Santa'Andrea's Church

In Alberti, Ludovico Gonzaga found his perfect architect. Working from the principles of antiquity, he drew up a comprehensively Renaissance and, what is more, a totally unique design. More casual visitors can wonder at its forms, which, following restorations in 2016, have now emerged from the damage that was inflicted over centuries. Although the surface is decorated quite far back and imitated with 15th century details, the brilliance of the creation is quite astounding. Some of the fundamental highlights of the building include: the double arch (one opening onto the vestibule and one surmounting the tympanum, which may have been part of a larger tympanum), the tympanum itself, which is evidently inspired by Greek and Roman prototypes but that is not in thrall to the typically Humanist quest for perfect equilibrium, the other arches of the exterior, framed by triumphal semi-columns, the fluted pilasters that support the main arch and that work in harmony with the trabeation, which runs horizontally along the exterior and ventures into the fornix, the reddish clay outlines and cherubs, and the magnificent portal, engraved with leaves, flowers and small figures.