Duomo

Ferrara


The outstanding feature of the pink-and-white 12th-century cathedral is its three-tiered marble facade combining Romanesque and Gothic styles on the lower and upper tiers respectively. Much of the upper level is a graphic representation of The Last Judgment, and heaven and hell (notice the four figures clambering out of their coffins). The cathedral's interiors will be closed for renovation through 2019; after reopening, work on the facade will continue for five years.

Astride a pair of handsome lions on either side of the main doorway squats an oddly secular duo, mouths agape at the effort of holding up the pillars.