Palazzolo
This is home to some remarkable frescoes.
Oratory of the Ascension in Palazzolo
The faithful and other travellers have left traces of their passage here.
The Oratory of the Ascension in Palazzolo dates back to the 15th century. This architecturally simple structure began life as a roadside shrine, enclosed on three sides and open at the front.
The back wall depicts the Ascension of Jesus between Saints Secondo and Sebastian. The vault originally portrayed the four Evangelists, but only Saint Mark and Saint John remain visible today. Described by Pietro Zampetti as ‘one of the finest instances of 15th-century fresco painting in the Marche region’, these works have been ascribed to Lorenzo d’Alessandro, known as the Severinate, and date back to the 1480s.
The frescoes on the right wall depicting the Annunciation, the Virgin with Child and the Trinity are by another later artist. They have been attributed to the Master of Palazzolo, an anonymous painter probably of Umbrian origin who flourished in the Cesano and Metauro valleys in the early 16th century and was given the epithet ‘Master of Palazzolo’ for the frescoes he painted here in Pergola.
The site is owned by the municipality. Visits are by reservation only. Please contact the Museum of Gilt Bronzes (0721 734090) at least one day beforehand.