Museums in Italy

The first mentions of Rotella date back to the period before the year 1000. A place rich in history that holds a truly unique collection of numerous precious reliquaries. Prominent among them is St Fortunato, painted by Pietro Paolo de Aurificis (1509), a painter born in Valle Castellana but active in Ascoli in collaboration with the famous goldsmith Pietro Vannini. In addition, Monsignor Ariodante Ciccolini, a prelate who spent most of his life in Rome, donated over 400 well-preserved reliquaries to the local community in the beautiful church of Santa Viviana. A 17th-century statue of the Apostle Peter can also be admired in the museum.

The headquarters of the Museum of Sacred Art is the 14th-century parish church of Saints Peter and Paul, located on an elevation of great importance, both for its terracotta portal and its travertine rose window on the façade. Inside, there is a 15th-century fresco of remarkable dimensions depicting the Last Judgement, and the beautiful and precious reliquary of the Holy Cross, made of gilded silver, containing a Double Cross with precious gems and filigree, as well as a wooden sculpture of St. Peter from the second half of the 14th century. The crypt contains frescoes from the school of Carlo and Vittore Crivelli.

After the restoration of the frescoes by Masaccio, Masolino and Filippino Lippi, the Brancacci Chapel was turned into a museum: it is separated from the Carmine Church and allows visitors to enter through the cloister and the chapter house of the convent.

The Church of Santo Spirito in Florence, located in the square of the same name in the Oltrarno district, is recognisable by its peculiar, bare façade. Built between 1444 and 1488, it stands on the remains of a 13th century Augustinian convent destroyed by fire in 1471. It represents a clear break from the Gothic tradition in Florence, marking the beginning of a new conception of space.The project was entrusted to Filippo Brunelleschi, who, however, died two years after work began and modifications to his design became numerous. The dome was built by Salvi d'Andrea, while the bell tower is the work of Baccio d'Agnolo. Anyone who has visited the cathedral in Siena, the cathedral in Pisa or San Lorenzo in Florence will notice certain connections between them, demonstrating Brunelleschi's cultural capacity. Unfortunately, some of the solutions devised by the architect were later disregarded, limiting the innovative scope originally conceived, based on completely original perspectives. However, the church is still a magnificence and the works of art it contains are definitely worth seeing.The interior is intricately decorated with all kinds of artwork. In addition to the high altar (adorned with Giovanni Caccini's 17th-century canopy and openwork dome), there are no less than 38 side altars located in differently adorned chapels. In the right transept is the marble-clad De Rossi Chapel designed by Bernardo Buontalenti, containing a 14th-century wooden crucifix. The Nerli Chapel houses Filippino Lippi's Nerli Altarpiece, a Madonna and Child with Saints John, Martin and Catherine of Alexandria with a reproduction of the Florentine gate of San Frediano. On display in the sacristy is the wooden Crucifix carved by Michelangelo in 1492, when, at the age of 17, he was a guest in the convent of Santo Spirito, where he was able to dissect corpses from the convent hospital. By studying anatomy in depth, the artist was able to reproduce every detail of a human body, as evidenced by the crucifix.Everyone can benefit from the new visit route, which includes the cloister under the steps to the left of the church façade. Inside the Renaissance architecture, a small door leads to the Refectory where the Three Suppers of Christ by Bernardo Poccetti are frescoed. One can admire the beautiful Bell Tower by Baccio d'Agnolo and access the Chapter House, which is also used as the headquarters of the Confraternity. The tour concludes with the Vestibule and the Sacristy, where Michelangelo's Crucifix, a splendid three-dimensional realisation of the early work of the great Renaissance sculptor, can be admired up close.

The Museum of the Parish Church of St John the Baptist was created with the specific aim of preserving and exhibiting to the public a significant artistic heritage, which bears witness to the history and spirituality of the local community.

The museum, located in the former 16th-century monastery of St. Benedict, preserves architectural fragments and sculptures, partially reassembled, from the marble furnishings of the cathedral of Troy, bronzes, paintings from the 17th to 18th century and sculptural groups from the 18th century from various churches in the city.

The cathedral's rich treasury features numerous silver works, such as 17th century statues, 15th century candlesticks, a 17th century tabernacle and a 16th century crosier. Also on display are numerous gilded bronzes, sacred vestments, ivory objects dating from the 12th to the 18th century and several illuminated parchments, including the three liturgical rolls of the Exultet, dating from the 12th and 13th centuries.

The church of San Bevignate is located on the outskirts of Perugia, in Via E. Da Pozzo, opposite the monumental cemetery. Its construction, around the middle of the 13th century, was determined by a complex series of factors. This includes the flagellant movement of Raniero Fasani, which spread throughout Italy starting from Perugia in 1260, as well as the new ruling class who, having acquired political pre-eminence, felt the need to acquire their own place of worship and chose the mysterious Bevignate, who was never canonised and of whom there is no certain documentation. Also to be considered are a fair number of hermits who had established their lives in the area and the presence of the Templars, who needed a new church to replace that of St Justin of Arna. Following the pontiff's request, the Templars succeeded in obtaining the patronage of the building. After the destruction of the order in 1312, the church passed to the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, who were followed by the nuns of St John. Later, various confraternities took possession of it, until 1860, when it became state property and was entrusted to the Municipality of Perugia.The church has a simple exterior, inspired by Templar models in Palestine. Inside, with a single nave divided into two bays covered by a cross vault and a raised square apse introduced by a triumphal arch, it preserves 13th and 14th century frescoes of great historical and artistic value, such as the Procession of Flagellants, the Fight between Templars and Muslims and the Legend of St Bevignate. The latter bears graffiti engraved in the late 15th and 16th centuries by pilgrims, worshippers and Knights Templar.After extensive safety, consolidation and restoration work, the church was officially 'returned' to the city on 20 April 2009. In addition, a new public space has been set up inside to house a Documentation Centre on the history of the Templar Order.

In the area of the Mausoleum of Sant'Elena, known as ad duas lauros or inter duas lauros, within the imperial estate, necropolises sprang up from the late Republican age onwards, extending along the Via Labicana, today's Casilina. Between the 2nd and 3rd century AD, this area was occupied by the cemetery of the equites singulares, members of the imperial guard. During the time of Christian persecution, it was also chosen as a place for the graves of some martyrs, who were immediately subjected to veneration. Between 315 and 325 AD, Constantine built a circiform basilica within the fundus, a place near the imperial palace of the Sessorium, occupied by cemeteries of martyrs, the necropolis of the imperial guard, which he himself had disbanded because he had sided with Massenzio, was also demolished. The building was in honour of Santi Marcellino and Pietro, who perished during the Diocletian persecution, with the construction of the dynastic mausoleum of his mother Elena, the emperor began the monumental Christianisation of the Urbe.The building had a circular ground plan with a diameter of over 20 metres and was preceded, to the west, by a rectangular atrium originally connected to the narthex of the basilica, now only the foundations are preserved. The basement had circular and rectangular niches inside, originally decorated with marble incrustations, while the roof was formed by a mosaic comprising two concentric circles of Iberian oil amphorae. This is where the modern name Tor Pignattara comes from.The catacombs dedicated to Santi Marcellino e Pietro developed near the basilica, containing a rich collection of paintings, mostly dating back to the 4th century BC, which represent a veritable picture gallery of the period.The demolition of the building probably took place between the 11th and 12th century, coinciding with the removal of Sant'Elena's body and the conveyor of her porphyry sarcophagus to the Lateran. From then on, imperial property was transferred to the Church of Rome, confirming the transfer of power from the state to ecclesiastical authority. In the 17th century, the small church of Santi Marcellino and Pietro and its rectory were built inside the mausoleum, which was enlarged in the 18th century, when the main niche, where the sarcophagus of St Helena was located, was closed.By reading the testimonies within their contexts of origin, the exhibition succeeds in realising the musealisation of the area: the finds from the cemetery of the equites singulares and the catacomb below exemplify the progressive Christianisation of the suburbs. The monument has also been restored and is now open to the public, thanks to the collaboration with the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology, with an itinerary that includes the collection of artefacts found in the excavations.

Within the Appia Antica Archaeological Park is the Park of the Via Latina Tombs, one of the most important archaeological complexes on the outskirts of Rome. Its preservation has remained largely intact since the period of the ancient Roman campaign. Excavations in the area were conducted between 1857 and 1858 by Lorenzo Fortunati. On both sides of the road, there are several tomb memorials and documentary material dating from the Republican era to the early Middle Ages. On request, it is possible to visit the Barberini or Corneli Tomb (dating back to the 2nd century AD), the Valeri Tomb (built at the end of the 19th century), and the Pancrazi Tomb (dating back to the end of the 1st - beginning of the 2nd century AD, decorated with frescoes and stuccoes). Behind the latter stands a large villa, dating from the end of the 1st century AD, inhabited until the 5th century. In this area, Demetriades, a descendant of the Anicii family, erected a basilica dedicated to Santo Stefano Protomartire, who was considered a pilgrimage site until the 13th century. Part of the remains of this sacred building can still be admired today.