Pisogne (Iseo)
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The town of Pisogne lies on the northern tip of Italy’s Lake Iseo. The views from 1.5 km long Lunolago across the lake alone make it worth a trip, but the town also has other treasures to offer visitors.
At the heart of Pisogne's historic centre is the former market square, Piazza Mercato, that is home to the Torre del Vescovo (Bishop’s Tower) built in 1250. Measuring 33m high, the tower has a grisly history and is said to be where eight women were burned to death for witchcraft in 1518. Visitors can climb its 92 steps to have a great view of the town and surrounding countryside.
Nearby lies the fifteenth-century church of Santa Maria della Neve (Saint Mary of the Snow), and its plain façade punctuated by an elegant red stone portal belies the beauty of the frescoes depicting the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ that adorn its interior. No longer a consecrated building, the church functions as a gallery to the 1534 frescoes of Renaissance painter Girolamo Romani, known as Romanino. Born in Brescia, the painter’s work here is a wonderful example of his break with contemporary artistic convention, as his sweeping, almost frenzied, brushwork marks the shift to Mannerism. His sometimes grotesque figures spurn Classicism with their stark realism, dynamism and gaze at the viewer. I found them completely compelling and loved the action Romanino managed to pack into a small space, and the relationships he depicts between different figures by their gestures and glances. Such is their impact the church has been called the Sistine Chapel of the Poor.
A stroll around Pisogne’s narrow medieval streets and porticos on a hot day can be tiring, and the best place to relax in the shade is in the Parco Communale municipal park, a botanical garden that was once part of a private home and which contains more than 180 kinds of trees as well as a large variety of flowers.
Fact Box:
Santa Maria della Neve church, Via Antica Valeriana, 25055 Pisogne, Lake Iseo, Lombardy, Italy. Tel: +39 0364 86011. Opening hours: 9.30am to 11.30am and 3pm to 6pm. Closed Mondays.
Parco Communale, Via Pieve, 25055 Pisogne, Lake Iseo, Lombardy, Italy. Opening hours: 9am to 5pm.
Useful links
Church of Santa Maria della Neve, Pisogne, Iseo
Lake Iseo overview
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