Santuario della Madonna del Monte

Since 1925 the Consolata Missionaries have been the custodians of the Sanctuary, which was erected in 1603 around a large 16th century tabernacle boasting a fresco of the Madonna and Child with Saints by an unknown artist. Over the centuries, the church has featured a number of dedications, to St. Mary of the Assumption, St. Mary of the Annunciation, the Virgin Mary, Consoler of the Afflicted, but the local people have kept calling it Madonna del Monte, the Madonna of the Hill, for the hillock on which the church is perched.
Despite the damage suffered during the two World Wars, the small Baroque sanctuary still retains the intimate and secluded atmosphere of a hermitage. It had actually been in the care of hermits until 1787, when the church was closed. The special strong devotion the local people felt for the shrine, forced the religious authorities to re-open it in March 1790. In 1829 the church and its appurtenances were purchased by Giovanni Battista de Tacchi. The harmonic Baroque-Rococo façade was designed by Giovanni Scottini di Lizzana (1751). It houses a number of interesting ex-votos indoor. The main altar and its railing are quite remarkable.