Palazzo Milesi and Danza Macabra

Noble 17th-century building richly decorated. Prominent among the late 18th-century frescoes of the eastern high is a ”Dance Macabre” whose most significant subjects concern the “Macabre Serenade.” The singular scene, is not in itself assimilated to a dance according to medieval canons, but is more precisely a serenade, which takes on a macabre character due to the presence of the skeleton that refers to death.
The scene is immediate and realistic, the seven characters acting according to a theatrical script that assigns each their specific role: the well-groomed and elegantly dressed young lord has recruited two musicians to perform the serenade to the beloved woman looking out of the window and flattered by the attentions of the noble suitor. But, alas, how ephemeral are the affairs of this world! The young lover does not suspect that death, lurking behind him in the guise of a skeleton, has already shot the dart that will suddenly strike him. He will thus end up tied to the same chain that already holds the two old men tight, who resignedly follow their inevitable fate. The whole ensemble has a distinct Venetian flavor, noticeable especially in the musicians and the bearing of the two noblemen. There is, however, no lack of popular and local reference: the figures of the two old men are so realistic that it would not be surprising to find the same ones even today. The uniqueness of the scene is completed by the figures below: a bear behind a cypress tree, a monkey intent on plucking flowers, and a dog, while a dove with an olive branch in its mouth and a funny little white animal appear from the ovals of the attic.
The frescos, together with the portal and violet stone balconies, the sacred paintings, and the large shell cornice adorned with false coffers, make this mansion an outstanding feature in the municipal and valley building scene.