Starting from the beginning of September, the Office for Cultural Heritage (Department of the Territory), in collaboration with MASI Lugano, Museo d’arte della Svizzera italiana, invite you to discover the mysteries hidden behind an exceptional 16th century masterpiece.

The altarpiece by Callisto Piazza da Lodi, a very special representation of the Assumption and at the same time the Coronation of the Virgin, was originally placed on the high altar of the church of S. Maria degli Angeli in Lugano. Created between about 1548 and 1551, this extraordinary work has travelled five centuries to reach us.

What can we discover about the technique, stylistic choices and history of this depiction today? Through a major campaign of diagnostic investigations in anticipation of its restoration, the work will be analysed by technicians and scholars, and for the first time the public will have the opportunity to witness the research work up close.

Imagine being able to enter the world of the artist who painted this image five hundred years ago, what more would you like to know before the work returns to the church for which it was intended?