There is no denying Modena’s place on the foodie’s list – with Bologna and Parma it forms the gastronomic holy trinity of Italy’s north. It also happens to be home to the current incarnation of ‘world’s best restaurant’ in Osteria Francescana – a restaurant where there is a 500+ waiting list to get on the waiting list. I kid you not, we waited…and made it to the waiting list! Quite the achievement. Realising we would never make it in to the restaurant (and thankful after seeing the menu and associated cost), we decided to book in for a meal at the osteria’s ‘little sister’ restaurant Franceschetta 58. And so our day trip to Modena took shape. A ride down the hill, a train from Centro to Centro, and there we were.

Modena is a far more manageable city on a bicycle – smaller and slower-paced than Bologna. We spent a very pleasant hour or so noodling about until it was time to eat. We sat down to the set lunch menu at a slummish 28 Euros a head, and it was superb. Highlights were Arky’s puny burger, Josephine’s salad and my roasted octopus.

As a digestive we took one last spin around Modena (some really extraordinary churches – need to come back and spend some more time, time next time) before going Centro to Centro and back up the hill, home, sated, happy.