Sights in Emilia Romagna & San Marino
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Basilica di San Vitale
The Basilica di San Vitale was consecrated in 547 by Archbishop Massimiano. In contrast to the sombre exterior, its interior is awash with colour as the rich greens, golds and blues of the mosaics are bathed in soft yellow sunlight. The mosaics on the side and end walls represent scenes from the Old Testament: to the left, Abraham prepares to sacrifice Isaac in the presence of three angels, while the one on the right portrays the death of Abel and the offering of Melchizedek. Inside the chancel, two magnificent mosaics depict the Byzantine emperor Justinian with San Massimiano and a particularly solemn and expressive Empress Theodora, who was his consort.
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Basilica di Sant’Apollinare in Classe
The brilliant star-spangled apse mosaic of the Basilica di Sant’Apollinare in Classe is a must-see. The basilica, 5km southeast of the city centre, was built in the 6th century on the burial site of Ravenna’s patron saint, who converted the city to Christianity in the 2nd century. To get there take bus 4 or 44 to Classe.
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Battistero degli Ariani
Behind the Basilica dello Spirito Santo, just off Via Diaz, is the Battistero degli Ariani, whose breath-taking dome mosaic depicts the baptism of Christ.
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Basilica di Santo Stefano
From Bologna's two leaning towers, head southeast along Via Santo Stefano for the Basilica di Santo Stefano, an atmospheric medieval religious complex. Originally there were seven churches – hence the basilica’s nickname Sette Chiese – but only four remain. Entry is via the 11th-century Chiesa del Crocefisso, which houses the bones of San Petronio and leads through to the Chiesa del Santo Sepolcro. This austere octagonal structure probably started life as a baptistry. Next door, the Cortile di Pilato is named after the central basin in which Pontius Pilate is said to have washed his hands after condemning Christ to death. In fact, it’s an 8th-century Lombard artefact. Bey…
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Pinacoteca Nazionale
The Pinacoteca Nazionale has a strong collection of works by Bolognese artists from the 14th century onwards, including a number of important canvases by the late-16th-century Carracci cousins Ludovico, Agostino and Annibale. Among the founding fathers of Italian baroque art, the Carraccis were deeply influenced by the Counter-Reformation sweeping through Italy in the latter half of the 16th century. Much of their work is religious and their imagery is often highly charged and emotional, designed to appeal to the piety of the viewing public. Works to look out for include Ludovico’s Madonna Bargellini, the Comunione di San Girolamo (Communion of St Jerome) by Agostino an…
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Cathedral
One of the finest Romanesque churches in Italy, Modena’s Unesco World Heritage–listed cathedral is a thrilling example of 12th-century architecture. Dedicated to the city’s patron saint, St Geminianus, it was consecrated in 1184, 85 years after construction had begun. The facade is dominated by a huge Gothic rose window, actually a 13th-century addition, under which stands the main portal; to the sides, a series of vivid bas-reliefs depict scenes from Genesis. These are the work of the 12th-century sculptor Wiligelmo, who actually autographed his work, as did the building’s architect, Lanfranco (signing off in the main apse). Among Wiligelmo’s many vigorous carvings, bot…
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La Rocca
The austere La Rocca, also known as the Guaita, or First Tower, is the oldest of the three defensive towers that overlook the city. Dating back to the 11th century, it was given a few licks and spits in the 19th and 20th centuries. The structure was chipped straight out of the stone surface without recourse to foundations, and promptly pressed into service as a guard tower and refuge post.
The entrance of the pentagonal structure displays the republic's baroque coat of arms, purloined from the Palazzo Publico. It also has a picture-book bell tower (as every fortress should) and, built a few years after the bell tower, a tower of penance - which always comes in handy when …
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Museo della Città
Rimini’s Museo della Città displays paintings upstairs, including a haunting Pietà by Giovanni Bellini and an altarpiece by Domenico Ghirlandaio. However, the museum’s centrepiece is the archaeological section on the ground floor. Spread over several rooms, with excellent bilingual (Italian-English) signage, are finds from two nearby Roman villas, including splendid mosaics, a rare and exquisite representation of fish rendered in coloured glass, and the world’s largest collection of Roman surgical instruments. You can walk through a life-size reconstruction of the surgeon’s offices, then visit the original excavation site across the street at the recently opened Domus…
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Basilica Santuario della Madonna di San Luca
About 3.5km southwest of the centre of Bologna, the hilltop Basilica Santuario della Madonna di San Luca houses a representation of the Virgin Mary, supposedly painted by St Luke and transported from the Middle East to Bologna in the 12th century. The 18th-century sanctuary is connected to the city walls by the world’s longest portico, held aloft by 666 arches, beginning at Piazza di Porta Saragozza. Take bus 20 from the city centre to Villa Spada, from where you can continue by minibus (buy the €3.40 return ticket on board) to the sanctuary. Alternatively, continue one more stop on bus 20 to the Meloncello arch and walk the remaining 2km under the arches.
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Basilica di San Vitale, Mausoleo di Galla Placidia & Museo Nazionale
The basilica was consecrated in 547 by Archbishop Massimiano. In contrast to the sombre exterior, its interior is awash with colour as the rich greens, golds and blues of the mosaics are bathed in soft yellow sunlight. The mosaics on the side and end walls represent scenes from the Old Testament: to the left, Abraham prepares to sacrifice Isaac in the presence of three angels, while the one on the right portrays the death of Abel and the offering of Melchizedek. Inside the chancel, two magnificent mosaics depict the Byzantine emperor Justinian with San Massimiano and a particularly solemn and expressive Empress Theodora, who was his consort.
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Basilica di San Petronio
Dominating the piazza’s southern flank, the Gothic Basilica di San Petronio ([tel]051 22 54 42; [hours]7.45am-12.30pm & 3.30-6pm) is Bologna’s greatest church. Dedicated to the city’s patron saint and measuring 132m by 66m by 47m, it’s the world’s fifth-largest basilica. Surprisingly, though, it was never finished. Originally it was intended to be larger than St Peter’s in Rome, but in 1561, some 169 years after building had started, Pope Pius IV blocked construction by commissioning a new university on the basilica’s eastern flank. As a result the facade was never completed and if you walk along Via dell’Archiginnasio you can see semiconstructed apses poking out oddly.…
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Teatro Anatomico
Housed in Palazzo dell’Archiginnasio, the fascinating 17th-century Teatro Anatomico is where public body dissections were held under the sinister gaze of an Inquisition priest, ready to intervene if proceedings became too spiritually compromising. Cedar-wood tiered seats surround a central marble-topped table while a sculptured Apollo looks down from the ceiling. The canopy above the lecturer’s chair is supported by two skinless figures carved into the wood. The theatre, and many of the building’s frescoes, was destroyed during WWII and subsequently rebuilt.
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Basilica di San Domenico
The Basilica di San Domenico was built in 1238 to house the remains of San Domenico, founder of the Dominican order, who died in 1221. His elaborate sarcophagus is in the Cappella di San Domenico, which was designed by Nicola Pisano and later added to by a host of artists. Michelangelo carved the angel on the right of the altar when he was only 19. Notice, too, the intricately executed wooden tableaux of the choir stalls. When Mozart spent a month at the city’s music academy, he occasionally played the church’s organ.
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Piazza del Duomo
From the outside, Parma’s Duomo, consecrated in 1106, is classic Lombard-Romanesque. Inside, the gilded pulpit and ornate lamp-holders all scream baroque bombast. But there are some genuine treasures here: up in the dome, Antonio Correggio’s Assunzione della Vergine (Assumption of the Virgin) is a kaleidoscopic swirl of cherubims and whirling angels, while down in the southern transept, Benedetto Antelami’s Deposizione (Descent from the Cross; 1178) relief is considered a masterpiece of its type.
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Palazzo Comunale
Forming the western flank of Piazza Maggiore, Palazzo Comunale (known also as Palazzo D’Accursio after its original resident, Francesco D’Accursio) has been home to Bologna city council since 1336. A salad of architectural styles, it owes much of its current look to makeovers in the 15th and 16th centuries. The statue of Pope Gregory XIII, the Bolognese prelate responsible for the Gregorian calendar, was placed above the main portal in 1580, while inside, Donato Bramante’s 16th-century staircase was designed to allow horse-drawn carriages to ride directly up to the 1st floor.
On the 2nd floor you’ll find the palazzo’s two art galleries: the Collezioni Comunali d’Art…
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Tempio Malatestiano
Rimini’s grandest monument is its cathedral, the Tempio Malatestiano. Dedicated to St Francis, it was transformed in the 15th century to house the tomb of Isotta degli Atti, the beloved mistress of Sigismondo Malatesta. Sigismondo, a member of the ruling Malatesta clan, was something of a rogue: Pope Pius II, himself no angel, burned Sigismondo’s effigy in Rome and condemned him to hell for an impressive litany of sins that included rape, murder, incest, adultery and severe oppression of the people.
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Palazzo Farnese
The vast Palazzo Farnese was started in 1558 but never fully completed. It now houses the Pinacoteca, an art gallery, and four minor museums of archaeology, carriages, Italian unification and, in the main one, the Museo Civico, the bizarre Etruscan Fegato di Piacenza, a sheep’s liver in bronze that was used for divining the future. Single entry to the archaeology museum costs €3, to the carriages and unification museums €2.50, and to the Pinacoteca and Museo Civico €5.
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Castello di Torrechiara
Just north of Langhirano, the majestic Castello di Torrechiara was closed due to earthquake damage at the time of research, but scheduled to reopen in 2010. One of many castles built or rebuilt by Pier Maria Rossi in the 15th century, it commands great views of the Apennines and has some exquisite frescoes in the Camera d’Oro (Golden Room). There’s also a smart restaurant-cum-B&B here, the Taverna del Castello, offering meals for around €30.
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Duomo
The outstanding feature of the pink-and-white 12th-century Duomo is its three-tiered marble facade, combining Romanesque and Gothic styles on the lower and upper tiers respectively. Much of the upper level is a graphic representation of the Final Judgment and heaven and hell (notice the four figures clambering out of their coffins). Astride a pair of handsome lions at the base squats an oddly secular duo, mouths agape at the effort of holding it all up.
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Battistero
Antelami was responsible for the octagonal pink-marble battistero on the south side of the piazza del duomo. Combining Romanesque and Gothic styles, it features some of Antelami’s best work, including a celebrated set of figures representing the months, seasons and signs of the zodiac. Work began on the baptistry in 1196 but wasn’t completed until 1307 thanks to several interruptions, most notably when the supply of pink Verona marble ran out.
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Palazzo Municipale
Linked to the castle by an elevated passageway, the 13th-century crenellated Palazzo Municipale was the Este family home until they moved next door to the castle in the late 15th century. Nowadays, it’s largely occupied by administrative offices but you can wander around its twin courtyards. The entrance is watched over by copper statues of Nicolò III and his less-wayward son Borso – they’re 20th-century copies but nonetheless imposing.
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Galleria Nazionale
Tthe Galleria Nazionale displays Parma’s main art collection. Alongside works by local artists Correggio and Parmigianino, you’ll find paintings by Fra Angelico, Canaletto and El Greco. Before you get to the gallery, though, you’ll pass through the Teatro Farnese, a copy of Andrea Palladio’s Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza. Constructed entirely out of wood, it was almost completely rebuilt after being bombed in WWII.
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Torre degli Asinelli
Towering above Piazza di Porta Ravegnana, one of Bologna’s two leaning towers, Le Due Torri, is an unmistakable landmark. The 97.6m-high Torre degli Asinelli is open to the public, although it’s not advisable for the weak-kneed (there are 498 steps) or superstitious students (local lore says if you climb the tower you’ll never graduate). Built by the Asinelli family between 1109 and 1119, today it leans 1.3m off vertical.
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Museo Morandi
On the 2nd floor of Palazzo Comunale you'll find the art gallery Museo Morandi which is dedicated to the trademark still lives of Bolognese artist Giorgio Morandi.
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Basilica di Sant’Apollinare Nuovo
Originally built by the Goths in the 6th century, the basilica claims some of Ravenna’s most beautiful mosaics. On the right (south) wall, 26 white-robed martyrs are depicted heading towards Christ with his apostles, while on the left, there’s an equally expressive procession of virgins, bearing offerings to the Madonna. Spread along both walls are smaller panels depicting scenes from the life of Christ.
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