Sansepolcro and Monterchi

The thousand-year-old city of Sansepolcro offers visitors the chance to grasp the various historical, architectural and artistic aspects of this part of the territory located at the extreme edge of Tuscany, but bordering on Romagna, Marche and Umbria. The wealth in churches and historic buildings testifies to its importance, and traditions also play a significant part in the life of the town.

The half-day visit includes the Cathedral, the ancient Camaldolese Abbey, an interesting example of a religious building that preserves Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque architecture inside. Of great interest are the works that enrich it including Perugino’s Ascension and the splendid Holy Face, a very important wooden sculpture from the Carolingian period (8th-9th centuries). Continue with a visit to the historic Torre di Berta Square and Via XX Settembre lined with medieval tower houses. Optionally, you can visit the Church of St. Francis, a Gothic church that preserves an interesting marble altar from the 14th century as well as paintings from the Biturgense school, or the Church of St. Anthony Abbot, which houses Luca Signorelli’s “Stendardo della Crocifissione.”

*To this tour can be added the Museo Civico, which is currently hosting the Exhibition “In the Sign of Roberto Longhi – Piero della Francesca and Caravaggio.” The Exhibition takes place within the halls of the Civic Museum of Sansepolcro, where some of the most important works by Piero della Francesca, a 15th-century artist who was born and lived in Sansepolcro, known for his use of real perspective and who has been instrumental in the development of Art History from the 15th century to the present day, are preserved. The aforementioned works are the “Resurrection” considered his absolute masterpiece, the “Polyptych of Mercy,” the “Saint Julian” and the “Saint Louis of Toulouse.” To these are added, on the occasion of the Exhibition, Caravaggio’s “Boy Bitten by the Lizard,” an exalted example of seventeenth-century art, and the fifteenth-century “Portrait of a Young Man” by Ercole de’ Roberti to create a logical thread between Piero’s painting and his influences through his time and the following centuries thanks to the in-depth analysis of Roberto Longhi, one of the most eminent scholars of Piero della Francesca, and not only, of the twentieth century.

A tiny village on the border with Umbria, Monterchi has achieved notoriety thanks to the presence of the “Madonna del Parto,” another masterpiece by Piero della Francesca, housed in the local museum. Also included in the price of the Museum ticket is a visit to the Museum of Scales, which preserves stadia and scales of various sizes and formats: a real discovery for the visitor who will be taken by surprise in front of some rather unusual specimens. The visit can continue with a short walk through the historic center to the Fortress.