Baptistery of Parma

Standing next to the cathedral, the Baptistery is one of the symbols of Parma. This eight-sided building combines the features of Romanism and early Gothic and shows the transition that took place in Italian architecture at the turn of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The building was built of pink marble, in which friezes depicting mythical beasts were carved. The interior is covered with frescoes from the 13th century.