BASILICA DI SANTO STEFANO

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 Piò and 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.