Itineraries

The solitary Chapel of San Pietro delle Passere is the first in a series of Romanesque oratorios which used to operate under the monastery of San Paolo d’Argon, adding special interest to the area (there are two more chapels less than one kilometre away: San Lorenzo and San Vincenzo in the village of Torre a Trescore Balneario).

At the top of the hill behind the estate stands the Church of Santa Maria in Argon, of early medieval origin, extremely interesting for its three-lobed apse (the church is about half an hour’s walk along a mule path, or a 15 minute drive from Cenate Sotto).

But the village's chief attraction is the monastery founded in 1079. The monastery church, now a parish church, is the product of a radical reconstruction in the final decades of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century.

The church contains a noteworthy fresco cycle by Giulio Quaglio decorating the vault of the nave, as well as precious canvases (four by Bologna artist Crespi, two by Balestra, and two by Ricci). The monastery complex features two Renaissance cloisters attributed to the great architect Pietro Isabello, dating back to the early 16th century, and an interesting refectory, on the vault of which Lorenzetti painted a fresco illustrating the story of the queen Esther in 1627.

The monastic complex also contains a majestic “great cellar”, testifying to the importance attributed to winemaking in the area in the past.

Three kilometres from the estate, continuing along the former highway toward Lovere, the Suardi Chapel stands on the grounds of the villa of the same name, with its splendid frescoes painted in 1524 by Lorenzo Lotto illustrating the story of Saint Barbara and Christ the Vine.