Tourist Attractions & Monuments Emilia-Romagna

Carpi, a charming town in the province of Modena in Italy, has a tourist office to welcome visitors. THE I.A.T.

Via Zamboni is the university street of Bologna. There are several universities and the municipal theatre, a th century construction of Antonio Galli, "Il Bibiena". The beautiful interior was decorated by Busi and Samoggia. Later, at No. 33 of Via Zamboni, the central headquarters of the University of Bologna have been installed in Poggi palace since the th century. The interior features frescoes of Pellegrino Tibaldi and Niccolo dell'Abate. In front of the palace, the street is lined with lodging ads, to find rooms in the month or the week. Having become a kind of folklore, these ends of accrochés paper still bear witness to a real problem for students.

In the extension of Piazza Maggiore, this square is also called Piazza del Gigante (Giant's Square) because of the imposing statue of Neptune that adorns the fountain. Commissioned by a papal legate in honour of Pius IV, the bronze sculpture was made by the Flemish Jean de Boulogne (Giambologna) between 1563 and 1566. The Roman god of the seas grabs his trident and rests on a high base decorated with putti embracing dolphins and four sirens in suggestive poses. Today, Neptune has become one of the symbols of Bologna.

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.

In the heart of the medieval quarter, this long narrow street has become one of the symbols of Ferrara. In the past, most of the city's commercial activities took place here. Its name comes from the volte, the transverse arches that connected the merchants' houses on the south side of the street to the depots on the north side. According to another interpretation, the arches were used to reclaim living space in a densely populated neighbourhood. Some are now arranged in small terraces. This picturesque street deserves to be walked from end to end.

Terre di Castelli (Land of Castles) was born from the union of eight municipalities of the province of Modena: Castelnuovo Rangone, Castelvetro di Modena, Guiglia, Marano sul Panaro, Savignano sul Panaro, Spilamberto, Vignola, Zocca. The objective: to promote the historical, artistic and gastronomic richness of this territory. You can discover medieval architecture through its castles and ancient villages, the flavours of the famous balsamic, kilometres of cycle paths passing through the river parks of Panaro. The website is rich in information.

This church dedicated to the patron saint of the city is one of the most beautiful creations of Italian Gothic architecture. Its construction began in 1390 and was not completed until 1659. A challenge set by the Bolognese, it was to become the largest basilica in the world. Unable to tolerate the idea that there was a basilica in Bologna larger than St. Peter's Church in Rome, the Pope decided otherwise by offering a new wing to the University of Bologna, placed right next to the basilica: a roundabout way to block the extent of its construction! The façade remained unfinished; only the lower level has been clad in white Istrian stone and pink Verona marble. Central portal decorated with bas-reliefs by Jacopo della Quercia. Inside, one is fascinated by the vastness of the Gothic style space and by the meridian drawn on the floor in 1655. Every June 21 at 1:16 pm, it marks the Bolognese summer solstice when the sun's rays illuminate the sign of cancer. The twenty-two chapels belonging to the donor families of the time and decorated with paintings can also be admired. The fourth on the left is decorated with frescoes by Giovanni da Modena (1410-1415), with scenes from the life of Saint Petronius, an Adoration of the Magi, Paradise and Hell. Among the damned is the Prophet Muhammad, which led to the basilica being the target of terrorist attacks, fortunately foiled, in 2002 and 2006. Above the high altar is the oldest organ in Italy.

The green lung of the city is very popular with the inhabitants. With 26 hectares, it is the largest park in Bologna. Designed by the Piedmontese Sambuy, it was opened in 1879 and you can now walk among many trees such as cedars, pines, chestnuts, sycamores, cypresses, some English oaks, sequoias... Within the gardens there is even a small lake. A great place to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city, to go for a daily jog or to do activities with the kids

Inaugurated in 1931, the Albinelli food markets are the oldest in the city and among the most beautiful in Italy. In liberty style, in the centre of the halles stands a statue also dating from the beginning of the 20th century. A picturesque and colourful market not to be missed.

Erected in the 12th century, it is dedicated to Saint George, represented in the tympanum of the central portal. The façade is a harmonious synthesis of Romanesque and Gothic styles. On the right flank, the majestic marble bell tower rises, built between 1451 and 1596 according to a design by Leon Battista Alberti. Inside, the baroque style of the 18th century dominates. In the apse, a Last Judgement by Bastianino (a pupil of Michelangelo) who, out of revenge, is said to have sculpted the face of his fiancée among convicts, as she did not wish to marry him!

Built in 1564 by Ottavio Farnese, Duke of Parma and Piacenza, the palace is now the headquarters of the gendarmerie. The park, once the private property of the dukes, is the main green space for the inhabitants. Its large central avenue leads to a pond. Its current appearance is the result of major redevelopment work (until the 1960s, cars could cross it). In the middle of summer, people come here to take a breath of fresh air among the hundred-year-old trees.

Built between 1521 and 1539, the church is a small marvel of frescoes. The Parable of the Ten Virgins of the Parmigianino can be found in the arch of the presbytery. In the crypt are the tombs of the Farnese family and of some Bourbons, notably that of Marie-Louise of Austria's second husband, Adam-Albert de Neipperg, who ruled Parma for a few years. Small adjoining museum that preserves relics such as the shirt of King Louis XVI at the time of his execution.

Located on the ground floor of Palazzo Comunale, the Modena Tourist Office offers a very efficient service. It reserves for you guided visits to the Palazzo Ducale of Modena, to the wineries, to the acetaie, and proposes oenogastronomic itineraries. This is where you can book your visit to the Acetaia Comunale and purchase the Unesco combined ticket giving access to the Torre Ghirlandina, the Museo del Duomo and the Acetaia Comunale. In addition to this, you will find the city map, brochures in French and the cultural calendar

Built from the mid-13th century, this palace was the first residence of the Este family before the court was transferred to the castle in the 16th century. Access to the palace and its court is marked by the statues of Niccolo III on horseback (right) and Duke Borso d'Este on the throne (left). In the Ducal Court, nowadays the Municipal Piazzetta, you can see the Renaissance staircase of the 15th century. On its left is the former chapel, the Capella Ducale (now converted into a theatre), which in its time housed numerous choirs.

An ancient place of worship of the Arians, a heresy that claimed that the nature of Christ was not completely divine. Built under Theodoric in the 6th century, the building has an octagonal shape with absidioles. Like the other monuments, it has beautiful mosaics, including a Baptism of Christ in its dome. Arianism, a theological doctrine condemned at the first Council of Nicaea in 325 and qualified as heresy, continued to impose itself in the East and among the Germanic peoples until the 6th century.

In 1630, the region was infested with plague. The citizens of the city then implore the Virgin Mary to protect them from this devastating disease and promise him back to build a church on his behalf. The construction of the latter shows that the wish was fulfilled. By entering the left, we find the illustration of this imploration of the Virgin.

Set in a group of buildings built between the 11th and 15th centuries, the majestic town hall's lounges are worth a look for the frescoes and paintings that decorate them. Don't miss, in one of the rooms, the Secchia Rapita (the removed bucket), a testimony to the old antagonism between Modena and Bologna: wishing to bring the humiliation of the Bolognese to a climax, the soldiers of Modena succeeded in 1325 in entering the city and stealing a bucket, a sign that the Bolognese were not even capable of protecting the most humble object!

Since 1830, the museums of the city have been gathered in this palace. The Archaeological Museum contains Roman mosaics, medieval figurative pavements from the Duomo and other churches in Reggio, marbles, Etruscan material and a section on Prehistory, including a Neolithic Venus. The palace also houses a natural history museum, an ethnographic museum, a museum of the history of the city (which includes industrial architecture) and an art gallery exhibiting paintings by local painters (15th-20th centuries).

The collection of this museum is made up of the rich collection of puppets, puppets and stage sets by Giordano Ferrari, a renowned Parmesan puppeteer. Housed in the former Convent of St. Paul, it covers an area of 300 ^m2 and houses the largest collection of puppets in Italy (500 pieces from the late 18th to mid-20th centuries), from various origins, including Fagiolino, the Emilian equivalent of Guignol.