Church of San Pietro in Corniolo

The medieval church of San Pietro was destroyed by the earthquakes of 1918 and rebuilt in the Romanesque style in the 1920s.

The church, rebuilt after the earthquakes of 1918, has ancient origins: the first mention of the religious building is in a bull of Alexander III, dated 1179.

The façade, made of sandstone ashlars, is in Romanesque style. In front of the door is a prothyrum with a relief depicting the blessing of St. Peter. On the right is the bell tower with a bronze bell dating from 1678.

The interior, with a single nave and transept, is frescoed in the apse by the Santasofia painter Innocente Biserni (1895-1964), known as Cencino.

It preserves works of great historical and artistic value, such as a glazed terracotta bas-relief by Giovanni della Robbia representing the Assumption of the Virgin Mary with Saints Sebastian, Romualdo and Antonio Abbot, dated between 1520 and 1530. On the left wall is a painting depicting the Deposition of Christ, a rare testimony of the artistic activity of the Faenza painter Giulio Ponteghini (16th century). It also has the Madonna of the Rosary from the 17th century. The church contains interesting contemporary works: stained glass windows, a relief by the Faenza workshop of Gaeta and a ceramic work by Giovanna Bellini representing Pasquale II (pope from 1099-1118).

How to get there: Corniolo is 15 km from Santa Sofia, along the Bidente provincial road no. 4 towards Campigna.