The Palazzo Vertemate Franchi is a Renaissance villa standing in a wooded garden above the town of Prosto di Piuro, about two kilometres up the valley from Chiavenna. It was built by a wealthy silk-trading family in the late sixteenth century and is one of the finest surviving examples of Renaissance domestic architecture in Lombardy — surprisingly grand for such a remote alpine location.
The interior is exceptional: the frescoes in the main reception rooms are in remarkably good condition, and the carved wooden ceilings and fireplace surrounds are among the best of their period in northern Italy. The villa opens for guided tours on weekends from spring to autumn. The garden has been replanted in a version of its Renaissance design and offers fine views down the valley.