Cattedrale di San Pietro

Many people think Bologna's cathedral is San Petronio, but it's actually this one: the bishop's church, documented as early as the 10th century. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII, a Bolognese, elevated it to metropolitan status when the diocese became an archdiocese. Its current appearance is Baroque and dates back to the reconstruction begun in 1605, which almost completely erased the Romanesque church.

Inside the single great nave, in the apse, you'll find the Annunciation by Ludovico Carracci, painted in 1619, the last year of the great Bolognese painter's life. Among the other works are paintings by Prospero Fontana and Donato Creti, and in the right nave the Lamentation over the Dead Christ in terracotta by Alfonso Lombardi, modelled between 1522 and 1526.

The bell tower, 70 metres high, is Bologna's second tallest tower after the Asinelli. It was begun in 1184 and incorporates an older bell tower. In the bell chamber hangs the Nonna, a bell from 1594 weighing 33 quintals, the largest in the world rung in the Bolognese style, which means rotating it completely.

The cathedral also houses the Treasury, with sacred objects donated by bishops and Bolognese popes, which can be visited by appointment. Every year, during Ascension week, the Madonna di San Luca descends from the hill and stays here for a few days.