Emilia-Romagna · Modena
Castelvetro di Modena
A 152-meter hill borgo south of Modena whose checkerboard piazza sits above the slopes that grow Lambrusco Grasparossa.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Castelvetro di Modena is on our list
It holds Borghi più belli d'Italia, Bandiera Arancione and Città del Vino.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 45 min from Bologna
- Population
- 11,052
- J8°
- F12°
- M14°
- A17°
- M22°
- J28°
- J31°
- A31°
- S25°
- O20°
- N13°
- D8°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Castelvetro di Modena sits on a hill, eighteen kilometers southeast of Modena and at the northern edge of the Apennine foothills. The medieval centro storico rises around the Piazza Roma, paved in alternating white and black stones that earned it the name Piazza della Dama, the checkerboard piazza, framed by the four surviving towers of the old castle. The Grasparossa grape grows on the clay slopes around the town, the sandy soil and the south-facing aspect producing the deepest, most tannic of the three main Lambruschi; Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro received DOC status in 1970.
Above the piazza, the Palazzo Rinaldi houses the Museo del Vino and the Museo dell'Aceto Balsamico, the second tracing the same Modenese tradition that nearby Spilamberto codifies. The municipality holds three designations: Borghi più belli, Bandiera Arancione and Città del Vino. The Sagra dell'Uva e del Lambrusco runs the last weekend of September, when the streets fill with the chess players from the surrounding Lambrusco towns dressed as living pieces on the piazza.
How to get there
From Bologna (BLQ), about 41 min by car.
Verona (VRN) is about 1 h 39 min away.
By car from the center of Parma 1 h 2 min.
Coming from Bologna, Verona or Florence?
Coming by train into Modena? Castelvetro di Modena is about 29 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Bologna airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Piazza Roma
Checkerboard piazza paved in alternating white and black stones, framed by the four surviving towers of the medieval castle.
Castello di Levizzano Rangone
Tenth-century fortified frazione four kilometers north, with a tower built in the 990s and a fully preserved medieval village.
Museo del Vino
Wine museum inside the Palazzo Rinaldi, tracing the Grasparossa production cycle and the DOC zone established in 1970.
Borgo Antico
Medieval center on the hill above the new town, with the Torre delle Prigioni, the Torre dell'Orologio and the Palazzo Rangoni Terzi.
Chiesa dei Santi Senesio e Teopompo
Parish church of the borgo, with eighteenth-century rebuilding over earlier medieval foundations and a baroque organ.
From the guides
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Locanda del FeudoRistorante
A spot in the Michelin Guide, at Locanda del Feudo.
Opera|02Ristorante
Opera|02 has a spot in the Michelin Guide to its name.
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Living here
Could you live here?
Castelvetro di Modena meets our one rule for a small town.
- 11,052 people, inside our sweet spot of 5,000 to 20,000: a real town, still one community.
- Modena, a city of 184,074, is 28 min by car. Closer than our 30 to 60 minutes: handy for everything, so check the town still keeps a life of its own.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 11,052, down 2% since 2015
- Nearest city Modena, 28 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Vignola, 5 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €1,400 to €1,950 per m² to buy, €6.20 to €8.90 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- In-between
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 1% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 2, medium hazard
- Bologna airport (BLQ), 41 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Bologna, 45 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
11% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Morocco, Albania and Sri Lanka, against 9% across Italy. 37 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly the United Kingdom, France and Germany. There are 181 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 20% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Modena province ranks 12th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Vignola, 5 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Modena, 16 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Bologna, 31 km away. The nearest IB school is International School of Modena, 8 km as the crow flies.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.06% a year in property tax at the 2025 rate, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds between 0.6% and 0.8% to your income tax, depending on your income. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Emilia-Romagna spends about €2,500 a month, €560 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €604 a year for water, on the Emilia-Romagna average. In Modena, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.34, a meal in a pizzeria €13.47 and a man's haircut €27.27.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone E, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from October 15 to April 15, up to 14 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 2% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 3% in a high or medium one. Under 1% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
LAMBRUSCO GRASPAROSSA
The deepest and most tannic of the three main Lambruschi, grown on the clay slopes around the town and DOC-classified since 1970.
PIAZZA DELLA DAMA
The checkerboard square at the center of the borgo, paved in alternating white and black stones beneath the four medieval towers.
SAGRA DELL'UVA
Grape and Lambrusco festival held the last weekend of September, with living-chess matches played on the Piazza della Dama.
CILIEGIA DI VIGNOLA
The commune lies inside the Ciliegia di Vignola IGP production zone.
Common questions
- What is Castelvetro di Modena known for?
- Castelvetro di Modena is a 152-meter hill borgo south of Modena whose checkerboard piazza sits above the slopes that grow Lambrusco Grasparossa.
- Where is Castelvetro di Modena?
- Castelvetro di Modena is a comune in the province of Modena, in Emilia-Romagna, at 152 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Castelvetro di Modena?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Bologna (BLQ), about 41 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Parma to Castelvetro di Modena?
- About 1 h 2 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Castelvetro di Modena?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 31 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 12 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Castelvetro di Modena?
- Vignola, Sant'Agata de' Goti and Oria.
- How many people live in Castelvetro di Modena?
- 11,052 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Castelvetro di Modena a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Castelvetro di Modena is a small town that meets our one rule. The nearest city, Modena, is 28 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Vignola, 5 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 1% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
The numbers
- Elevation: 152 m
- Population: 11,052
- Surface area: 49.78 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Castelvetro di Modena appears in
- The best towns known for what they grow within 45 minutes of BolognaNear Bolognawithin 45 minproduce zone6 towns · smallest 6,569 residents · closest 37 min away
- The prettiest villages that eat well in Emilia-RomagnaEmilia-Romagnaeats wellprettiest villages6 towns · smallest 996 residents
- The best hidden towns with a serious restaurant in Emilia-RomagnaEmilia-Romagnaserious restauranthidden7 towns · smallest 996 residents
- The best hill towns within 75 minutes of ParmaNear Parmahill townwithin 75 min7 towns · smallest 2,017 residents · closest 45 min away
- The best towns inside a nature park that eat well in Emilia-RomagnaEmilia-Romagnainside a parkeats well7 towns · smallest 2,428 residents
- The best towns known for what they grow within 75 minutes of ParmaNear Parmawithin 75 minproduce zone7 towns · smallest 1,700 residents · closest 40 min away
Featured on
Castelvetro di Modena appears on this themed pick from our Collections:
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Towns like Castelvetro di Modena
What all six share with Castelvetro di Modena: inland, away from the coast · over 10,000 people · near sea level
Our guide
Our nearest guide, 61 km away
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