A guided tour of the Abbey of Nontantola

Nonantola Abbey was a place of capital importance in the Middle Ages. Here, in fact, the monks hosted some of the most prestigious personalities of that time, such as Matilde di Canossa. Today the abbey is a treasure trove of works of art to be visited under the guidance of someone who knows how to illustrate all the many aspects. The facade of the church has been rebuilt several times: first in the fifteenth century, by Borso d'Este, and then in the Baroque period. Today the style exhibited is the Romanesque one. Inside there are three naves and many sacred objects of great interest, such as the baptismal font which recovers a Roman fountain. Remarkable are also the remaining frescoes. The most famous part of the church, however, is the crypt, where there are 64 columns with capitals different from each other. The most famous is the Lombard capital of Nonantola. Attached to the Abbey is the museum, which also houses some paintings of churches affected by the 2012 earthquake. Nonantola was one of the few places not to suffer serious damage as a result of the earthquake.