Even More Churches

[Regions of Italy] [Back to Our Favorite Churches]

Abbazia di San Vincenzo, Molise Widely considered to be the region's artistic gem, framed by a 13th-century "curtain" of arches, this abbey sits alone in an overgrown field outside the town of Castel San Vincenzo. It was founded in 702 by Benedictines monks and played host to Charlemagne. If you take the guided tour you will see the only complete fresco cycle painted by 8th-century Byzantine artists anywhere in Europe.

Chiesa di San Pietro, Portovenere, Liguria Sail along the coast to or from the Cinqueterre (which we highly recommend, by the way!) and you might suddenly think you'd fallen asleep and ended up at Tintagel or elsewhere off the cliffs of Cornwall, for when you round the headlands of La Spezia Bay you will be welcomed by this gray-flannel beauty. Pure 13th-century Genoese Gothic on the outside, it is reached by a long flight of stairs that would easily host the most colorful medieval pageant in the world. Children will adore this dramatic spot, as well as the castle that flanks it.

Sant'Orso, Aosta, Val d'Aosta We especially like two features of this stark Alpine fortress-church: the incredibly intricate carvings which grace the 40 pillars in the cloisters, and the fresco cycle in the garret. The carvings, executed by local and Lombard artists in 1133, tell the stories of the Bible. The frescoes, whose brilliant author is unknown to us, were painted in the 11th century and tell the stories of the Apostles.

Cappella Colleoni and Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, Bergamo, Lombardy Piazza Vecchia is considered one of the most picturesque squares in all Italy, so when you get finished ogling it and stroll beneath the archways at its far end you assume the thrills are over. Not so - these two beauties await you! Their façades are a striking display of Lombard-Renaissance techniques, combining many different colored marbles and intricate carvings. Inside, the breathtakingly ornate basilica is home to four exquisite inlaid wood panels designed at least in part by Lorenzo Lotto in the 1500s. Rather ironically, it might seem to a 20th-century visitor, the chapel was built to house the remains of Bartolomeo Colleoni, a renowned military leader.

Basilica Patriarcale, Aquileia, Friuli-Venezia Giulia Massive ancient stone columns await us in this spectacular basilica, which harbors artistic masterpieces dating back as far as 300 AD. But without a doubt the most exciting feature here is the floor, covered by a vast paleo-Christian mosaic. There is also a crypt decorated with poignantly faded Byzantine frescoes portraying countless ghost-like saints.

Abbazia di Pomposa, Pomposa, Emilia-Romagna Since the 6th century a masterful work of art has towered over the drab flat marshlands near the coast just north of Ravenna. Perhaps it is overshadowed by its world-renowned neighbor, but after you have driven ten miles down a boring straight-as-a-ruler and flat-as-a-gridle farm road seeing nothing but the odd milk cow, to suddenly spy an eight-tiered brick-red belltower is one of the great surprises Italy has to offer, in our opinion. Go inside and be inspired by the gently faded frescoes that cover every inch of the central nave and apse.

Duomo, Spoleto, Umbria This understated Romanesque lady displays her beauty with dignity. Since the 12th century she has gracefully presided over the main square of Southern Umbria's mysterious hill town. Inside, she holds the tomb of defrocked monk Fra Filippo Lippi. He and his son Filippino are portrayed in the lovely frescoes the father painted on the walls.

Santa Maria di Collemaggio, L'Aquila, Abbruzzo So many masterpieces are sheltered in this wonderful 13th-century cathedral! The Gothic rose window is one of the finest in Italy. The interior is surprisingly bare, being a massive nave divided by two rows of massive stone pillars beneath a wooden ceiling. Yet there are two Baroque altars and a set of 15th-century Venetian-style frescoes, and under foot is a checkerboard stone floor laid in the 14th century by artisans of Rome's Cosmatesque school.

Chiesa di San Martino, Randazzo, Sicily We love the clean lines on the façade of this church. Its black and white exterior is probably the most elegant example of this local style, created by using lava from Mount Etna as a structural element. The volcano looms overhead, emitting a lazy white plume by day and fiery red light shows by night. The molten rock it has spewn over the ages looks like the costliest silk on the flanks of San Martino's belltower.

Santissima Trinità, Codrongianos, Sassari Province, Sardinia This fascinating black-and-white monument stands alone on a vast plain backed by the rugged Sardinian mountains. It's not hard to imagine that it was built by Pisan artisans in 1116; masters of the same school that built the cathedral next to the leaning tower. Originally a Camaldolese monastery, it was eventually adopted as a symbol by the people of this enigmatic island. Still today it is visited seven times a year by a vast crowd of devoted pilgrims, who walk here from miles and miles away. It is a magical place: even the heavy-handed restorations performed in 1912 could not erase the potent spirituality that has resided in these rough stones for nine centuries.

Links to Our Virtual Tours:

The Cathedral of Orvieto

The Churches of Rome

[Regions of Italy] [Back to Our Favorite Churches]