Sarnano - Santa Maria di Piazza Alta

After the fall of the Roman Empire, the territories were occupied by Goths, Lombards and Franks. Among the Frankish families that came to the area, the Mainardi family is particularly important. In the thirteenth century, Fidesmido dei Manardi took possession of the territories between Sarnano and Gualdo, which in 1244 passed to his son Rinaldo, who settled in the castle of Brunforte.

Rinaldo di Brunforte was one of the most loyal Ghibelline allies of the Emperor. After the death of Frederick II, the rule of the Ghibellines in the Marches began to falter and Rinaldo took sides with the papacy. After the triumphs of Manfredi, the son of Frederick II (1260), Rinaldo changed sides again and returned to the Ghibellines. In 1264, Pope Urban IV orders Rinaldo to come to Rome under threat of ex-communication for supporting the imperial cause. Rinaldo did not appear and so ended in 1265 the rule of the Lords of Brunforte over Sarnano.

Santa Maria di Piazza Alta is a former collegiate church. The church dates back to the 13th century and was built thanks to Benedictine monks who wanted to build an oratory in Sarnano. It was completed in the late 14th century with the erection of the bell tower.

The tympanum shows the "Death of the Virgin", a frequent motif in the Gothic period.