Food Festivals in Modena

Modena's chocolate festival, now in its eighth edition: artisan chocolatiers and pastry chefs fill the historic centre with stalls, a chocolate factory demonstration space, show cooking and tastings.

Castelnuovo Rangone, 12 km south of Modena, cooks the world's largest zampone: a three-metre, 400-kilo pig's trotter sausage simmered for days in a steel vat and sliced for the crowd in the town centre.

Expected dates, not yet confirmed by the organiser

Castelfranco Emilia, 13 km from Modena and the town that claims the tortellino's birth, runs its 45th sagra: hand-rolled tortellini in capon broth from stands in Piazza Bergamini nightly, plus a historic parade.

Modena's philosophy festival fills the piazzas with free lectures, and its cucina filosofica programme has restaurants in Modena, Carpi and Sassuolo serving eight themed menus of hand-made pasta and local dishes.

The two balsamic vinegar consortia open more than 40 acetaie across Modena province for a weekend of loft visits, tastings and side events, with the main open day on Sunday and activities in the historic centre.

Expected dates, not yet confirmed by the organiser

Piazza Grande becomes a three-day showcase of Modena province's small producers: Parmigiano Reggiano, balsamic, cured meats, pastry and wines to taste and buy, with stands cooking lunches and dinners until midnight.