The most beautiful churches cathedrals basilicas and chapels Italy

Erected in the 12th century, it is dedicated to Saint George, represented in the tympanum of the central portal. The façade is a harmonious synthesis of Romanesque and Gothic styles. On the right flank, the majestic marble bell tower rises, built between 1451 and 1596 according to a design by Leon Battista Alberti. Inside, the baroque style of the 18th century dominates. In the apse, a Last Judgement by Bastianino (a pupil of Michelangelo) who, out of revenge, is said to have sculpted the face of his fiancée among convicts, as she did not wish to marry him!

Built between 1521 and 1539, the church is a small marvel of frescoes. The Parable of the Ten Virgins of the Parmigianino can be found in the arch of the presbytery. In the crypt are the tombs of the Farnese family and of some Bourbons, notably that of Marie-Louise of Austria's second husband, Adam-Albert de Neipperg, who ruled Parma for a few years. Small adjoining museum that preserves relics such as the shirt of King Louis XVI at the time of his execution.

In 1630, the region was infested with plague. The citizens of the city then implore the Virgin Mary to protect them from this devastating disease and promise him back to build a church on his behalf. The construction of the latter shows that the wish was fulfilled. By entering the left, we find the illustration of this imploration of the Virgin.

Built in the 17th^century thanks to donations from the people of Monterosso, this beautifully crafted oratory is a true memento mori: the inscription engraved on its façade mortis et orationis (death and prayer) recalls that the brotherhood that ran the oratory was dedicated to helping the needy who could not afford funeral orations. This duty of the brothers is evoked in the building's interior decor, with skulls, stucco and wooden allegories of death...