Parish church of Santa Maria alla Sovara

At the foot of the western slope of the Anghiari hill, along the provincial road 43 of Libbia towards Arezzo, is the Parish Church of Santa Maria alla Sovara. The earliest records documenting its existence date back to the year 1000, but it is believed that the Pieve has even older origins (8th-9th centuries) and that the construction was based on a Latin cross plan with a presbytery and a single nave ending in three apses: a feature referring to the sacred principle of the Trinity, which would suggest a probable mission among the Longobard populations in order to support the Catholic religion with Arianism. Also tied to the Camaldolese which determined the lengthening of the nave,
the elevation of the apse area and the insertion of a bell-tower, underwent further changes in the 16th century that led the church to its present appearance, with the interior divided into three naves with round arches resting on stone columns with elegant composite capitals. Unfortunately, the Pieve di Sovara is currently not accessible because it is awaiting restoration work due to seismic events that have affected the area in recent years.