Santissima Annunziata Church

In the ancient village of Pieve Saliceto, once a centre for the spread of Christianity in the lower Reggio Emilia area, stands the Santissima Annunziata Church.
The origins of the parish church date back to the 4th century, when it was directly under the authority of the Bishop of Parma.
The present building was constructed between 1653 and 1670, after frequent flooding of the River Po had destroyed the original church.

The façade, simple and harmonious, is divided into two superimposed orders – Doric and Ionic – linked by elegant volutes and surmounted by a tympanum featuring a clock.
The interior, a single-nave church with six chapels, houses works of great value: the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin of Grace, which contains a Marian image transferred in 1662, the walnut choir stalls and the 17th-century stuccoes by M. Ferraboschi.
Also of note are the altarpiece from the Parma school and the 29-metre-high Romanesque bell tower, which dominates the surrounding landscape.