The Masters of the Tanaro

The peaceful countryside of the province of Cuneo hides one of Italy’s best-kept artistic secrets. The latter part of the 15^th century saw a ‘golden age’ for the creation of frescoes in local churches and chapels in this area, painted by local itinerant artists, who travelled from commission to commission, working for local nobility or the Church. The focus of this tour is a so-far unidentified artist that I have named ‘The Master of the Life of San Fiorenzo’, because of his cycle of frescoes in the church of San Fiorenzo in Bastia Mondovì, known as ‘The Sistine Chapel of the Langhe’. I am delighted to say that the Associazione Culturale San Fiorenzo in Bastia Mondovì has extended a particularly warm welcome to my art history tours, to allow us to study the frescoes of this important artist. His unmistakable style is also evident in the frescoes in the churches and chapels of Niella Tanaro, San Michele, and Castelletto Stura. But other local artists were active in this region as well.

There are no pretentions to courtly art here. This is simple ‘vernacular’ art for the faithful: either the local Piemontesi, or travellers following the trade route heading south to Mondovì, and on to Liguria. This artist’s frescoes are crammed with figures which are full of energy, that seem to leap from the plaster, and the effect is absolutely charming. They may not have the gravitas of the works of Mantegna or Ghirlandaio, but this is the true, authentic art of Piedmont, and you wont’t find anything like it in any other part of Italy. Whilst it was created when the Renaissance had already been in full-flow in Tuscany for some time, the style is still unashamedly Gothic, and purely Piemontese, sometimes evoking painting styles as far back as the High-Medieval art of the 13^th century.

If you take part in this tour, prepare to enter a whole new artistic world...

Group Size: minimum 2 people, maximum 8 people.
Itinerary: we travel in private chauffeured transport from Fossano to the tiny chapel of San Bernardo in Castelletto Stura. Having viewed the frescoes there, we move on another tiny place of worship, the church of La Madonna della Neve, close to San Michele Mondovì. En route to our next location, we stop for a coffee and a snack. The tour concludes with the beautiful church of San Fiorenzo in Bastia Mondovì. We then return to Fossano.
Meeting Point: Bar Haiti, Via Roma, 98 (very close to the Cathedral), Fossano (unless otherwise arranged).
Departure Time: around 9.30AM (unless otherwise arranged). Return time around 3.30PM
When is this tour available? This tour is available most weeks from March to October, from Tuesday to Sunday.
Tour price includes: private chauffeured transport, entry to all churches and chapels, personal presentations about the frescoes by Chris Dobson.

For more information or to make your booking, please get in touch via the Contact page.