Tourists visiting Modena will find all the charm of small-town Italy, where people leisurely walk along cobblestone streets in the early summer heat while enjoying gelato — fresh, rich and creamy, as it should be. As a base of regional travel through northern Italy, Modena (pronounced Mo-dah-nah) is located in the Emila Romagna province. Three airports — located in Bologna, Rimini and Parma — can bring you to this quaint medieval town.

Once in Modena, the Trenitalia train, clean and comfortable, can take you on day trips to Venice (90 minutes), Florence (45 minutes) or Rome in two hours, making Modena a base of exploration for 8.8 million people, according to the Emilia Romagna tourism bureau, that arrive to explore northern Italy every year.