To represent a symbol of Tuscany and central Italy, like Sarteano, you truly need an angel and a demon. Here is the Archangel Gabriel facing the Madonna, in a masterpiece by Domenico Beccafumi and in a composition that symbolizes the Mannerism, the Annunciation, in the art hall dedicated to the great painter. And here is the Etruscan Charun, the psychopomp who has just transported the deceased in a chariot to the underworld. He is the equivalent of the Greek Charon, although he doesn’t have the typical features, as rare is the presence of the tusk protruding from his lower lip in a context of great impact: the tomb of the Infernal Quadriga. Two paradigmatic works of art. Gabriel reminds us that Sarteano is the birthplace of two beatified individuals, a pope (Pius III), and that it hosted Saint Francis and welcomed various figures on a path filled with mystery and hope. Then there is the other side, that of warriors and the castle, of Etruscan tombs and their demons, of damned noblewomen dragged to the underworld (according to an ancient legend), and men-at-arms. Between heaven and the afterlife lies a beautiful land: dominated by a fortified castle, skillfully constructed by the Sienese in the late fifteenth century, and then another strategic settlement, with an incredible view: Castiglioncello del Trinoro.
