Battistero, Baptistery in Piazza Prampolini, Reggio Emilia, Italy

The Battistero di San Giovanni Battista stands on Piazza Prampolini, built into the bishop's palace to the left of the cathedral. Its facade has two candelabra columns with pinnacles, a rose window, a small bell cell and a portal with smooth and twisted colonnettes; the lunette shows the baptism of Christ. The interior is an Egyptian cross, with an octagonal red breccia font of 1494 in the left arm.

According to Azzari, the baptistery was founded in 1039 under Bishop Sigifredo II. Between 1487 and 1492 Bishop Bonfrancesco Arlotti had it rebuilt in Renaissance forms and incorporated into the episcopal palace. A restoration in 1880 gave the facade its present appearance, and work between 1981 and 1989 uncovered the fifteenth-century parts hidden over the following centuries.

On the lower part of the left facade column two old linear measures are carved: the braccio reggiano (0.641 m) and the pertica (3.846 m), abolished with the decimal metric system in 1803. They served as the reference for commercial measuring, hence the Reggio dialect saying "San Švan al fà vèder l'ingàn" — Saint John shows the deceit.

The site sits centrally on Piazza Prampolini next to the Cathedral, making it easy to explore both buildings in one visit. Check with the diocese ahead of time for current opening hours and whether guided tours are available.

On the lower part of the left facade column, two old linear measures are carved: the braccio reggiano (0.641 m) and the pertica (3.846 m), abolished in 1803 with the metric system. They served as the reference for commercial measuring, hence the Reggio dialect saying "San Švan al fà vèder l'ingàn" — Saint John shows the deception.