The most beautiful religious buildings Emilia-Romagna

It is not a single church but a group of four churches (originally seven) in which twelve Benedictine monks still reside today. First we enter the 11th century church of the Crucifix (Chiesa del Crocifisso). A staircase on the left leads to the Pietà d'Angelo Piòand gives access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (del San Sepolcro), from the same period and containing the tomb of Saint Petronius. Its dome was, until 1804, decorated with frescoes. This is no longer the case today, but the mystical atmosphere still reigns in this church. We then pass into the Courtyard of Pilate (Cortile di Pilato), a regular quadrilateral where the restored facade of the Church of the Holy Trinity is located to the east. In the centre is the "Pilate's basin", a stone basin where Pontius Pilate is said to have washed his hands after Christ's death sentence. This Lombard work is actually dated between 730 and 740. After the Church of the Trinity (della Trinità), a transverse church with five naves dating back to the 13th century, you reach the cloister. From there, you can reach the small museum where some of the paintings are exhibited. Finally, the Basilica of Saints Vitale and Agricola, overlooking the picturesque Piazza Santo Stefano, is the one that has best maintained the characteristics of the Lombard Romanesque style. It is also the oldest in the city. Chapels, crypts, cloisters are linked together in a unique composition, giving off an atmosphere of great serenity.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

Built in the 13th century by the Augustinians, the interior of this church was refurbished in the Renaissance style in the 15th century, with the addition of a portico on the left side. The building has many Renaissance paintings, especially in the Bentivoglio Chapel, which is decorated with frescoes by Lorenzo Costa. In the adjacent oratory of Santa Cecilia (access from Via Zamboni 15), frescoes by Amico Aspertini from the 16th century can also be admired.

It is very bright and decorated very carefully. And as a result, it was a church-based church that welcomed the just dead bodies of the Ducal family.

Of medieval origin, it was renovated in 1494 by Biagio Rossetti, the architect of the Estensi. The interior is rich in art of the th and th centuries.

Erected in the 9th century, the cathedral was restructured on several occasions, in the 13th century and during the following centuries. It presents a very heterogeneous style. The unfinished facade, partially covered with marble, is surmounted by a curious octagonal tower, with a niche containing a 15th-century gilded bronze Virgin and Child. Statues of Adam and Eve in the tympanum surmounting the central portal. Inside there are several funerary monuments by Benedetto and Prospero Spani and the Assunzione dei Santi de Guercino.

Organized around the churches and monasteries of Romanesque art. Among the three main pilgrimage routes that today as yesterday saw thousands of pilgrims every year to reach Rome, Jerusalem or Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle lies the via Francigena, which connected the Middle Ages to Rome in the Middle Ages. The proposed and signposted route leaves Fidenza to move towards Fornovo, then Bercerto and finally reach Le Pass (Tel 0524 83 377 - www.associazioneviafrancigena.com).

It is one of the most beautiful monuments of the Renaissance. The old Gothic church was transformed between 1447 and 1460 by Sigismondo Malatesta, who is buried there. To do this, he called on the greatest artists of his time: for the façade, the Florentine architect Leon Battista Alberti was inspired by ancient Roman architecture and the model of the triumphal arch. Inside, there is a remarkable fresco by Piero della Francesca depicting Sigismondo Malatesta praying in front of San Sigismondo. Behind the altar is a Crucifix made by Giotto in 1312.