Campogalliano

Discover Campogalliano

Campogalliano is a comune of roughly 8542 inhabitants situated in the Province of Modena, Emilia-Romagna, at about 43 metres above sea level on the southern edge of the Po Valley, immediately west of Modena, with which it borders, along the corridor where the A1 and A22 motorways converge. Covering approximately 35.19 square kilometres of flat agricultural land beside the river Secchia, the town is widely known across Italy as the “città della bilancia” — the city of the weighing scale — a reputation built on more than a century and a half of precision manufacturing and confirmed by the presence of a unique dedicated museum.

Campogalliano village in Emilia-Romagna draws together a surprisingly varied range of reasons to visit: a sixteenth-century urban core that grew around a now-vanished Este castle, a stretch of protected wetland along the Secchia that shelters migratory birds, and an internationally recognised collection of weighing instruments spanning some two thousand years of history. The town’s identity has been forged through successive layers of time — Celtic settlement, Roman administration, feudal lordship, wartime Resistance and twentieth-century industrial ambition — each of which has left a legible trace in the landscape or the civic memory.

Campogalliano village in Emilia-Romagna: origins, feudal rule and modern growth

Campogalliano traces its origins to the early Gaulish settlements along the Pianura Padana, passed under Roman control as part of the province of Gallia Cisalpina, and developed its first recognisable urban core in the sixteenth century under the Este lords — a trajectory that continued through feudal changes, wartime Resistance and twentieth-century industrial expansion centred on the production of weighing instruments.

The Galli Boi, a Celtic tribe that had settled near the river Secchia, gave the locality its name — an adaptation of “Campo dei Galli”. Roman annexation brought the territory into Gallia Cisalpina, and it remained a relatively minor settlement until around the sixteenth century, when the cadet branch of the Este family known as the Este di San Martino ordered the construction of a fortified residence, the “Castrum”. That structure has since completely disappeared; its site is now occupied by the park known as “Le Montagnole”, where the ground still suggests the outline of a defensive moat. Around the same period, the oratory of San Rocco was built near the castle — it survives today, though no longer consecrated — and the church of Sant’Orsola was raised over an earlier chapel dedicated to the same saint. The Este di San Martino administered Campogalliano from 1501 until the extinction of their line in 1752. In April 1753 the Ducal Chamber of Este transferred the territory by notarial deed to the marchesa Teresa Sfondrati, widow of the last Este prince Carlo Filiberto II, for a three-year term. The arrangement passed in 1756 to her daughter Anna Ricciarda, who had married Prince Alberico Barbiano di Belgiojoso the previous year; the contract was renewed again in 1758 and extended to the end of 1767, after which the territory reverted permanently to the Ducal Chamber.

During the Second World War, Campogalliano’s position as a communication route between partisan lines in the mountains and those in the plain gave it a significant role in the Resistance; the fallen are commemorated by a monument created by Ettore de Conciliis. In the 1980s the municipality expanded beyond the oratory of Sant’Orsola and, together with the neighbouring communes of Rubiera and Modena, completed the flood-control basins along the Secchia. In 1987 the Bugatti Automobili S.p.A. factory was built on land adjoining the Brennero motorway, a facility later closed and subsequently reopened for guided visits. The early 2000s brought further change with the construction of the high-speed railway line crossing the municipal territory. Running alongside these developments is a manufacturing tradition rooted in 1860, when Campogalliano began producing weighing scales — an activity that earned it lasting recognition as Italy’s “città della bilancia”.

Scales, Sanctuaries and Nature: the Main Sites of Campogalliano

Campogalliano offers visitors a specialist industrial museum devoted to weighing instruments, two churches, a resistance monument, a former Bugatti factory open to guided tours, and a natural reserve built around the Secchia river’s flood-control basins.

Museo della Bilancia

The Museo della Bilancia is the first museum in Italy dedicated entirely to the history of weighing and measurement, from Roman times to the present day. Its collection runs to more than six thousand objects gathered from across the world — scales, platform balances, steelyards — accompanied by a documentary archive of posters, catalogues, original prints and period photographs. The entrance is marked by a large “iconic wall” installation that introduces the visitor to the theme, after which the display moves through two millennia of measuring history. The museum reflects a tradition rooted in the town itself: Campogalliano has been producing scales since around 1860 and the cooperative COOP Bilanciai was established here in 1949.

Chiesa di Sant’Orsola

The parish church of Sant’Orsola, dedicated to the patron saint of Campogalliano, was built in the sixteenth century on the site of an earlier chapel. It remains the main place of worship in the village.

Oratorio di San Rocco

Also dating from around the sixteenth century, the oratory of San Rocco was constructed as part of the early settlement that grew up around the Este castle. It still stands, though it has been deconsecrated.

Monumento alla Resistenza

During the Second World War Campogalliano played a role in the partisan Resistance movement, lying along a communication route between the mountain and the plain networks. The monument commemorating those who fell in that conflict is the work of sculptor Ettore de Conciliis.

Stabilimento Bugatti Automobili

In 1987 a Bugatti Automobili factory was built on land adjacent to the Brennero motorway. The plant subsequently closed but has more recently been opened to the public as a guided-visit site.

Santuario della Beata Vergine della Sassola

The Santuario della Beata Vergine della Sassola is a religious site in the municipal territory. The sources record its name and location without further architectural or historical detail.

Laghi Curiel and the Secchia Flood-Plain Reserve

On the natural side, the Laghi Curiel form a protected area within the commune, while the wider riserva naturale della cassa di espansione del fiume Secchia — created in cooperation with the neighbouring municipalities of Rubiera and Modena during the 1980s — borders the Secchia river. Together they provide the principal green and wildlife space accessible from the village.

Flavours of Campogalliano and the Modena Area

Campogalliano sits within one of Italy’s most celebrated food provinces, where the Modena area produces two distinct protected vinegar traditions — Aceto Balsamico di Modena IGP and the more exclusive Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena DOP — alongside fruits such as the Ciliegia di Vignola IGP and the tart Amarene Brusche di Modena IGP. These are provincial and regional specialities rather than exclusive products of Campogalliano itself, yet they shape the table of every village in this corner of Emilia-Romagna.

Charcuterie from nearby Parma also reaches local tables, notably Coppa di Parma IGP, while lamb lovers may encounter Agnello del Centro Italia IGP. Among the PAT traditional preparations linked to the broader regional larder, liqueurs made from sloe berries (Bargnolino), anise-based spirits (Anicione, Anisetta), and macerated fruit distillates reflect the deep rural heritage of the Po Plain.

For wine, the territory falls within the orbit of several Modena-area denominations. The most characteristic are the sparkling reds of Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC, Lambrusco Grasparossa DOC and Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce DOC, all vinified just across the surrounding countryside. The broader Modena DOC also covers still and sparkling whites from local grapes.

Getting to Campogalliano and Planning Your Visit

Campogalliano is reached most easily by road from Modena — approximately 10 km to the east, about 15 minutes by car — with the A1 Milan–Naples motorway and the A22 Brennero–Modena motorway both crossing the municipal territory and providing swift connections from further afield. Bologna lies roughly 45 km away (approximately 35 minutes), while Parma is around 75 km to the northwest (approximately 50 minutes).

Spring and early autumn are the most comfortable seasons for a visit: temperatures on this stretch of the Po Plain are mild, the light is clear, and the Laghi Curiel nature reserve and the regional reserve of the Secchia river expansion basin reward a leisurely walk. Summer heat can be intense at 43 metres above sea level on the open plain, though the riverside greenery offers some relief. Visitors combining the Museo della Bilancia with an afternoon in Modena will find the proximity ideal for a half-day excursion from the city.

Those who wish to extend their stay into the wider province might head toward the Apennine foothills and the village of Fiumalbo, or cross into the Reggio Emilia plain to visit Bagnolo in Piano, both reachable within an hour. Campogalliano has no railway station of its own, so visitors arriving by train should alight at Modena and continue by local bus or taxi.

Departure	Distance	Time
Modena	approx. 10 km	approx. 15 min
Bologna	approx. 45 km	approx. 35 min
Parma	approx. 65 km	approx. 45 min
Reggio Emilia	approx. 25 km	approx. 25 min

These practical references help organise the journey clearly, while the village itself is best understood slowly and on foot once you arrive.