CHIESA DI SANT'ANNA DEI LOMBARDI

Erected from 1411, at the same time as the Convent of the Olivetans and its four cloisters, the church of Santa Maria di Monteoliveto changed its name in the 19th century when it was assigned to the Confraternity of the Lombards. Inside, three chapels escaped the 17th century alterations and the destruction of the Second World War. They bear witness to the opening up of Naples, in the second half of the 15th century, to the artistic Renaissance that was flourishing in Florence and northern Italy. Built on the model of the Florentine chapels of the time, they house magnificent sculpted works, such as the tomb of Mary of Aragon by the Tuscan Antonio Rossellino, or theAnnunciation altarpiece with its subtle relief and remarkable perspective effect, created by Benedetto da Maiano, an artist from Florence. In the following century, another Tuscan, Giorgio Vasari, was commissioned to fresco the sacristy and the chapel of theAssunta. Also in the sacristy, inlaid wooden stalls made by Giovanni da Verona, featuring musical instruments and panoramas, including a view of the port of Naples with the Castel Nuovo. Finally, there is also the Piety group by the Modena-born sculptor Guido Mazzoni. Originally, the eight terracotta statues composing it were polychrome before a 19th century restoration. The effect of these expressive life-size figures is striking.