Church of the Assumption of Mary, Parish church in Riola di Vergato, Italy.
The Church of the Assumption of Mary in Riola features six asymmetric concrete frames that step down toward the chancel, with stone walls and a copper roof creating its distinctive exterior. Inside, the space unfolds with white plaster walls, terra cotta flooring, and geometric skylights positioned to cast light across the wooden seating areas.
Cardinal Giacomo Lercaro, Archbishop of Bologna, met Alvar Aalto at the 1965 exhibition of his work in Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, and commissioned a church for Riola. Aalto visited the site on 10 January 1966; the first plan was presented in Bologna on 3 December 1966. Construction ran from 1976 to 1978, and the bell tower was added in 1993–94.
The church was blessed and opened for worship on 17 June 1978 by Cardinal Antonio Poma. The parish priest Don Luigi Borri and the Riola-born contractor Mario Tamburini kept the building project alive through years of scarce funding. In 2019 an archival and museum project on Aalto's Italian works was launched by Lorenzo "Grelo" Gresleri and Raimonda Zizzi Bongiovanni.
The church is located at Piazza Alvar Aalto in Riola and welcomes visitors during prayer times throughout the day. Before planning a visit, check local times since schedules may change with seasons and religious observances.
The baptistery is set slightly below the assembly hall, lit by a skylight above and by large windows facing the Reno River, suggesting a symbolic link between the river's flow and baptismal water. The church rests on six load-bearing arches of varying size, the largest weighing 60 tons and the smallest 41.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,815 contributors worldwide.