Piazza Caduti per la Libertà

Piazza Caduti per la Libertà is the heart of the old town, overlooked by some of Bra's most important buildings. On the left is the imposing Church of Saint Andrew, built between 1672 and 1682 to a design by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, adapted by Guarino Guarini. This majestic three-nave building is striking due to its size and its two-tiered façade in refined Baroque style, clearly visible from a distance. Next to it is Palazzo Comunale, the town hall, with its undulating Baroque lines designed by Bernardo Antonio Vittone. Also noteworthy are Palazzo Valfrè, with its evident medieval origins, and the 18^th-century Palazzo Garrone, with its outstanding colonnade, which frames the splendid setting of the square. From the colonnade, we move on to Palazzo Mathis, which hosts exhibitions and cultural events in the halls of the Piano Nobile, which also includes the “Sala Bue”, entirely frescoed in trompe l'oeil by an anonymous 16^th-century artist. The centre of the Piazza is occupied by a statue, by Celestino Fumagalli, of Saint Benedetto Cottolengo, who was born just a short walk from the square and became an exponent of the Social Saints movement in Turin for his founding of the Piccola Casa della Divina Provvidenza.