First things first: Modena is pronounced with the stress on the first syllable. In the local dialect, it's Mod'na.

Hotel Canalgrande is just on the edge of the historic city center, within walking distance of all attractions (but 15-20 minutes on foot from the train station.) We stayed for 5 nights, using Modena as a base camp for day trips to Parma (fairly interesting) and Mantua (extremely interesting and beautiful.)

The hotel is in a historic building, and some of the walls retain lovely paintings. The garden is amazing! We spent two hours sipping drinks and watching birds flit from the flowers to the trees. Don't look for a canal, though--it is now buried. You can see a little of it running from the fountain to the restaurant.

Our room was of moderate size, reasonably quiet and quite comfortable, with a pleasant view. Internet service was excellent--fast and free. The staff was exceptionally courteous. All in all, we felt as though we were in a gracious lovely hotel from a bygone era, but with all the modern amenities.

Many of the other guests were testing-driving Ferrarris in nearby Maranello. Maranello is only about 15 km away, so we expected to see lots of information about it in the tourist office, but there was nothing. On the other hand, if you want Balsamic vinegar, this is the place where it originated...and it's different here... thicker and much less acidic. We loved it.

My husband and I stayed at Canalgrande for - fortunately- just one Night. The pictures on their HomePage are in our opinion very misleading. The hotel / our room and the halls were VERY worn down, and even smelled weird. Further more they forbid the use of the fridge for guest items.

The main thing that remains in my memory in a very short stay (1 night) is the jovial man who served my breakfast esp the eggs (most delicious freshly cooked eggs no kidding) and the capucinos. It really made the day to start off with such a service. Breakfast buffet was much better in terms of quality, taste and service than a hotel i stayed in the centre of rome. The room was fantastic (a suite), the steam bath is a big welcome. The hotel has an incredibly modern restaurant downstairs (in sharp contrast with the hotel design), as with one of the biggest passion of modena (the other being food from one of the most fertile region) dedicated to of course the big names in motorcars. Since it was getting chilly the temperature control is very handy and overall a very comfortable stay. It would have been great to stay longer in this hotel to discover modena. The hotel may not have the required grand entrance, it can look a little drabby compared to other bigger and newer hotel, but the room, its people and food is much more meaningful than a grand entrance and cold service.

We were somewhat disappointed with the hotel. It is a nice hotel. The public space is spectacular and the breakfast was good. The staff was friendly and helpful. Our room, however, was small, dark, and plain. It belonged in another hotel and was a sharp contrast to the public areas which are quite charming. It reminded me of some New York City hotels with beautiful common space and small, plain rooms.