Piedigrotta Church

Wind down the stairway to this beach just outside of Pizzo to discover an enchanting church carved right out of the rock.

You’ll be greeted by sweeping views of the sea and a small charming bay. Then, in the rock face, with a simple unassuming facade and arched windows filled with crisscrossed bars – the Chiesetta di Piedigrotta (Piedigrotta Church). Enter the simple stone doorway to explore the church’s gloomy interior. Carved out of the sedimentary rock, there’s an eerie atmosphere with light filtering in to dimly illuminate many stone statues. 

But how and why was this unique monument constructed? Legend has it that a wild storm of 1665 was close to crashing a ship from Naples up against the cliffs of Pizzo. All the crew and captain could do was pray to a painting of the Virgin of Piedigrotta on board, and the sailors promised to build a church in her honour if their lives were saved. The ship was to sink, but the crew survived and landed at a beach near the town of Pizzo, along with the painting and the ship’s bell. They kept their promise and placed the tribute in a small cave they carved into the rock at the site of their landing.

The story goes that there were many future storms, which washed away the painting of the Madonna, which always ended up at the site that the ship sank. The legend was passed down over the next few hundred years – important to the people of the town – and around 1880, the local artist Angelo Barone dedicated years of his life to developing the Piedigrotta site. He visited the spot every day, and with a handheld pick axe slowly expanded the cave, and carving stone figures representing Christ and many saints to fill the cave. When Angelo died in 1917, his son Alfonso took over and went on to dedicate 40 years of his life, and the church took began to shape into the form as we know it today. 

Unfortunately after his death, the church ran into disrepair and was subject to vandalism. But in the 1960’s, a descendent of the Barones visited the site and decided to work to restore his family’s work to its former glory, adding new sculptures including a depiction of Pope John XXIII. The restoration project was complete in 1968, forming the unique site we see today.