Macina Palace

Macina Palace

The old Gonzaga palace was built around 1481. Originally - with its auxiliary buildings - it occupied the entire area south of the Luzzara Castle, between the Parish church and the actual seat of the Town Hall. The war culminating in the battle that took place on August 15, 1702, though, caused the destruction of part of the building. After the Gonzaga, it served as a Public Palace for centuries, and then it was abandoned until the Unification of Italy.

Its name derives from the milled-cereal tax - which was levied in the palace during the 18th century. In 1952, it was bought by the Luzzarese curia, thus becoming a Parish property. Inside the palace, it is still possible to admire the loggia overlooking the courtyard - consisting of a porch with three open and semicircular arches supported by columns - now walled. The two central marble columns are characterized by richly decorated capitals, whereas the two masonry columns have marble capitals with a much simpler leaf motif. On its front - above the main door - stands the Gonzaga polychrome ceramic coat of arms, by Luca della Robbia. In the upper floors, some traces of frescoes - once completed by wooden ceilings - are still visible.

Nearby

convento

Church and Former Convent of the Augustinians


Also known as the church of the former hospital or church of the “Conventino”. It was built at the end of the 15th century by the will of Caterina Pico - Marquis of Luzzara Rodolfo Gonzaga’s wife. It was nearly destroyed to the foundations and reconstructed between 1764 and 1771. Fortunately, the 15th-century apse has been left intact. The sacristy hosts the remains of a funerary monument - dedicated to Luigi Gonzaga, who died in 1570 - partially destroyed by a fire in 1918. In the upper part of the monument, in the very centre, it is possible to admire the Gonzaga coat of arms - borne up by two putti and dominated by a two-headed crowned eagle. The monument stands on an architrave borne by two large statues: a Caryatid and an Atlas. From the centre, under the ledge and borne by a lion’s head, a fruit festoon passes over the Caryatids and descends towards the outer sides, up to the large corbel of the base, where two eagles are placed. The monument also housed a plaque dedicated to Luigi Gonzaga. Frescoes of historical and artistic interest have been recently discovered under the adjacent porch.

foto n 2 emergenza n 35 Chiesa Parrocchiale di San Giorgio2

Parish Church of San Giorgio


It was probably built at the end of the 11th century, in Romanesque style, and renovated several times. It was rebuilt from 1676 in Baroque style - except for the apse, which is still Romanesque. In 2000, crypt excavations led to several findings, such as capitals, columns and frescoes from the original Romanesque building and shards dating back to the previous period. Inside, it preserves some 16th-century paintings, such as the altarpiece portraying the “Vergine col Bambino tra S. Giorgio e S. Girolamo” (Giuliesca School) modeled after a sketch by Giulio Romano kept in the Louvre Museum.
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