The Baptistery was closed when we were there. I'm not sure whether it was because of renovations or just bad timing. In any case, we only saw it from the outside. Having said that, the outside is lovely and the very beautiful Cathedral is conveniently right next door and was open all day. The whole piazza is so beautiful - its not tone missed. The Baptistery has a classic octagon shape (like the one in Florence) and is very pretty with soft blush pink Veronese marble contrasting with white marble. It was built in the 1190s - it's quite incredible to stand in front of it and think of the manpower and hours of labour that must have gone into it. The outside was covered by some scaffolding when we were there in May which meant that our photos weren’t the best but then again, you can’t really complain when 800+ year old buildings need some upkeep from time to time. The decorated arches of the doorways and portals were not covered so you could see them clearly. The portal looking out towards the piazza was the most significant one and was the one where the Bishop traditionally made his solemn entrance (pilgrims used the other doorways). Above the bishop’s door is the Virgin Mary with baby Jesus. She is sitting about a row of waves that represent the water used in baptism to wash away sin. A series of small panels running around the baptistery walls caught my eye. You can see them easily because they are quite low down, only about 2m above the ground. We couldn't see them all but in total there are 75 and each one has a different image of a mythical creature, an animal or a human, including mermaids, centaurs, unicorns, basilisks, harpy, griffons, birds, a donkey. It wasn't clear why a mermaid or a unicorn would be on a church was but they were intriguing.

This octagonal baptistry in pale pink marble, is well worth the detour and the price ( ticket is to be purchased at the Diocesan museum right across the plaza). Built during the transition from Romanesque to early Gothic architecture, its interior includes 4 tiers of open loggias with architraved portals covered with frescoes.depicting biblical scenes. The somptuous cupola, umbrella like, is divided into 6 concentric horizontal bands: the 1st one is about Abraham; the 2nd one about John the Baptist; the 3rd one depicts Christ with the Virgin and prophets; the 4th and 5th ones, I forgot about... My favorite portal is that of the Redeemer flanked by two jambs showing the works of mercy and the 6 ages of man. But what I liked most were the reliefs depicting the months of the year and their zodiac signs !

We spent a lot of time here. So much to take in from a number of time periods. The baptistry was built between 1196 and 1216. The frescoes and friezes combine harmoniously and really bring the subjects to life. The cupola frescoes are from the 13th century It is mesmerizing to look up at them. You do have to purchase your ticket at the Diocesan museum across the piazza. During this visit we did not have time to see both, but the admission price was worth it just to see the Baptistry. Next time we will see both.