Santissima Trinità

Santissima Trinità tickets: which one to buy

The Sanctuary of the Montagna Spaccata, the Split Mountain, stands on the Monte Orlando promontory at the southern end of Serapo beach in Gaeta, on the coast between Rome and Naples, and entry is free, with donations welcome. It is an unusual place where religious tradition and natural spectacle meet: the rock of the headland is split by deep fissures that plunge down to the sea, and a staircase leads into one of them.

Gaeta is about two hours by car from Rome or an hour and a half from Naples, and trains run to nearby Formia, with buses on to Gaeta. Most visitors come in summer for the beaches and combine the sanctuary with the medieval quarter of Gaeta, its castle and the Monte Orlando regional park, which has walking trails and old fortifications. The steps into the fissure are narrow and steep, so wear sensible shoes. Parking near the sanctuary is limited in summer, and a shuttle bus runs from the town at busy times.

Visiting Santissima Trinità: what to see

According to tradition, the mountain split at the moment of Christ's death on the cross, when the Gospels say the earth shook and rocks were torn apart. A Benedictine community settled on the headland in the eleventh century, and the sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity developed around the fissures. From the courtyard, a long staircase, lined with ceramic tiles showing the Stations of the Cross, descends between the rock walls to the small Chapel of the Crucifix, wedged into the crack high above the sea, with the water visible far below.

Along the way, the rock carries an imprint resembling a hand; legend says that a sceptical Turkish sailor put his hand on the stone, mocking the story, and the rock softened and took its shape. Another path leads down to the Grotta del Turco, a sea cave once used by pirates. The sanctuary church is small, and the complex is run by a religious community today. The main church of the sanctuary holds a venerated image of the Holy Trinity and a painted ceiling. From the terrace near the entrance, the view takes in the Gulf of Gaeta and the Pontine Islands on clear days.

Santissima Trinità opening hours and the best time to go

The sanctuary is open daily, with a break around midday, and it is busiest on summer weekends when the beaches of Gaeta are crowded. Early morning and late afternoon are quieter and cooler for the steps. Spring and autumn are pleasant, with fewer visitors. The descent to the Grotta del Turco may be closed in bad weather or rough seas. Religious celebrations take place around Easter and Holy Trinity Sunday. Gaeta's old town has seafood restaurants and the local tiella, a savoury pie. Allow about forty-five minutes for the sanctuary and the fissure, and add a swim at Serapo beach below. The Monte Orlando park above the sanctuary has paths leading to a Roman mausoleum and old gun batteries.