The Romanesque complex of Galliano in Cantù

What is it and where is the monumental Romanesque complex of Galliano

On a green hill on the outskirts of Cantù stands one of the best examples of early Romanesque in Lombardy, the Pieve di San Vincenzo with its Baptistery. The exterior is simple and sober, gray stone alternating with river stones that stand out against the green lawn. Double-gabled façade for the church, with the right nave lost in time, and beautiful apse with blind arches and pilasters. The baptistery is more elaborate, with a cross plan that appears sinuous, almost lobed on the outside, crowned by an octagonal tiburium and preceded by an entrance niche.

Not to be missed: a plunge into the past inside the parish church.

But it is the interior that is extraordinary. The baptistery has an eight-sided dome, the squat openings of the women's galleries can be seen below, and the massive baptismal font stands out in the center of the room. The church, once with three naves, has a raised chancel over the crypt, which retains capitals from the earlier construction.

Why it is special: the church's thousand-year-old frescoes.

The real treasure of the complex , however, is the church's frescoes, dating, the oldest, to the year 1000. The deep blue of the apse basin is splendid, with Christ in the Almond in the center , unusually standing full-length; below, three panels tell of the martyrdom of St. Vincent. Don't miss the third, in which the saint's body is beset by three birds while a raven keeps them at bay. On the right wall are the later stories of Samson and St. Christopher. Other frescoes, from the late 13th century, are at the entrance to the crypt and depict the Virgin and Child among Saints.

A bit of history

A small early Christian church existed here as early as the 5th century. In 1007 the church was consecrated and dedicated to St. Vincent of Zaragoza by Ariberto d'Intimiano, later Bishop of Milan . Years of neglect and misuse followed until restoration began in the early 1900s. Coeval with the church, or perhaps even earlier, is the baptistery.