Type:

Luoghi della cultura; Ente/Istituzione

Category:

Art museums; History museums

One of the most famous fresco cycle of the early Renaissance, painted by Masolino da Panicale: its scenes cover entirely the walls of the Baptistery annexed to the Collegiate Church of Castiglione Olona, that was also decorated by Masolino, assisted by Lorenzo di Pietro called il Vecchietta and by Paolo Schiavo. The religious complex was ordered by Cardinal Branda Castiglioni, who, at the beginning of the 15th century, made Castiglione Olona, following the famous definition of the Italian poet Gabriele D'Annunzio, "the Tuscan island in Lombardy". Masolino's refined frescoes, with their balance of landscapes and architectures, religious history and 15th century fashion, blended through the painter's peculiar luminous atmosphere, witness the transition between International Gothic and Renaissance, thus offering an extremely suggestive account of one of the most relevant periods of Italian art history. Guided tours and off-hour openings available.