“Where there is love there is life.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Shortly before the centuries-old bell tower tolled five o’clock, a crowd of uninvited and surprise guests huddled together on Modena’s Piazza Grande to celebrate a marriage. A crisp-white Fiat dressed in balloons stood guard on the cobbled Italian town square, ready to whisk the new couple away.
Step-by-step, in elegant unison, the two sauntered down the staircase of Modena’s town hall, the Palazzo Comunale, and the crowd sang Can’t Help Falling in Love. Perhaps in English, perhaps in Italian. Pieces of confetti danced in the air above the pair, blissful grins on their faces.
I pondered why the moment had stopped so many casual passersby in their tracks. Perhaps it’s because it reminded us of our own love story, or perhaps for others, one that’s still waiting to be written. On that Saturday afternoon it also epitomized to us the magic and serendipitous moments that slow travel provides when you’re least looking for them.
Congratulazioni agli sposi - Congratulations to the newlyweds!
A sprinkling of confetti.
The bride’s classic bouquet.
The clock face of Modena’s Town Hall, or Palazzo Comunale, bathed in golden-hour sunlight.
A trio of musicians performs for the bridal couple atop a slab of pink marble known as the Preda Ringadora. It’s been in Modena’s main square since at least the 13th Century and it’s served diverse purposes – everything from being a podium, to a place to carry out public punishments, to a venue for displaying corpses for identification. Behind the performers is the city’s famous 14th Century cathedral, the Duomo di Modena, which is shrouded in scaffolding.
Where in the World?
Planning Pointers:
- Peruse the Emilia-Romagna Tourist Board website for more details about Modena’s and the region’s rich offerings. The tourist board just recently released a free e-book that chronicles Emilia-Romagna’s Art Cities. I wish it’d been published when we were in the region, yet it’s since presented even more excuses to return to this stunning part of Italy.
- If you’d also like to “eat, feel and live local in Italy” as we did in Modena, check out the BlogVille project website.
- Need more inspiration? This link contains an index of all my posts from Italy.
Thanks & Disclosure:
Grazie mille / hearty thanks to the Emilia-Romagna Tourist Board for hosting us during our time in Modena!
An extra special thank you to Nick and Francesca for coordinating all the details and making us feel so welcome in Emilia-Romagna.
These words, experiences, images, and opinions are entirely my own.
Photography & text © by Tricia A. Mitchell. All Rights Reserved.
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Filed under: Art and Culture, Featured, Travelogues Tagged: Blogville, bride and groom, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, Modena, Partners, street photography, travel, UNESCO World Heritage, wedding in Italy
