Other sights in Emilia Romagna & San Marino
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
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.
reviewed
-
A
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.
reviewed
-
Rocca Sanvitale
Sitting in a stagnant moat, 19km northwest of Parma in the town of Fontanellato, the formidable Rocca Sanvitale is one of the region’s best-preserved castles. Built over an older fort by the Sanvitale family in the 16th century, it contains some superb frescoes by Parmigianino, the best of which adorn the Sala di Diana e Atteone.
reviewed
-
B
Tomba di Dante
Dante spent the last 19 years of his life in Ravenna, writing much of the Divine Comedy here, after Florence expelled him in 1302. As a perpetual act of penance, Florence still supplies the oil for the lamp that burns continually in his tomb.
reviewed
-
Castle of Canossa
The Castle of Canossa, built in 940 and then rebuilt in the 13th century, is where Matilda, countess of Canossa, reconciled the excommunicated Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV with Pope Gregory VII in 1077. Largely ruined, it has a small museum.
reviewed
-
Casa Barezzi
In Busseto, there are a couple of sights dedicated to the great composer, Giuseppe Verdi. Casa Barezzi is the home of the composer’s patron and site of Verdi’s first concert, it’s now a lovingly curated museum filled with Verdi memorabilia.
reviewed
-
C
Museo Civico Medievale
The Museo Civico Medievale is in the 15th-century Palazzo Ghilisardi-Fava. Of interest in the museum are the fine frescoes by Jacopo della Quercia and the collection of battle armour, bronze statues and medieval coffin slabs.
reviewed
-
Rocca Meli Lupi
Twenty-eight kilometres northwest of Parma is Soragna, site of the 14th-century Rocca Meli Lupi. A fine example of early baroque, it retains much of the furniture that the Meli Lupi family added in the 16th century.
reviewed
-
Rocca Viscontea
Dominating the beautifully preserved medieval centre of the hill-top borgo (village) Castell’Arquato is the crenellated Rocca Viscontea, a 14th-century castle built by Luchino Visconti.
reviewed
-
Castello Bardi
Castello Bardi, about 65km southwest of Parma, merits a mention. Soaring above the surrounding town, it dates from 898, although most of the present structure was built in the 15th century.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
Basilica di Sant’Antonino
The Basilica di Sant’Antonino was built in the 11th century on the site of an earlier church. Its peculiar octagonal tower is claimed to be the oldest of its type in Italy.
reviewed
-
Casa Natale di Giuseppe Verdi
The humble cottage where Giuseppe Verdi was born in 1813 is now a small museum. The Casa Natale di Giuseppe Verdi is in the hamlet of Roncole Verdi, 5km beyond Soragna.
reviewed
-
MAMbo
MAMbo is Bologna’s newest museum. Housed in a cavernous former municipal bakery, its permanent and rotating exhibits showcase the work of up-and-coming Italian artists.
reviewed
-
Teatro Verdi
In Busseto, there are a couple of sights dedicated to the great composer, Giuseppe Verdi. The most famous is the stately Teatro Verdi on the aptly named Piazza Verdi.
reviewed
-
Castello della Cesta
The 14th-century Castello della Cesta dominates the skyline, offering superb views towards Rimini and the coast. It houses a small museum of old weapons.
reviewed
-
Sant’Agata
Verdi’s villa, Sant’Agata, where he composed many of his major works, is in Sant’Agata di Villanova sull’Arda, 5km northwest of Busseto.
reviewed
-
Castle of Rossena
From Canossa you can see across to the castle of Rossena, which is well preserved but keeps short hours.
reviewed
-
Azienda Filatelica-Numismatica
Collectors can pick up San Marino stamps and coins at the Azienda Filatelica-Numismatica.
reviewed
-
D
Palazzo Pubblico
The neo-Gothic Palazzo Pubblico overlooks Piazza della Libertà.
reviewed
-
Rocca Sforzesca
Imola itself is a pleasant-enough town with a handsome medieval core and a robust red-brick castle – the 13th-century Rocca Sforzesca.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche
Faenza is best known for its high-grade ceramics. Production of this faience (tin-glazed earthenware) dates back to the Renaissance and is still a money-spinner for the town. Check out local styles at the vast, ivy-covered Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche.
reviewed
-
E
-
F
Mausoleo di Galla Placidia
The small Mausoleo di Galla Placidia was constructed for Galla Placidia, the half-sister of Emperor Honorius, who initiated construction of many of Ravenna’s grandest buildings. The mosaics here, more muted than those in the basilica, are the oldest in Ravenna.
reviewed
-
Palazzo San Francesco
Palazzo San Francesco has an eclectic collection of mainly 18th-century art and archaeological discoveries.
reviewed
-
G
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.
reviewed