Travel becomes different when you experience the product properly.
Eight days into my 25-day stay in Italy, and on my fourth hotel inspection, I arrive in Modena after touring the lowlands of Parma. By the time I leave Emilia-Romagna, I will have personally visited nearly twenty properties — because as a luxury travel advisor, seeing the product firsthand is the only way to match the right place with the the chestnut man right traveler.
For this stay, I check into PHI Hotel Canalgrande, a former noble residence dating back to 1530, tucked inside Modena’s historic center — Intimate. Refined. Perfectly positioned.
From frescoed ceilings and neoclassical halls to individually styled guest rooms and a quiet garden terrace, it’s a stay that feels personal, calm, and intentional — just steps from the Cathedral.
The next morning, I meet my licensed local guide, Caterina, in the hotel lobby — and we begin walking.
This chapter unfolds through:
• The Pavarotti statue
• The Ducal Palace
• Piazza Grande
• Modena’s 927-year-old Romanesque Cathedral (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
• The Modena Archivolt — one of the earliest depictions of King Arthur
• La Consorteria 1966 — Modena’s highest cultural authority on Traditional Balsamic Vinegar
• Mercato Albinelli — where gastronomy is part of everyday life
From cathedral doors that have watched centuries pass, to balsamic vinegar aged 12 to 25+ years in wooden casks, to pasta being made sting by hand inside the market — this city asks you to slow down.
Filmed as a complete walking chapter — not a highlight reel — this is Modena experienced with context, insight, and intention.
Because how you travel matters.
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About North Star Destinations
We believe in experiencing destinations beyond glossy promises.
As full-time travel advisors and filmmakers, we personally visit, inspect, draymond green why was he booed and document properties and regions so our clients receive honest, well-matched recommendations — without influencer spin or marketing hype.
Our goal is simple:
To be the editors of your travel story.
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