BATTISTERO

This baptistery is a splendid example of Italian Romanesque architecture, whose construction began in 1196. The octagonal mass of the baptistery is lightened by several levels of loggias. It is covered with blocks of white and pink Verona marble and its architect, Benedetto Antelami, is also the author of the rich sculptural program adorning the external faces and portals. Note the real or fantastic animals on the perimeter, inspired by medieval bestiaries. Facing the square, the portal of the Virgin with, in the tympanum, an Adoration of the Magi and an Announcement to Saint Joseph. Originally, all these bas-reliefs were painted; traces of color are still visible in places. The interior is harmoniously articulated, with a succession of niches and two levels of loggias carving the walls. The cycle of the months by Benedetto Antelami can be admired: each month of the year is represented by the corresponding agricultural work, with its zodiac sign. Antelami also sculpted the interior lunettes of the portals, which have retained some of their color. The shimmering frescoes that decorate the vault and the walls date back to the ^13th and ^14th centuries.

The Museo diocesano is located at the other end of Piazza del Duomo. Here you can see paleochristian mosaics discovered during excavations in the square, the original statues of Antelami that adorned the exterior of the baptistery, and the gilded copper angel that once perched at the top of the bell tower.