The most beautiful religious buildings Italy

Dedicated to Vigilio, the patron saint of Trento is the city's main religious building. Its construction was undertaken by Bishop Federico Vanga in 1212 and completed in the middle of the th century. On the north side richly decorated, the doorway of the Bishop draws his name from the bishops of the bishops who cross him during the years of the Council. Inside, in the Alberti Chapel of the South Nave, the Counter-Reformation Decrees were promulgated. The crypt is the last testimony of the ancient Christian church.

The left chapel is covered with frescoes by Lorenzo Lotto depicting scenes of the life of the Virgin (1525). 

The temple of Castor and Pollux (the Dioscuri) is said to date back to the early ^5th century BC, after the two brothers appeared to the Romans on the battlefield during the war against the Latins. Dedicated to these twin gods who protected the riders (sons of Jupiter and Leda, and Helen's brothers), he suffered multiple destruction. The last one spared only three Corinthian columns from the time of Augustus, which are still admired.

The Cathedral of Modena, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the most important examples of Lombard Romanesque art in Italy. Here are kept the relics of the patron saint of Modena, San Geminiano. The foundation stone was laid by the architect Lanfranco in 1099, but the building was not completed until 1323. Decorated with a large rose window, the facade is decorated with bas-reliefs with episodes from Genesis and prophets, executed by the Lombard Wiligelmo, one of the first representatives of Romanesque sculpture in Italy.The north portal (known as "de la Poissonnerie"), also richly sculpted, shows the cycle of months and - more unusual - an episode from the legend of King Arthur. Inside, take the time to admire the profusion of sculpted elements that decorate the 13th century rood screen and the capitals of the columns of the crypt, all decorated with different motifs (note the two-tailed mermaid!).

Adjacent to the Duomo, an interesting Museo del Duomo (Diocesan Museum) houses a fine collection of sacred objects and tombstones from the Romanesque period. It contains in particular the metopes (12th century), bas-reliefs that surmounted the cathedral's buttresses, with symbolic motifs

Next to it stands the Ghirlandina, a 13th century campanile 87 m high, symbol of the city. His name would come from the two garlands of small columns surrounding his arrow. According to another hypothesis, it was baptized by the Jews who came from Spain because of its resemblance to the Giralda of Seville.

Logoduro is home to some of the finest Romanesque buildings in Sardinia. These churches were built from the ^11th century onwards, when the region became one of the island's four giudicati (administrative divisions). As the maritime powers of Genoa and Pisa gradually put an end to Moorish incursions on the island and preserved Christianity, their political and commercial interests permeated Sardinia. Temporal power was soon followed by spiritual power, hence the Pisan and Tuscan influences in the architecture of religious buildings. The political interference of these two rival powers over the "judge kings" lasted until the ^14th century, slowly transforming into a protectorate, and finally domination.

This is a picturesque itinerary to discover the most beautiful Christian temples built in north-western Sardinia between the end of the ^11th and the beginning of the ^12th centuries. The tour, which starts at Sassariand continues through Sassari to Semestene, covers a distance of 150 kilometers and requires a full day's visit. Last but not least, this tour also allows you to discover a little-known and rather wild region. It can be combined with a visit to the nuragic site of Santu Antine and the domus de janas (necropolis) of Sant'Andrea Priu. Detailed descriptions of each church can be found on the following pages:

Basilica della Santissima Trinità di Saccargia

Chiesa di Santa Maria del Regno

Chiesa di San Nicola di Trullas

Chiesa di Nostra Signora di Cabbu Abbas

Monastero di San Pietro di Torres