Religion and Spirituality in Italy

San Giovanni Rotondo is a great place to spend a relaxing holiday, at the sea and at the discovery of nature thanks to the National Park of Gargano, with hidden corners of unspoiled nature. The historic center of the town has the typical architecture of the Gargano: the construction materials are simple, and the city is almost entirely made of earth and stone. A really beautiful scenery. One can also see the towers and gates of the old city wanted by Frederick II of Swabia. It is on these street...

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• Visit Apulia
• What to see Apulia
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It is pleasant stroll up to the Chiesa dell'Isola, a church dedicated to seafarers, that sits on top of a rocky outcrop that juts out into the sea. Some believe that it rose on the site of a fourth-century Basilian cell; we know, however, that Pope Urban II assigned it to the Abbey of Montecassino in 1077. Rebuilt in Gothic style and consecrated on 23 April, 1397, it underwent various works of restoration over the centuries and was definitively rebuilt after the disastrous earthquake of 1905. Th...

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• Visit Calabria
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The Cathedral of Naples is dedicated to the Assumption and it was built in late 1200 by Charles I of Anjou. It is of Gothic style and its plant is a Baroque Latin cross.The stucco decorations belong to the late seventeenth century. Of particular interest is the Chapel of Santa Restituita, that is an example of paleochristian architecture incorporated in the present cathedral, and houses works by Luca Giordano and fourteenth-century sculptures. To the right of the apse you can admire th...

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• Visit Campania
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On a recent visit to Bologna, while I noticed an iluminated church on al hill. No matter how the freeway turned, it was visible. The city of Bologna is rather flat and to the East the foothills of the Appenines start. The Basilica di San Luca is situated on one of these hills. When travelling on the road to Florence you see it more clearly. It seems to be looking at the city and almost gives you the feeling of an guardian angel.On my visit there I started to climb a very long portico from t...

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• Visit Emilia Romagna
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San Giusto Cathedral, which is situated on the top of the Capitoline Hill, is unndoubtely the most beautiful church in whole town. The church was completed at the end of the fourteenth century, when the two primitive churches of San Giusto and Assunta were joined together. At the centre of the front facade there is the big Gothic rosewindow in white stone composed by two halo of rays with 36 little columns. On the left side of the Cathedral is the bell tower which looks like a defense tower. It ...

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• Visit Friuli Venezia Giulia
• What to see Friuli Venezia Giulia
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Alatri is a small village south of Lazio, in Ciociaria. The town is famous for its massive walls that enclose it and which are source of many myths concerning the founding of the city. Inside the circle is the medieval city, known for its Pelasgians Acropolis and many other artistic and cultural riches that make Alatri a real gem. The visitor can touch with hands each piece of the history of the town, which houses many churches and buildings in excellent condition; well-known are the Church of S...

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• Visit Lazio
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The church and sanctuary dates back to the 13th century, when an ossary was also built alongside for use as part of the cemetery for those who died in the nearby “Brolo” hospital. Both structures were seriously damaged in 1642, when the belltower of the adjacent church Santo Stefano collapsed. The Ossary was repaired, while the church-sanctuary was rebuilt by Andrea Biffi in 1679. The present-day atrium was designed by Carlo Giuseppe Merlo, one of the architects working at the Veneranda Fabbrica...

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• Visit Lombardy
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Legend has it that the Duke of Savoy, Vittorio Amedeo II and Prince Eugene of Savoy watched from the hill of Turin, besieged by the French-Spanish. Vittorio Amedeo, kneeling before an old pier, swore that, if victorious, would build a tribute to Holy Mary. After building a monument to the victory of the battle, Vittorio Amedeo, later crowned King of Sicily, split the vote and gave the design of the building to Philip Juvarra in 1711. The Basilica is circular, measuring 75 meters high, 51 long an...

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• Visit Piedmont
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Dedicated to Santa Maria del Fiore, it is the result of many artists who worked there over several centuries. Works for the construction of the cathedral began on 8 September 1296 and continued under several master builder: Giotto, Andrea Pisano and Francesco Talenti. The facade, in Gothic style, belongs to the period of eight hundred. In 1434, the work of the cathedral came to an end and the church was consacrated two years later. In 1420 Brunelleschi won the competition to build the dome ...

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• Visit Tuscany
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Padova is a city in the Veneto region, an important center of artistic, cultural and religious importance, which houses one of the most renowned universities in Italy. The city is the oldest in Northern Italy and it is surrounded by 11 km of walls dating from the 16th century. In its historical center there are examples of great artistic significance such as the Palazzo della Ragione, full of frescoes. Among the religious buildings, we remember the famous Scrovegni Chapel, the most famous after ...

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• Visit Veneto
• What to see Veneto
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