DUOMO

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.