a pilgrim because traces of a pilgrim's staff with a scallop shell attached to it were discovered inside. This specific find connects Spilamberto with the history of pilgrimage. The eastern route of the Via Romea Nonantolana also passes through Spilamberto and Vignola and joins the western variant again before the Apennine pass near Fanano.

Trails along the Panaro

The Percorso Natura runs for almost 34 kilometres along the left bank of the Panaro, passes through Spilamberto and can be used on foot or by bicycle. The trail complements the town's historical and culinary themes with a route along the riverbank.

More Destinations for Your Travel Plans

If you would like to extend your travel plans beyond Spilamberto, you can find Lesignana, Nonantola, San Prospero, Cavezzo, Maranello, Ca Di Sola, Lama Mocogno and San Felice Sul Panaro here.

For the overarching travel overview: Modena.