Pieve di San Donato in Polenta, Romanesque church in Polenta, Italy.
Pieve di San Donato in Polenta is a Romanesque parish church set in the countryside near Bertinoro, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The building follows a three-nave basilica plan, with round arches resting on brick columns topped by carved stone capitals.
The church is first mentioned in a document from 911, placing its origins in the early medieval period. Over the following centuries it was modified several times, though its Romanesque core survived those changes.
The church takes its name from the hamlet of Polenta, once the seat of the Da Polenta family, who ruled this part of Romagna during the medieval period. Visitors today find a plain interior where light filters through narrow windows and the space feels close to the land outside.
The church sits in a rural area outside Bertinoro and is most easily reached by car, as public transport options in the area are limited. Once there, you can walk around the outside of the building freely and take in the open views over the surrounding hills.
Inside the church stands a marble altar dating from the 7th century, making it several centuries older than the Romanesque walls around it. It was restored in 1960 and is still used as an altar today.
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