Hotels near Basilica di Santo Stefano

The Basilica di Santo Stefano (Via Santo Stefano 24) is the most unusual church complex in Bologna and one of the strangest in Italy - a cluster of seven interconnected buildings spanning 1,500 years of construction, from a Lombardic Martyrium of the 5th century to a Romanesque cloister of the 12th century. The complex was designed to evoke the holy sites of Jerusalem: the round church of the Sante Trinita replicates the Church of the Holy Sepulchre; the adjacent Cortile di Pilato has an 8th-century basin said to be Pontius Pilate's washbowl.

Entry is free. The complex is open daily from 8 AM to 6 PM. Via Santo Stefano itself is one of the most beautiful streets in Bologna, lined with medieval towers and Gothic porticos and ending at the complex's simple Romanesque facade.

Pro Tip: Enter through the far-left door into the Rotonda di San Sepolcro and allow your eyes to adjust - the oldest section of the church is built around a pre-Christian Roman sanctuary and the layers of history are visible in the walls. The 12th-century Romanesque cloister at the back (accessed from inside the complex) is the quietest and most beautiful part, and almost always empty.