Piazza Santa Maria

Opening hours: every day from 9 am-12pm and from 3pm to 6pm .

Guided tours upon request.

Christina: here we are, at last… in the Square!

Xavier: excellent, I can’t wait to have a coffee and an ice-cream.

Christina: let’s have a seat in one of these beautiful bars so I can tell you all about the Basilica.

Xavier: this Church is so imposing!

Christina: it is the main church in town, it was built upon the project of Paolo Soratini starting in 1729. The Façade , conceived by Giorgio Massari, was finished in 1765. Its dome with the golden statue of Christ which can be seen in the distance was built in 1785. In 1890 the Campanile was erected by Giovanni Tagliaferri.

Xavier. The inside is absolutely stunning, so rich! Just one nave with seven marble altars.

Christina: the pieces decorating the altars are very precious, the Altare maggiore (the Great Altar) shows the Pale of the Assumption of Mary by Giuseppe Pirovano , 1777.

Xavier: are those on the Altar of the Holy Sacrament lapis lazuli?

Christina. Exactly! They are the perfect ornament of the tabernacle. And the Altarpiece describing the Last Supper was realized around 1542 by the great Painter Romanino.

Xavier: we should get married here, as many people from Montichiari do.

Christina: you mean… you and I, right?