This vignette, combined with photographs, shows how the variable nature of the piazza’s activity and weather changes the sensorial experience of the centro storico, and also demonstrates the need for guides to be adaptable. In an interview, guide Loredana shared how she has ‘uno schema di base’[4] that she adapts for each tour, based on circumstances, participant interest and her judgement.

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The ‘sociability of walking’ allowed me to build connections with walking tour participants, listening to their memories and perceptions of Modena (Lee & Ingold 2006). Through conversational interviews, it became evident that tour experiences engage with existing relationships with and conceptualisations of the historic centre. Seamon (2013) contends that place attachment is intertwined with aspects of one’s rootedness in place, the degree of personal and social involvement, and personal and group identities. When speaking with tour participants from Modena, Trieste, Naples and Iran, who are all current Modenese residents, factors such as jobs, previous cities and lifestyles all demonstrably influence their relationships and experiences with the centre. This is demonstrated by G, a Modenese resident since 1985, who gave the following explanation of her experiences of the centre:

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“Because I came from Trieste I don’t know much about the history of Modena, so I wanted to learn more about things you don’t hear every day. My children grew up here but I was always busy and didn’t have time to learn many things about Modena or the history and information about the city I was living in. Now I’m retired I have more time to learn these things, and go on tours like this.”

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Similarly, N and her husband, both from Naples, when asked if they find themselves in the centre often, said they usually go on Sundays as they both work full-time and on weekday afternoons there are ‘sempre delle cose da fare’[5]. When comparing Modena to her home city of Naples, N says Modena is “diversa…è più tranquilla...come…soft. Calma. Napoli è più caotica. Sono un po’ chiusi… i Modenesi…un po’ introversi”.[6] Similarly, A from Iran, said “I like Modena as a city but for living I’m not sure…as a foreigner it’s very difficult to socialise”. These quotes demonstrate the range of different connections to and perspectives of Modena, influenced by previous experiences both in and external to the city, but they also show the importance of sociality to place attachment. Additionally, through my observations, I noted that the tours provide a social space in which participants can share discovery experiences in the centro storico and learn about other participants.

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Beyond the social space of the tours, walking with intent to observe physical aspects of the centro storico and learn stories behind the materialities enabled participants, including me, to create new personal memories and discoveries. During the Tra Guerra e Resistenza tour, while standing outside my university in Largo Sant’Eufemia, I was surprised when guide Francesca explained the building’s previous use as a ‘direzione casa circondariale’[7], and a university ‘per il regime fascista’, ‘per la formazione della fascista perfetta’, where students ‘studiavano materie come l’eugenetica’[8]. This description of just some of the building’s historical layers made me realise how unaware I had been of its history.

 

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