Nonantola

Nonantola is a place where the traces of a thousand-year history blend with a rural culture shaped by wisdom and a love for the land, and there are many good reasons why you should stop by. A visit to the complex of the Abbey of San Silvestro is certainly one of them.

Equally enjoyable is a pleasant walk through the small historic center, discovering its ancient treasures such as the two medieval towers—the “dei Bolognesi” (home to the town museum) and the “dei Modenesi”—as well as the buildings of the Partecipanza Agraria and the Church of San Michele. Finally, if you are a lover of good food and local culinary traditions, there will be no shortage of delicious experiences to enjoy.

Spring and autumn are the best seasons to visit our area thanks to the mild climate. Of course, it largely depends on the kind of activities you’re planning, since the town of Nonantola, with its historical attractions and the Abbey, can be pleasantly visited at any time of the year.

• The Nonantola Abbey Complex
  The pride of the town, the Abbey of San Silvestro, counted among the most powerful abbeys of medieval Europe and an important Benedictine center, represents the Romanesque monument of the province which, together with the Cathedral of Modena, remains one of the most significant European examples of this architectural style. Inside, on the high altar, the relics of Saint Sylvester, Pope and patron saint of Nonantola, to whom the abbey complex owes its name, are still preserved. Founded by the Lombards in 752 and later rebuilt in Romanesque style, the abbey appears today as an imposing brick structure with a splendid portal created by artists of the Wiligelmo school. The interior, divided into three naves, impresses with its grandeur, sobriety, and simplicity. The most fascinating part of the building is the crypt, where 64 columns decorated with beautiful capitals, some dating back to the Lombard period, filter the light in a striking way. Here are kept the relics of Saint Anselm, brother-in-law of the Lombard king and founder of the monastery. Don’t miss a visit to the Benedictine and Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art, which houses the Abbey Treasury, highlighted by the Stauroteca (10th–11th century; outer casing: 1679), which according to tradition contains a fragment of the Holy Cross.
• The Bolognesi Tower and the Nonantola Museum
  The Torre dei Bolognesi, built in 1307 by the Bolognese after conquering the town, has a square base and stands just over 38 meters tall. Today it houses the Museum of Nonantola, which tells the story of the area from contemporary times back to the Bronze Age. On the ground floor, the museum hosts the exhibition “The Jewish Children of Villa Emma in Nonantola: 1942–43,” while the third floor explores the medieval history of Nonantola through archaeology. Thanks to a series of virtual reality reconstructions, visitors can see how the historic center evolved from the foundation of the Monastery of San Silvestro to the 14th century.
• Villa Emma
  Villa Emma, an elegant country residence built at the end of the 19th century just outside the historic center, was the setting for an important episode of civil resistance during the Second World War. Between 1942 and 1943, it sheltered 73 Jewish refugee children who, thanks to the help of Don Arrigo Beccari and Giuseppe Moreali (recognized as Righteous Among the Nations), as well as the entire community of Nonantola, were able to escape Nazi-Fascist persecution and flee to Switzerland. After many years of neglect and abandonment, Villa Emma was restored in the 1990s; today it is privately owned and not open to visitors. In October 2026, a memorial dedicated to the story of the Villa Emma children will be inaugurated directly in front of the villa.
• The Balsamic vinegar production in the Palazzo of the Nonantola Partecipanza
  Located on Piazza del Pozzo, since the Middle Ages the central hub of community life in Nonantola, where the town hall, bakery, and salt warehouse once stood, the buildings of the Partecipanza Agraria can be found. This medieval collective land ownership institution hosts, in the palace facing Via Roma, a permanent exhibition, the Historical Archive of the institution, and an educational vinegar loft where visitors can taste the renowned Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO. (The exhibition and vinegar loft can be visited by appointment only. However, the history of the Partecipanza can also be explored on the second and third floors of the Museum of Nonantola.)

Like other towns in the Modena Province, Nonantola offers opportunities to sample such area specialties as PDO (protected designation of origin) Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, zampone and cotechino (dishes made from a mixture of ground pork flavored with herbs and spices and stuffed into the hollowed-out lower leg of a hog), prosciutto and other signature cured meats, fresh filled pastas, gnocco fritto (pastries something like a deep-fried dumpling), crescentine (a round, flat bread, flavored with spices and generally eaten with cold cuts, cheese, or spreads), Lambrusco wine, and PDO (protected designation of origin) and PGI (protected geographical indication) balsamic vinegar, our “black gold.”

• The Torrazuolo Oasis
  Located on land belonging to the Farmers’ Cooperative and accessible by bike as well as by other means, the Torrazuolo Ecological Restoration Area is one of the Emilia-Romagna Region’s most important natural areas. Paths wind through the forest and the marshlands, which are home to a wide variety of wild animals and water birds. Viewing sheds built by the Italian League for the Protection of Birds (LIPU) provide opportunities for bird and animal watching. The Casa della Guardia, at 41 Via Due Torrioni, houses a learning center where workshops and guided tours are offered by appointment.
• From Nonantola to Villa Sorra by Bike along the Via Romea Nonantolana
  Cyclists will enjoy the peaceful excursion that begins in front of the Abbey and follows the Via Romea Nonantolana to the splendid Villa Sorra in Gaggio.