Carpi is a city in Emilia-Romagna. Carpi could be a nice stop in your trip from south to north of Italy on the Modena-Brennero motorway.
Understand
- 1 IAT Carpi, via Berengario, 2, ☏ 39 059 649255. M, F-Su 9.30-12.30, Tu-Th 9.30-12.30,16:00-19:00.
Get in
By plane
The nearest airports are in Bologna (BLQ IATA) and in Verona (VRN IATA).
By train
By bus
- 2 Autostazione, Piazzale Allende, 2.
By car
Exit for Carpi is located along the A22 Motorway Modena-Brennero.
Distances by car: about 1 hour from Bologna, about 20 minutes from Modena (Major City of Modena District)
Get around
Historical center better visited by feet (it is included in a traffic-free zone). Rest of city can be traveled by car. And - why not? - by bicycle!
See
- 1 Piazza Dei Martiri. The 3rd biggest square in Italy, about 300 mt long and 150 wide. It is flanked by a portico with 52 columns.
- 2 Palazzo dei Pio (Town hall). Initially the castle of the Pio family. There are two museums inside: the City Museum and Second World War Prisoners Museum.
- 3 Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta (Cathedral).
- 4 Santa Maria in Castello (Chiesa della Sagra). The parish church (Pieve) built in Romanesque style, façade (1514) designed by Peruzzi.
Do
Participate in the town marathon (first weekend in June) or in the national marathon (mid October)
Have a walk also during wintertime under the porches, arcades running along main center roads to cover your head from bad weather or hot sun.
Buy
Shopping in the city market (on Thursdays and Saturdays morning) or in the many shops (mostly textile wares).There are many shops around the square that specialize in selling particular goods, many of them clothing, but beware that much of it is pricy, as Carpi is known for its fashion.
Eat
Lot of good and interesting things!Filled-in pasta (tortellini, tortelloni) with different fillings (meat, pumpkin, cheese, herbs) and sauces (cream, butter and herbs, meat ragù).In winter, foggy weather deserves hot "polenta" (mais flour knead with water) to be eaten with roasted sausages, beans with tomato sauce, mushrooms in sauce.As dessert, you can taste the Zuppa Inglese (literally English Soup), a sort of pudding composed of vanilla pudding, chocolate pudding, soft biscuits (Savoiardi) and a bit of liquour.
Drink
Obviously Lambrusco! Three main denominations are available: Grasparossa, Sorbara, Salamino di S. Croce.
Sleep
In town there are 3-4 hotels (Touring, Duomo etc.) but you can find some bed & breakfast facilities on the countryside surrounding the town.
Go next
- Fossoli – 5 km West from Carpi, you can visit the remains of the concentration camp during Second World War.