From Giotto to Gentile: Painting and sculptures in Fabriano from 1200s to 1300s

A seemingly peripheral town, not generally considered when embarking upon a cultural tour of Italy, yet home to a vast collection of priceless medieval works of art, many of which are relatively unknown. Fabriano, with its ancient churches and monasteries that dot the striking landscape of the Apennines, is host to the exhibition “From Giotto to Gentile: Painting and sculptures in Fabriano from 1200s to 1300s”. A wonderful opportunity to admire frescoes, altarpieces and painted wooden sculptures created during the long Gothic period.

Curated by art critic Vittorio Sgarbi, this vast exhibit provides a unique insight into little-known Medieval masterpieces. The interesting selection of art work is showcased across this wonderful town, which is ripe with ancient monasteries and abbeys, all found across the neighboring valleys – a wonderful location that inspired many of the anonymous painters whose work is on display. Many of the stunning frescoes in the little churches that are found near Fabriano are painted by the same masters.

Among the artists on show is local 14th century painter Allegretto Nuzi, who travelled to Tuscany in 1348 during a plague epidemic and painted the famous Madonna dell’Umiltà, but most of all this is an occasion to enjoy the wonderful works by Giotto, a genius of the color.