Curina: the Chapel of San Liberato

Though tiny, the Chapel of San Liberato is considered by some to be the ‘Sistine Chapel of Chianti’. It dates back to the mid XVI century and was created by order of the Cinughi dei Pazzi family, whose seal appears on the façade. Said family owned vast amounts of land in the area. This modest building was built according to a rectangular floor plan and it is characterized by a bell-shaped ceiling which testifies to the level of expertise with which it was created. Inside, visitors will find exquisite fresco decorations on the vault and the walls of the presbytery, created by Arcangelo Salimbeni, a painter from Siena. He is thought to have created this cycle of paintings in 1573. In the vault, visitors will appreciate a depiction of ‘The Ascension into Heaven’. Other frescos decorate the underlying area, the church’s walls and its underlying arch. These represent episodes from the Life and Passion of Christ, accompanied by alternating panels bearing Latin inscriptions.
Source: Municipality of Berardenga