Chiesa di Santa Maria di Meschio

Piazza Meschio takes its name from the river that flows through the city and on which stands the church of S. Maria del Meschio. This building, documented since the Middle Ages under the name of Sancta Maria in Sylvis, was reconstructed in the 16th century, at which time it was also provided with the altarpiece depicting the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and is considered one of the best works of Andrea Previtali (ca. 1470-1528), a pupil of the Venetian Giovanni Bellini, supreme master of the Renaissance. The church was served by the confraternity of the Battuti, a lay congregation dedicated to works of charity: the north side of the square is indeed occupied by a 19th-century hospital building, which arose on the site of an ancient hostel for pilgrims and features medallions on its facade with figures of benefactors of Humanity.