Un altro paesaggio francescano: l’Osservanza nell’Italia settentrionale (XV-XVI secolo)

In the fifteenth century, northern Italy witnessed a significant expansion of Franciscan Observant settlements, characterised by territorial, social and architectural dynamics that varied according to regional contexts. This essay analyses four minor provinces - Milan, Genoa, Bologna and Sant'Antonio - highlighting similarities and specificities in settlement processes and architectural choices. In the provinces of Milan and Genoa, Observant foundations were established mainly during the 1470s, along the principal communication routes and in proximity to small and medium-sized urban centres. Church architecture reflects the Order's prescriptions on poverty, interpreted according to local building traditions and patrons' resources. A recurring model can be identified, articulated in two distinct sections: the nave for the laity and the presbyterial space for the friars, separated by a frescoed choir screen. Emblematic examples are San Bernardino in Ivrea and San Bernardino in Saluzzo, the latter promoted by Marquis Ludovico I as an instrument of political and religious affirmation of the marquisate. In the province of Sant'Antonio, the settlement process unfolded homogeneously across the Veneto and Friuli regions, with a progressive spread towards smaller centres and a strong promotion of Marian devotion through the foundation of shrines, generating a genuine "sacred landscape" connected to new pilgrimage routes. In the minor province of Bologna, the Observants expanded along the Via Emilia and into the countryside, supported by local elites who frequently used the churches as family mausoleums.