Basilica di San Petronio
ChurchBolognaAbout 40 minutes
Enormous, and famously unfinished — the marble facing stops halfway up the front and simply becomes brick. Inside is a meridian line laid into the floor in 1655, still accurate, with a hole in the roof that puts a disc of sun on it at noon. Free, and a much stranger building than it first appears.
gothicfreeunusual
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Where to stay in ItalyTwenty-two areas, who each suits, and how many to fit in.Best time to visitMonth by month — heat, crowds, prices and what closes.Knowing the formCoffee, churches, tipping and the small courtesies.Trip ideasReady-made routes you can hand straight to the planner.
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