Modena
Hotel Cervetta 5 is in the perfect location for a stay in Modena. The walk to the Piazza Grande is about 3 minutes and the walk to the gorgeous Albinelli Market is about 2 minutes. After a nice breakfast, we headed for the Duomo and the piazza Last time we visited, two years ago, the buildings were all under scaffolding because of the damage from the 2012 earthquake. They are shining bright in the morning sun now that the restoration is complete:
Our visit to the duomo was lovely. We came in on the end of mass in the lower chapel and could hear the chanting. My favorite part was this terra cotta nativity scene. 
I lit a candle, for us, this time. We are still so upset about the election and the potential damages.
Walking along the main street, via Emilia, you can see that Christmas is coming. The shops and the streets are decorated. We sat in the sun for a while watching the men of Modena talking in groups in the piazza. 
They were all still there a few hours later when we passed by again.
Next stop was the market. It is still my favorite in Italy because you can get everything there from produce to baked goods, meats and cheeses and even plants. Here are a few shots:
gorgonzola in a tub
Oh, I wish I had a kitchen!
For lunch we went to the Bar Schiavoni, inside the market. The panini are really fabulous–Ken had cottechino, the local sausage and I had ham with truffle cream. We met a nice young American couple with their 3 month old baby there and visited with them while we ate.
After a rest and a visit to the Vodafone store, we went for another walk to the Ducal Palace which is now a military academy. The large piazza in front of it was also damaged in the earthquake and was fenced off on our last visit. It has been totally modernized with interesting flat water features and these marble benches.
Dinner was at da Danilo, recommended by our hotel as being a totally typical Modenese restaurant. I ate tortellini in brodo (what else?), some delicious vegetables and veal with mushrooms. Ken had tagliatelli with boar sauce and roast pork with potatoes. We drank a red wine from the hills of Parma which worked well with both of our dishes. It was all homey and delicious. It seemed like the place was full of locals, but some may have been Italian tourists. We only heard one other table speaking English though.
We walked home taking in a few extra blocks. Stuffed again from the dinner.
Watching The Crown closed out the night.
Modena is a city we visited once for a long afternoon. We were on a Po River tour, and, I remember very little about it. This was our 4th or 5th city in about 3 days, which is why we dislike and do not usually do tours. Does it have two duomod? And a palazzo that once was on the water but now is inland or is that someplace else? I know you are in one of the fabulous food areas of Italy and your meals are mouthwateringky described.
I think since you will be there for part of December, you may as well spend the Christmas holiday there as well. It will keep you from being totally bummed out with the thought of the con man in the White House being inaugurated in Jan. Just a thought.