The origins of the town go back to the thirteenth century,
but the period of greatest development dates to the beginning of the
sixteenth century with the family of Giorgio Santacroce, who promoted
substantial building and agricultural ventures subject to the introduction
into the area of the crops from the "New World". The mighty castle
that can be admired in the historic centre is triangular in shape with a
crenellated tower at each corner and walls fortified with blockhouses.
The church of Santa Maria, which has an
eighteenth-century appearance but actually dates to the fourteenth century,
houses a relic of St. Orsio and the body of St. Emilio. In the oldest part
of the town, the Chapel of the Santacroce family attracts attention.
It has been attributed to Sangallo the Younger and contains the bodies of
Onofrio, Scipione and Giorgio Santacroce.
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