Churches have always been the guardians of exceptional works of art. And it is often by looking up into the immensity of their domes that wonderful masterpieces and frescoes by great artists of the past are revealed. This is the ideal time to discover these expressions of human genius in the most beautiful churches of Parma, Piacenza and Reggio Emilia, and to get closer to the creative and spiritual soul of Visit Emilia, the land of the Slow Mix, where every holiday is unique and eclectic, combining culture, nature and food and wine.
PARMA
Correggio, Parmigianino, Pier Antonio Bernabei are some of the great artists who have left their mark on the domes of Parma, masterpieces to be admired in wonderment as you visit the city’s churches.
The city of Parma
is one of the most beautiful in the world.
The art of Correggio in the three domes of Parma
Antonio Allegri, known as Correggio, worked in Parma on three frescoes that are undisputed masterpieces in the history of art: the Camera di San Paolo (1519), the dome of San Giovanni Evangelista (1520-1524) and the dome of the Cathedral (1524-1530) “…the most beautiful of all that were painted before and after…” as Mengs pointed out in the 18th century.
The Chamber of San Paolo is part of the flat of Abbess Giovanna da Piacenza. The ceiling, with an umbrella vault, was frescoed by Correggio in a very new and original style that presupposes knowledge of Mantegna’s work in Mantua.
In the dome of the Basilica of San Giovanni Evangelista in Parma, he painted a beautiful fresco showing Christ surrounded by the apostles. The elderly John, the protagonist of the vision, at the base, testifies to the painter’s skill in handling foreshortened figures, here well exemplified in the cloud architecture.
The Duomo di Parma is one of the city’s most important symbols. Inside, Correggio depicts the Assumption of the Virgin into heaven in a new language for the time, made up of perspectives and views that mark the transit between earth and sky in a vortex populated by clouds and light. Composition and movement come together in a masterpiece of visual illusionism. The artist organises the painted space around a never-before-seen spiral of bodies in flight, which seems to cancel out the architecture to emphasise the characters, who, balanced, are released into the air. In the centre is Christ descending from the light with a plastic pose that was very innovative for the period. Not to be missed, near the Duomo, is the iconic Baptistery of Parma, listed by Unesco as one of the world’s most valuable astronomical sites.
Duomo di Parma, photo by Meridiana Immagini – credit Visit Emilia
Parmigianino’s fresco in the basilica of Santa Maria della Steccata in Parma
Three wise virgins and three foolish virgins is the great fresco by Parmigianino, dating back to 1531-1539 and preserved in the vault of the presbytery of the basilica di Santa Maria della Steccata in Parma. The artist, who had worked for some years in Bologna, returned to his hometown to decorate the main apse of the new basilica, built in 1521 by Bernardino Zaccagni and his son Giovanni Francesco, with the contribution of Antonio da Sangallo il Giovane in the design of the dome. The basilica, whose central Greek-cross plan was inspired by Bramante, is a beautiful example of a Renaissance church and is located in Parma’s central Via Garibaldi. The name comes from the wooden fence that protected the painting of the nursing Madonna, now placed above the high altar, much venerated by the faithful in the oratory that stood here before the church was built. The luminous dome was decorated by Bernardino Gatti, who painted the Assumption of Mary among a multitude of saints and patriarchs, as Christ descends towards her. Parmigianino’s masterpiece on the large archway above the high altar stands out. On the right he has depicted the “Wise virgins” with the lamp lit and on the left the “Foolish virgins” with the lamp unlit. In the basin of the apse behind the high altar, the fresco of the Coronation of the Virgin was painted between 1541 and 1547 by Michelangelo Anselmi on cartoons by Giulio Romano.
It is among the largest in Italy, the dome of the Church of Santa Maria del Quartiere in Parma
A large dome frescoed by Pier Antonio Bernabei with his brother Alessandro and Giovanni Maria Conti della Camera between 1626 and 1629 dominates the Church of Santa Maria del Quartiere, in the heart of Parma’s Oltretorrente. The church, with a hexagonal plan and supported by arches and pillars, was so called because it was built near the quarter of a military garrison. The splendid dome is one of the largest in Italy, and its decoration, which recalls Correggio with its multitude of figures and massed clouds, depicts Paradise with the Trinity, the Virgin Mary, the apostles, prophets and saints.
After restoring the spirit, the ideal thing to do is to restore the palate with a choice of delicious typical dishes from the tradition of Parma, a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. You’ll be spoilt for choice. In particular, it is worth trying the different types of traditional fresh pasta such as tortelli or anolini in broth, round in shape and filled with meat stew, seasoned with Parmigiano Reggiano and accompanied by platters of cured meats, including Prosciutto di Parma, Culatello di Zibello, Salame di Felino and others.
PIACENZA
In Piacenza there is Guercino, but also Malosso, Pordenone and Bibbiena, and with them other important artists of the 16th and 17th centuries, who painted the city’s most extraordinary domes; Tortelli con la coda, typical fresh pasta from Piacenza, filled with ricotta, spinach or herbs and cheese in the shape of a plait, whose origin is even older than many of the masterpieces to be discovered in churches. The recipe, in fact, dates back to 1351, when the cooks of the Vigolzone castle created the stuffed pasta dumplings in honour of a very illustrious guest: Francesco Petrarca. Don’t miss the Salumi Piacentini DOP and the renowned Colli Piacentini DOC wines.
Guercino’s work in the cupola of Piacenza Cathedral
The great octagonal dome frescoed by Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, 1591 – 1666) and Morazzone (Pier Francesco Mazzucchelli, 1573 – 1626) in the Cathedral of Piacenza captivates the eye. Here the figures of the prophets are outlined, suspended in the clouds carrying scrolls and with their faces turned upwards, towards the divinity. They are David, Isaiah, Haggai, Hosea, Zechariah, Ezekiel, Micah and Jeremiah, each enclosed in his own sail. The work was originally commissioned in 1625 from Morazzone, but the Lombard artist died after finishing the sails of David and Isaiah. The following year the work was entrusted to Guercino, who between 1626 and 1627 painted the other six canopies and also the lunettes, in which four episodes from the infancy of Jesus can be seen – the annunciation to the shepherds, the adoration of the shepherds, the presentation in the temple and the flight into Egypt – and four representations of sibyls, in ideal dialogue with the prophets for their similar task of predicting the future.
The artist died in 1625, but the Lombard artist died after completing the David and Isaiah canopies.
Cathedral of Piacenza, photo by Public Relations – credit Visit Emilia
The frescoed dome of the Church of San Francesco in Piacenza
In Piazza Cavalli in Piacenza, the Church of San Francesco stands out. Built between 1278 and 1363 by the Ghibelline Umbertino Landi, it is in Lombard Gothic style with a brick façade. The façade has two buttresses, a rose window, spire and spires, as well as a 15th-century central portal (the side ones later), and powerful rampant arches on the sides. On the right side is the cloister, of which only a portico remains. The interior of the church contains tombs of famous people, paintings, sculptures and the remains of 14th and 15th century frescoes. Of particular note is the sculpture in the portal lunette depicting the Stigmata of St Francis (around 1480). The dome of the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception, with its grandiose altarpiece, was frescoed by Giovanni Battista Trotti, known as “Il Malosso” (1597), for which the Franciscans commissioned an original and curious iconography. Here the artist depicts the Assumption of the Virgin into Heaven.
credit Visit Emilia
The complex cycle of paintings in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Campagna in Piacenza
The interior of the Basilica di Santa Maria in Campagna is also stunning, embellished by the complex pictorial cycle of the dome realised by Antonio Sacchi known as “Il Pordenone”. He is responsible for the depiction of St Augustine on the entrance wall and the works in the chapel of the Three Kings, entirely frescoed by the artist, as well as the subsequent chapel of St Catherine. The beautiful dome, whose frescoes were painted by Pordenone and Bernardino Gatti known as Soiaro between 1530 and 1543, stands in the middle of the Greek cross and dominates the entire structure. The lantern depicts God the Father supported by a glory of angels from which descend characters and stories of Christianity. Just below it are the eight segments and ribs of the dome, filled with prophets and sibyls, putti, characters from the Old Testament and various symbols. Immediately afterwards, there is a frieze depicting the heroes and gods of classical antiquity, followed by the apostles as the supporting pillars of the structure, and finally the drum illustrating scenes from the life of Mary.
credit Visit Emilia
The dome of the Church of San Cristoforo in Piacenza, frescoed by Bibbiena
A masterpiece of Baroque art, the Church of San Cristoforo in Piacenza is astonished by its dome, frescoed by Ferdinando Galli Bibbiena (1657-1743). The artist transferred perspective, the heritage of mathematical and philosophical speculation, into the field of quadrature, drawing fake columns in the dome to support it, giving the impression of larger spaces than they actually are, a characteristic feature of the local Baroque. Considered a marvel of quadraturism and illusionistic painting, the dome has an umbrella-shaped roof with an upper lantern with pilasters and rectangular openings. The decoration brings out a very particular effect of grandeur and scenic artifice, giving a celebratory and theatrical vision of great effect. Today the building also houses the Small Museum of Poetry, the first of its kind in Europe.
REGGIO EMILIA
Guercino is one of the great artists whose masterpieces can also be admired in Reggio Emilia, where other masters of art have created marvellous works in the city’s churches, including: Lionello Spada, Camillo Procaccini and Sisto Badalocchio
Lionello Spada’s dome in the Temple of the Blessed Virgin of the Ghiara in Reggio Emilia
One of the most artistic Marian shrines in Italy, a monument of faith erected following a prodigious miracle, the Temple of the Blessed Virgin of the Ghiara in Reggio Emilia boasts majestic decorations created by a group of artists from Emilia in the first half of the 17th century. The project by Ferrara architect Alessandro Balbo was then carried out by the Reggio Emilia architect Francesco Pacchioni, assisted in the construction of the dome by Cosimo Pugliani. Frescoed in 1614 by Lionello Spada, a pupil of Carracci, who was inspired by the scriptures of the Old Testament and showed great qualities of perspective, especially in the creation of the angels, the decorative cycle of frescoes that adorns the vaults, the cupolas, the dome and the apse; The cycle of frescoes adorning the vaults, the small domes, the dome and the apse in rich gilded frames, decorations and stuccoes, amplifies and comments on the image of the Blessed Virgin of the Ghiara, presented by the motto “Quem genuit adoravit” as in a sacred representation. The exaltation of Mary summarises the mystery of the covenant between God and his people.
Guercino’s masterpiece is the Crucifixion of Christ, with the Madonna and Saints Mary Magdalene, St John and St Prospero at her feet. To personalise the visit, the application “Arte e biblica nella Basilica della Ghiara” is available, which dialogues with the QR codes inside the basilica, providing historical, artistic and theological information on the work.
Crucifix by Guercino, credit Visit Emilia
The Last Judgement in the Basilica of San Prospero in Reggio Emilia
To admire “The Last Judgement” by Camillo Procaccini (1558ca –1629) you have to go through the door of the Basilica di San Prospero in Reggio Emilia and look at the pictorial cycle of the presbytery and the apse. In the church dedicated to the patron saint of the city (whose remains are preserved) and located in the heart of the historic centre, the Bolognese artist skilfully depicts the day of the supreme judgement of Christ, placed at the highest point of the apse basin, who resolutely, but full of human compassion, invites souls to ascend, surrounded by angels and saints from heaven. There are also the apostles Andrew and Peter and then the evangelists, the patron saints of the city and other figures, arranged in a precise hierarchy. Then there are the resurrected, emerging from the tombs facing heaven. The atmosphere changes with the representation of the damned sinking into the flames of hell, amidst blinding flashes, backlighting, vapours and the large figure of the devil. Other scenes characterise the work, such as the representation of the dead Christ in the sepulchre and then in the vault of the presbytery the creation of Eve and the Apocalypse. The cycle of frescoes in the apse vault is completed by two biblical stories: the fall of Jetzabel and the resurrection of the widow’s son in Naim. The work marks the end of Mannerism in Reggio Emilia and the arrival of the innovations of Caracci painting.
credit Visit Emilia
In the Piccola Ghiara of Reggio Emilia, the dome inspired by Correggio
Called the “Piccola Ghiara”, theChurch of San Giovannino in Reggio Emilia houses prestigious works of art and a splendid dome created by Sisto Badalocchio, which was inspired by the Ascension painted by Correggio in the Abbey of San Giovanni Evangelista in Parma. The current structure dates back to the 16th century, although the first records of the church date back to the 12th century. In the early 17th century several artists, who later enriched the Basilica della Ghiara in Reggio Emilia with their works, frescoed the Church of San Giovannino making it precious. The dome has four large windows and terracotta statues. The frescoes, painted in 1613, depict swirling figures and clouds looking upwards towards the “Return of Christ”. The vault of the nave features frescoes by Lorenzo Franchi, depicting St John writing the Apocalypse, enclosed in bold illusionistic perspectives by Tommaso Sandrini of Brescia.
Your tour of the city of Reggio Emilia cannot end without tasting the typical Erbazzone, a savoury pie filled with spinach, onion, garlic, breadcrumbs and plenty of Parmigiano Reggiano, the Tortelli Verdi filled with spinach and green chard and served with cheese and ricotta, and the Gnocco fritto, served with salami and cheese. And don’t forget to try the dishes with the prized Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Reggio Emilia
credit Visit Emilia
Main image: Temple of the Blessed Virgin of the Ghiara – credit Visit Emilia
0 Comment