Santuario di Nostra Signora di Montenero
Hilltop pilgrimage church of stacked stone naves, reached only on foot through maritime pines above the terraced sea cliffs.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to the Santuario di Nostra Signora di Montenero above Riomaggiore in Cinque Terre traces why the village's terrace farmers climbed this ridge each spring, in a hillside village with no flat ground to spare. It follows local tradition that the church's Byzantine-style icon was carried here by Greek refugees, buried during a Lombard raid, and later found beside a spring, alongside the more modest documented history of a church recorded here since 1335. You'll hear about the Whit Monday procession that still carries the icon out today, and the offerings generations of sailors and emigrants have left here since. Stand on the exposed ridge, with terraced vines dropping to the sea on one side.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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