Top Choice

Duomo

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Parma, the Basilica Cathedra inside, view of the dome with the fresco of the Assumption of the Virgin executed by Correggio

Another daring Romanesque beauty? Well, yes and no. Consecrated in 1106, Parma has a classic Lombard-Romanesque facade, but inside, the gilded pulpit and ornate lamp-holders scream baroque. Take note: there are some genuine treasures here. Up in the dome, Antonio da Correggio's Assunzione della Vergine (Assumption of the Virgin) is a kaleidoscopic swirl of cherubs and whirling angels, while in the southern transept, Benedetto Antelami's Deposizione (Descent from the Cross; 1178) relief is considered a masterpiece of its type.

Book popular activities


Must-see attractions