Santuario Madonna della Corona

You will find it a stone’s throw away from Verona and just off Garda lake. This is a special place to visit and is one of Italy’s most well-known sanctuaries dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Built on a rocky terrace standing at a height of 774 m and overlooking the valley of the river Adige, it emerges from the craggy slopes of the Monte Baldo massif. Known initially as the Sanctuary of the Madonna of Monte Baldo, was later called "della Corona" for the crown that the mountain peaks form around the sanctuary.

The history dates back to year 1000 AD, when monks from the Monastery of San Zeno in Verona set up a hermitage where the sanctuary now stands. At this time it could be only reached by a dangerous and narrow path among the rocks. The beauty and the peace of the place kept attracting people so in the second half of the 13th century a small monastery with a chapel dedicated to St. Mary of Montebaldo was build in the place where the current church is located.

According to a local legend in 1522 a sculpture of a Madonna della Corona was miraculously transported here by angels from the island of Rhodes and a bigger church was build immediately after in place of the original chapel, along with a wooden access bridge.

It became a sanctuary in 1625. Its relative inaccessibility has preserved the site, which has remained almost intact until the 20th century.

The current facade was erected in 1899. Between 1975 and 1978 the church underwent a major renovation. In July 1982, Pope John Paul II elevated the sanctuary to a minor basilica. Inside the Sanctuary is the Scala Santa, a reproduction of the staircase located in Rome near the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, supposedly the stairs Jesus walked the day he was crucified.

How to Get to Spiazzi

by car: from the A4 Milan-Venice, take exit Peschiera del Garda and continue driving towards Spiazzi (km 38) or from the A22 Brennero-Modena, take exit at Affi direction Spiazzi (20 km).

by train: get off at the station of Peschiera del Garda or Verona Porta Nuova and then take the bus line Caprino-Spiazzi

on foot: there is a 2,5 km long winding path through the mountains and some 1,540 steep stairs from Brentino Belluno called “Sentiero della Speranza”. This hike is 2 hours in length.

From the parking lot of Spiazzi there are three options:

shuttle bus – The shuttle departs every 30 minutes, but please note that it only operates June through October. Tickets are €1.80 one-way or €3.00 round trip.

walk – you just need to follow the paved road which starts from the main square of Spiazzi and goes all the way down to the sanctuary. It’s about 1 km long and it's the same road that the shuttle bus uses. It will take you past an alpaca farm followed by the Stations of the Cross.

steps – there is a long flight of steps which leads from Spiazzi down to the sanctuary.

Located just a few steps from Verona and even closer to Lake Garda, it is undoubtedly one of the most picturesque places dedicated to the Virgin, worthy of a visit at least once in a lifetime. And indeed, perched as it is on the edge of the Adige valley, halfway up the vertical rocky wall at an altitude of 774 m, it is the most daring of the Sanctuaries in Italy. Initially known as the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Baldo, it was later called "of the Crown" due to the shape of the rocks that surround it.

The site was originally home to hermits and more precisely to monks who moved there from the Monastery of S. Zeno in Verona. At that time, the site could only be reached by a narrow and dangerous path through the rocks. The beauty and peace of the place began to attract more and more people, so much so that in the 13th century the need was felt to build a small monastery with a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Baldo at the site where the sanctuary now stands.

According to a local legend, in 1522 a wooden sculpture of Our Lady of the Crown was miraculously transported here from the island of Rhodes by angels, and the chapel was immediately replaced with the construction of a larger church and a wooden bridge.

In 1625 it became a Sanctuary, and the difficult accessibility of the place kept it virtually intact until the 20th century. In 1899 the current facade was built. Demolition and reconstruction of the Sanctuary were carried out from 1975 to 1978. In July 1982, the Sanctuary was granted the title of "minor basilica" by Pope John Paul II.

Inside the Sanctuary, there is a reproduction of the famous Holy Stairs, located in Rome near the Basilica of St. John Lateran, which according to tradition was the same stairs used by Jesus on the day of his crucifixion.