Description
The imposing building rises in the Castoriana Valley between Piedivalle and Ancarano. The original building is from the 14th century.
The façade of the Church of Madonna Bianca, which faces on to the Campiana Valley, presents a Gothic portal, but is clad in a fresco decoration of the 15th century; at its side, an external shrine is decorated by frescoes of the Sparapane workshop.
Before the façade, are the five elegant arches of the narthex, work of Lombard stone-cutters. The long side opens towards the road, with a small seven-arched portico held up by columns; this external ambulatory is paved in “schiazze”, more specifically stone slabs of various size and colour which give it a stained appearance and hence the dialectal term schiazze (stains).
Inside, the statue of the White Madonna is silhouetted against an azure background. This is a high-relief in marble, attributed to Francesco di Simone Ferrucci from Fiesole (influenced by Andrea del Verrocchio), sculpted in 1488. It demonstrates the intense commercial relations of this area of the Valnerina with Tuscany.