Italian artworks

The small Marche village of Pioraco is tucked away in a valley at the confluence of the Potenza and Scarsito rivers. The abundance of water characterizes the town, dotted with picturesque canals, ancient washhouses, and mill wheels. It was precisely by harnessing the water that the inhabitants of Pioraco began producing paper very early, as early as the mid-13th century. In the past, Pioraco paper was marked with a dragon watermark, a sort of logo and guarantee of quality. In the historic center, visitors can explore the interesting Paper and Watermark Museum, featuring a reconstruction of medieval paper mills, machines used to produce paper from rags. The same building also houses a beautiful fossil collection and a mushroom collection, a source of pride for local gastronomy. Other attractions in the town include the Church of S. Vittorino, built in the 18th century over the remains of a Roman temple; the 14th-century cloister of the Convent of S. Francesco, now the Town Hall; and the ancient Ponte Marmone, built by the Romans in the 1st century B.C. A short distance from the bridge is the Hermitage of Madonna della Grotta, a suggestive place of worship carved into the rock, where, according to legend, a travelling seller of votive statues stopped to rest and, upon waking, found his last Madonna unsold firmly installed in a natural niche, deciding to stay in Pioraco. In the surroundings of the village, there is also the Cave of S. Vittorino, where the bishop-saint of Camerino retired as a hermit. Before leaving Pioraco, romantics can take a photo on the Bridge of Kisses and stroll along the scenic Li Vurgacci trail, among bridges, small waterfalls, and strange rock "monsters" sculpted by artist Antonio Ciccarelli.

The basilica of Santa Cristina preserves the most ancient and spiritual soul of Bolsena, creating a contrast with the pleasantly carefree atmosphere of the village's lakefront and marina, crowded with small restaurants and bars. The Renaissance façade conceals a Romanesque interior and a much older foundation: the church was consecrated in 1077 by Pope Gregory VII, but its roots go back to even earlier times. In fact, it stands above the catacombs where, according to tradition, Saint Christina martyr was buried between the end of the 3rd and the beginning of the 4th century. For centuries, pilgrims travelling along the Via Francigena stopped here to pray in the Grotto of Santa Cristina, a portion of the ancient catacombs that was enlarged and converted into the basilica's crypt, with the saint's tomb. In 1263, it was here in the grotto that what the Church describes as the Eucharistic Miracle took place: drops of blood allegedly trickled from the consecrated host, testifying to the real presence of Christ's body and blood in the Eucharist and disproving the doubts nurtured by the officiating Bohemian priest. This is recalled by the fresco on the arch leading to the hypogeum, dating back to the 13th century: it is the oldest iconographic evidence of the miracle. Other important works of art adorning the basilica include a wooden Crucifix by the Umbro-Senese school from the 16th century, the 15th-century frescoes in the Rosary Chapel and its large tabernacle by Benedetto Buglioni (1493-97), and in the presbytery, a 15th-century polyptych attributed to the Sienese Sano di Pietro and Benvenuto di Giovanni.