The “Perugino per tutti” (Perugino for everyone) is a tourist and cultural itinerary created in 2023 to mark the 500 years from the death of Pietro Vannucci, known as Perugino. The idea was to provide visitors with an immersive experience of the lands of Umbria as portrayed by the Divine Artist, with a trail to discover four great works of art by the Maestro running between Assisi, Foligno and Spello. The initiative was encouraged by the three municipalities, with the support of the regional government of Umbria, the Regione Umbria.
The oratory, or in the strict sense of the word the sanctuary, owes its name to a tiny image of Mary receiving the annunciation from the angel Nunziatella. In fact, Nunziatella meaning “little Annunziata”, and as the focal point of the building it can be found on one of the two main altars. After a miracle involving the image in 1489, the accounts tell us of the beginning of a pilgrimage that spurred the Commune to purchase the building and erect an “architectural jewel box” around it to welcome the faithful and their offerings.
Taking centre stage in the sanctuary, however, is the fresco by Pietro Vanucci, known as Perugino, rising in the second main altar. The work portrays the Baptism of Christ and follows the composition of the anonymous work created for the Sistine Chapel in Rome. The painting was commissioned as a legacy by a rich man from Foligno, Giovan Battista Merganti, as shown by the inscription under the lunette and by the family coats of arms top left. It was created between 1505 and 1508 or between 1512 and 1513, when Perugino had already returned to Rome and was working mainly on private commissions in his home region.
The sacristy holds the Altar of the Deposition, portraying the Lamentation over the dead Christ, a work attributed to Benedetto di maestro Gaspare from Pavia.
The current layout of the oratory is due to the 1830 restoration by architect Vincenzo Vitali, who basically modified the front of the building, although he kept the mainly Renaissance structure.
From 1 November to 31 March, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Sunday of the month and public holidays: from: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
From 1 April to 30 October, Saturday and Sunday: from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
The Oratorio della Nunziatella stands right in the historic centre, in Via dell’Annunziata.
The building can easily be reached on foot from anywhere in the town.
From Assisi take the E415 line Assisi-Spello-Foligno; 600 metres from the bus stop in Viale XVI Giugno.
From Assisi proceed towards Foligno, exit at Foligno north on the SS75, in the direction of the historic centre.
The Porziuncola is a tiny, mediaeval chapel, surrounded in the seventeenth century by the great Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli. St. Francis lived here for several years and turned it into a dwelling for the friars. However, it is also a treasure trove of some major works of art, painted by artists of the calibre of Ilario da Viterbo, il Perugino and Friedrich Overbeck.
In the early thirteenth century, the church was in a state of abandon. In the early years after his conversion, Francis restored it and later obtained it from the Benedictines as a church for the Friars Minor. He dedicated the building to the Virgin Mary: in 1211 he welcomed Clare in, whose intention was to become a nun. Here in 1216, according to tradition, he had a vision of Mary and Christ, who granted him the indulgence of the Pardon for all those who came to the church to pray on 1 and 2 August.
That same year, Pope Honorius III approved the indulgence and this is still celebrated today, every year.
In 1486, Perugino was commissioned to paint a Crucifixion on the rear wall, of which only a fragment remains today. We can still admire the base of the cross with Christ’s legs, two soldiers on horseback, some people watching the scene, a child, the Virgin Mary who has fainted and is supported by the pious woman, Mary Magdalene and St Francis on his knees embracing the cross. The fresco reveals Perugino’s cultured style, with a sophisticated use of colour, an elaborate perspective and the pathos on the faces of the bystanders. This is one of the artist’s most dramatic works.
Perugino had introduced a new way of painting which spread rapidly throughout the region and was copied by many artists. He invented elegant, well-defined compositions, dominated by monumental figures to scale and he focused on identifying and studying space with the introduction of highly detailed landscapes.
Every day from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 2:30 to 7:00 p.m.
The Porziuncola stands 4 kilometres from Assisi’s historic centre, a stone’s throw from the exit of the SS75.
The building can easily be reached from the railway station of Assisi.
Only 400 metres from the bus stop for the C line Via Los Angeles.
There are several car parks nearby.
Thanks to the numerous works of art preserved, it has often been the subject of studies, despite which it remains difficult to date its foundation precisely before the construction of the current church (that dates back approximately to the year 1000).
Subsequent restoration works took place in the 13th century, ending in 1285, and in the mid-17th century, when the church underwent profound changes.
It was one of the numerous buildings funded by the Baglioni family, who also commissioned the frescoes decorating it: the chapel on the left-hand wall of the nave was named after the family from Perugia and contains a true gem of Renaissance art, painted by Bernardino di Betto, il Pinturicchio, thanks to Prior Troilo Baglioni.
Perugino was also brought to Spello, most probably by the Baglioni family, and in 1521 painted the Pietà and the Madonna with the Child, Saint Catherine and Saint Biagio both placed on the sides of the presbytery near two altars.
The careless style of the portrayal of the figures has led some historians to attribute the frescoes to other painters. However, a notarial deed certifies the opposite. This was actually the maestro’s period of old age in his career, when he had lost most of his fame and worked in less important contexts both from a political and artistic point of view.
In the Pietà, the Virgin Mary is sitting on the throne, supporting Christ’s body, with St. John the Baptist and Mary Magdalene kneeling by her side on a marble floor. Above and to the sides, two cherub heads appear and two small tablets bearing the date and Perugino’s signature.
In the Madonna with the Child, Saint Catherine and Saint Biagio, the Virgin Mary is still seated on the throne with the child in the foreground that stands out against the landscape in the background; to the left is St. Biagio holding his crosier and the iron comb used to flay him, and to the right is St. Catherine of Alexandria with the palm and the wheel of her martyrdom.
From Tuesday to Saturday: from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday and public holidays: from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
Closed Mondays, Sundays and mornings during public holidays.
The Church of Santa Maria Maggiore stands right in the historic centre.
The building can easily be reached on foot from anywhere in the town.
From Assisi take the E415 line Assisi-Spello-Foligno.
From Assisi proceed towards Foligno, exit at Spello North on the SS75, in the direction of the centre; pay car parks outside the historic centre.
