It is the birthplace of Pope Giulio III and the famed Renaissance sculptor Andrea Contucci, known as Sansovino. The historical center develops from the Cassero, an ancient fortress from the fourteenth century, then along Corso Sangallo, flanked by the Renaissance Merchants Loggias attributed to Sansovino, the palace of Monte, today the seat of the Municipality, the Palazzo Pretorio with its tower, the Parish, and the church of Sant’Agostino, which guards a beautiful Assumption by Giorgio Vasari. The Sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Vertighe, a church that has been documented since the eleventh century, is located near the historical center. The Rassegna di Teatro Popolare “Il Giogo,” which takes place every year in Montagnano in July, is a must-see summer event.
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Palazzo di Monte (town hall)
The ground floor of Monte’s palace is formed of ashlar stone, while the second story is built in the Ionic order, with triangular and curving pediment windows. Two distinctive wells may be seen in the inner courtyard, which includes a loggia with three arches. The back half, which overlooks a wonderful roof garden, is later: it was designed by Nanni di Baccio Bigio and erected by Giovanni Maria Di Monte, Antonio’s grandson. Inside the palace, which was once lavishly furnished, there is a valuable 16th-century door carved by Fra’ Giovanni da Verona in the present Council Chamber (the latter is painted with frescoes of the coats of arms of the most famous Savine families) and, along the upper-floor corridors, a small gallery of portraits of Monte San Savino’s illustrious personages and members of Tuscany’s ruling families, the oldest nucleus of which dates back to.
The Cassero
The Cassero is the fortress (sec. XIV) of the country’s historic citadel, a strong factory with three plans, four turrets, and a mastio, already enclosed by a ditch, and now encircled by more recent construction. The Florentine lily can be found on the exterior, above the entrance gate.
It served as the seat of the Monte Pio for centuries before becoming a haven for beggars. Inside, thanks to 1970s restorations, there are diverse pieces of plastic art, a Museum of Popular Ceramics, exhibition spaces for shows, and a conference room that have been properly maintained and revalued.
Civic Tower
It houses the International University’s center, which was built by Perugini in the sixteenth century.
The Vertighe’s Sanctuary
Built in the half of the XV century, it guards a remarkable table of Margarito and Ristoro of Arezzo, Madonna with Child in throne, and four narratives of the Virgin.
S. Agostino and S. Giovanni Churches
The church of Sant’Agostino and the baptistery of San Giovanni are two more notable religious buildings in Monte San Savino that overlook Piazza Di Monte. The Augustinians built the church of Sant’Agostino in Gothic-Umbrian style in the 14th century, and it has undergone various renovations throughout the ages, including one by Sansovino, who added a Gothic choir loft to the church’s counter-façade in 1525. Inside, there are numerous works of art, including a beautiful stained glass window of the rose window by G. de Marcillat with the figure of St. Augustine, an Assumption of Vasari, signed, various paintings by Orazio Porta, including a Nativity and an Adoration of the Magi, and fifteenth-century frescoes by Giovanni d’Agnolo di Balduccio and P. Schiavo in the counter-façade and side walls. The tombstone of Sansovino, who was buried in this church, can be seen on the nave’s left wall.
Sansovino is also responsible for the cloister next to the cathedral, which was completed with great ability by the artist, who, although working on an atypical plan, managed to achieve an excellent harmony and serenity of architectural elements. Sansovino also designed the doorway of the Baptistery of San Giovanni, once the church of the Compagnia dei Neri: built in Doric style, the portal (and hence the entrance to the oratory) was initially positioned inside the cloister and was only changed around 1583. The late Mannerist paintings of local painters Orazio Porta and Ulisse Giocchi may be found inside the church.
Saints Egidio and Savino’s or the Misericordia’s parish church
The church was most likely constructed around the end of the sixteenth century and entirely restored in the seventeenth century. The sepulcher of Fabiano del Monte, a sculpture attributed to local artist Andrea Sansovino, may be seen inside.