The Reneissance in Caldarola started in 1485 when Nobile da Luca came from Tuscany to this little town, painted the little “Pietà” that later became a popular symbol of aristocratic hospitality. With this painting Caldarola had a tiny popularity in the renaissance movement (1485-1620) with a humble painting school. In this period, a young artist sticked out: he was Simone de Magistris, son of Giovanni Andrea de Magistris, also a painter.

The young painter studied at his father’s studio, a few years later he moved to Loreto where he attended, for a while, the studio of Lorenzo Lotto, together with Durante Nobili, who was very popular in Caldarola. It is said that the painter stayed in the studio only 8 days.
Simone de Magistris was uno of the most important characters of the counter-reformation Art, developed between 1500s and 1600s. In this period became popular the Mannerism, an artistic movement born in Italy, and Simone was one of the first proponents.

He had the fortune of working together with Evangelista Pallotta, the mind of the great urban renovation of their motherland, Caldarola. The most important works in Caldarola are all due to him, one of the most important is “Transito di San Martino”, performed with the technique of oil on canvas in 1590, situated in the Collegiate of Saint Martin, pulled out after the earthquake of 2016.

Other relevant works are the ones inside the church of Saint Martin and Georde, in the district of Vestignano. Simone de Magistris illustrated. With three big frescos, three important moments for Christians, or rather; the Ascension, the Crucifixion and the Assumption. These three paintings are interspersed with due small paintings of Saint George saving the princess from the dragon and Saint Martin giving his cloak to the mendicant. These two are an Andrea de Magistris’ work, the father of the young star.