Madonna del Parto, by Piero della Francesca

What it is and where it is

The Madonna del Parto is one of the great masterpieces of Piero della Francesca (Sansepolcro, 1416-1492). It is housed in a tiny museum set up just for her in an old country schoolhouse in the medieval village of Monterchi, among the rolling hills of Arezzo. From the windows open landscapes that look like paintings. The first room is devoted to a video full of information about the painter and his work. The second room tells how a fresco was created, and in the third room is you. The room is empty and bare, in half-light. There is silence, as before an altar. In one corner, an interactive screen allows visitors to admire every detail of the masterpiece up close.

Why it is special

A fresco that enchants. Two angels lift a rich drapery, like a curtain, and in the center is her, a maiden with a magnetic and mysterious gaze, her blue robe opening just slightly over the roundness of her belly, her hand caressing...