Culture by Bike

Parma: the Romanesque Sights

For an unusual and interesting itinerary, visit Parma with our tourist guides by bicycle, a tour designed to surround you with the marvels of our city and to spend the day in the open air.

On these cycling tours you will discover the most wonderful Romanesque sights.

From the year 1000 European cities blossomed for many different reasons, the end of the barbarian invasions, improvement of the climate, economic boom and the consequent increase of the commercial trade.

All of this brought a notable upheaval in innovation which also involved the arts.

The name given to art of the 11th century is called Romanesque and it is the result of a variety of scattered experiences throughout Europe, leading to diverse cultural, technical and formal characteristic.

In Italy the Romanesque period developed in the Lowland Padana, the Po valley, a route to and from France and Spain where this style was in its infancy.

The Romanesque treasures of Parma

• The Piazza del Duomo with its Cathedral, consecrated by Pope Pasquale II in 1106 and dedicated to The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built on the same site as the original Early Christian Cathedral. The façade is Tabernacle style, in sandstone, decorated with three rows of loggias, two horizontal and the third one which follows the roofline. The overall architectural effect is to create calm and to project a strong feeling of grace and elegance inside the Cathedral. In the wall of the right upper transept we see in Bas Relief the “Deposition” - taking Christ down from the Crucifix, by the sculptor and architect Benedict Antelami. Originally from Lombardy Antelami was influential in Parma between1178 and the first decades of 1200; he was one of the greatest exponents of Romanesque architecture and sculpture.
• The Baptistery, symbolises the passage from late Romanesque to Gothic, was begun in 1196 and completed at the end of the 13th century. Of octagonal form, the Baptistery is faced in the pink marble of Verona. Benedict  Antelami initiated the construction of it and sculpted the bas-reliefs of the three external doors and all the decoration of the lower parts of the building.
• The Pieve di San Pancrazio, The Parish Church of St. Pancrazio, first mentioned in 1002, it was founded on the route of the “Pilgrims’ Way”. Despite the eighteenth-century changes the original structure is to a large extent recognizable. Inside we discover huge Romanesque reliefs presented on pre-existing capitals and fragments of frescos that represent St. Pancrazio and the Madonna and Child.
• The Church of San Geminiano in Vicofertile, is a valuable witness to the artistic turmoil of the 12th century, this building has not been substantially altered since its construction. Inside the sculptural quality is notable, the capitals are carved and the 12th Century Baptismal font represents a liturgical pageant.
• La Chiesa di Santa Croce (the Church of the Holy Cross) in Parma, consecrated in 1222 was constructed by the master craftsmen responsible for the building of the Cathedral, but the original structure has largely been modified during the Renaissance and Baroque periods. From the outside the façade displays elements of the original Romanesque style and inside you will see a series of columns, their capitals decorated with representations of medieval bestiary.

For further information please contact:
E-mail: info@itineraemilia.it
Tel. +39 327 7469902

Or book this tour online now.