Ex Monte di Pietà

The ancient Monte di Pietà (pawnshop) is certainly one of the most characteristic and beautiful buildings that can be seen along the Contrada Granda, thanks to the splendid frescoes that embellish its facade, highlighting it in the urban fabric. These are paintings made in the mid-sixteenth century by the artist Ludovico Fiumicelli (a talented painter who from 1529 held the position of head of the city's arquebusiers), representing angels and cherubs carrying the signs of the Passion of Christ. Everything is immersed in a background of sky and clouds. Above the elegant loggia on the ground floor, in addition, you can see a beautiful stone frame that encloses and emphasizes the image of the Pietà. The building, built in 1524 by the will of the Battuti to help the most humble and disadvantaged layers of society, often impoverished due to the high interests required by the Jews, is currently used as a hotel and restaurant.