Nestled among the gentle curves of the Rhaetian Alps, in the peaceful village of Lovero, lies a treasure full of charm and spirituality: the ancient Church of Sant’Alessandro.
Its origins date back at least to 1257, when it was first mentioned in an official document. It served as the parish church from 1598 to 1825 and still speaks through its stones of centuries of devotion, art, and architecture.
The current building is the result of a 15th-century expansion that altered its original orientation. The Romanesque bell tower and portions of the medieval walls from the old structure remain, when the façade originally faced north towards the valley.
Inside, you’ll find a single, wide nave with a truss roof and a striking 17th-century loggia at the rear. What most captivates the eye are the numerous fresco fragments adorning the walls—remnants of a rich artistic past that hint at former splendour.
On the left side wall, the best-preserved decorations include a series of saints, a moving Pietà near the side altar, and a fragment of a Nativity scene by the door. These devotional frescoes are stylistically attributed to the mysterious “Giovannino da Sondalo,” who also worked in nearby Vervio and Mazzo.
The presbytery is decorated with stunning frescoes by the Grosino painter Cipriano Valorsa, created in the late 16th century. Among the highlights are a carved and gilded wooden tabernacle-ciborium made by Alessandro Locheti of Lovero in 1582, and the elegant main altar (1708) sculpted by Giovan Battista Del Piaz, who also crafted the sacristy furniture and the wooden statue of Saint Catherine of Siena on the right altar.
Don’t miss a stroll along the covered cemetery walkway that runs along the left side of the church, where ancient graves tell silent stories. Behind the church stands a fascinating quadrangular ossuary, decorated with a ceiling painted by Giovan Battista Muttoni and a remarkable 16th-century fresco depicting Christ on the Cross with the Madonna and saints, restored in 1712.
Let yourself be amazed by Lovero’s hidden beauty—a place where art meets spirituality, with ancient frescoes, whispered memories, and history carved in stone.
