The Basilica of Santa Maria dei Servi characterises the central part of Strada Maggiore, with the open space in front of the parvis bordered by an airy portico with marble columns on all four sides. Built at the end of the 14th century with a three-nave floor plan, this basilica houses numerous works of art, including Cimabue’s splendid Madonna Enthroned, a large painting in tempera and gold on wood, as well as works by Vitale da Bologna, Lippo di Dalmasio, Angelo di Michele (the Montorsoli) with his beautiful marble altarpiece on the high altar and other works of the Bolognese school between the 16th and 18th centuries. Completing the building is the 52-metre high bell tower.
Musical activity brings the Basilica to life, with a calendar of concerts that is renewed every year (musicaiservi.it) and for which the Tamburini pipe organ on the left wall is often involved.
Along the outside portico of Strada Maggiore that flanks the Basilica, every year, from mid-November to the end of December, the Antica Fiera di Santa Lucia is held, an ancient market that over time has been transformed into a Christmas market with roots in a history that goes back more than four centuries.