Thursday......go to church day

The morning started out pouring rain, looked like it was going to be  a miserable day. However around 9 or so the rain stopped and the clouds lifted and it was quite pleasant. This seemed to be the perfect day to head down the road just a bit and explore the Il Santuario Della Madonna del Sasso. It sits very majestically on a rock outcropping overlooking Lake Maggiore, Locarno and the surrounding mountains. The origins date back to 1480 when a monk propagated the cult of the Virgin Mary. According to tradition the monk had a vision that appeared to him on the night of the Assumption of the Virgin. He built several chapels on the hill. They have been greatly added to over the years and centuries.

It's fame began to spread with the establishment of a new diocese and the growth of tourism in the region. Just after World War II, the statue of the Madonna del Sasso was taken from village to village, until it had been to the most remote places of the canton. This was the year of the 'Great Visit' and contributed greatly to spreading the news of the Madonna and her Sanctuary among the people of Ticino.

Several of the small chapels incorporated into the church each have sculptures in them depicting the life of Christ. There is a life sized scene, done in baked clay of The Last Supper, a life sized wooden carving of the Pieta as well as others that we did not understand the meaning of.

When we arrived at The Presbytery itself there was a service going on. We quietly stepped into the door and when the service was over we spent almost an hour exploring everything. Throughout the area near the entrance, the walls are covered with paintings placed by people whose loved ones have died. The unusual thing about these paintings are that they depict the way in which the person died. There was a lot to take in at once. I imagine that if we went back again we would see many things that we never noticed during this visit. Just exploring the grounds around the church would be fascinating. And leave it to Pauline to find the garden area that the nuns cultivate is a secluded corner!

Afterwards we hiked back up to the road an enjoyed a lovely lunch at the Funicolare restorante overlooking the Madonna del Sasso. Our intentions were to head right back home afterwards but we got a bit side tracked as usual and spent some time in Migros, the local department store (where we found more seeds!!!), as well as a drive thru some small roads right along the water front. Finally arrived back home late in the afternoon, had a dinner consisting of cleaning out the fridge then off to bed early. Tomorrow we pack, haul everything back up the stairs and spend a leisurely day driving to Dagmersellen where we will spend the night again in Hotel Rossi.