The Sanctuary of Madonna della Corona in Italy is home to a breathtaking church that is partially carved into the surrounding rocks and gives the appearance of being poised in midair between Earth and Heaven.
You may locate it within spitting distance of Verona and not far from Lago di Garda, which is the largest lake in Italy. The Sanctuary of Madonna della Corona (also known as Our Lady of the Crown) is a unique location that is well worth traveling to and discovering. It offers visitors much more than just photo opportunities for Instagram and a reason to garner social media likes. It gets you closer to the people that live in this place, as well as their history, their traditions, and the beliefs they hold. Building and maintaining a sanctuary in the middle of a steep cliff face is a sign of devotion, which is something that we don’t often seem to be able to cultivate in our busy everyday lives these days. Therefore, it is most importantly a testament to their spirit.
A trip to the Sanctuary of Madonna della Corona is sure to leave one with a profound and unforgettable impression. If you decide to hike all the way to it rather than taking the small shuttle bus, then it will also require some level of physical strength on your part. The most important benefit of paying a visit to it is that it provides you with the opportunity to appreciate the breathtaking beauty of the location. This includes the incredibly tall mountains on the vertical slope of which it is built, the valley that stretches down below, the river Adige that meanders through, and then the salmon-colored church that peeks out from behind the cragged rocks while its bell tower is forever reaching for the sky above.
On a beautiful and sunny day, I had the opportunity to pay a visit to the Sanctuary of Madonna della Corona. The mountains, which were resplendent in their verdant garb, were particularly stunning against the vividly blue sky. We traveled down the winding road that led us to the sanctuary, which was located about halfway down the cliff, starting from the small hilltop settlement of Spiazzi. We made sure to stop at each of the Stations of the Cross along the way, thereby completing the Via Crucis, which is a sculptural representation of the events that took place on the day that Christ was crucified.
We did not have to go for very long before we arrived at the location that provided the first view of the sanctuary.
Just take my word for it! The first glimpse of the Sanctuary of Madonna della Corona is as stunning as one may expect.
The bells in the bell tower began to sing their lunchtime song just as we were getting our first look at the salmon-colored church with a Gothic facade, the verdant greens of the Alps, and the clear blue sky above. The tune rose up out of the depths of the valley and into the clouds above. It was a unique and unforgettable moment that existed somewhere between heaven and earth. It was not necessary to have a religious background in order to experience a profound belief at that same moment. An innate faith in the wonder of the world as well as in the capacity and resilience of individuals to navigate the challenges that lay ahead.
