Sanctuary of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina

Sanctuary of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina tickets: which one to buy

The Sanctuary of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina is in San Giovanni Rotondo, on the Gargano promontory in Puglia, and it is one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in Italy, drawing millions of pilgrims a year. Entry to the churches and the tomb is free. San Giovanni Rotondo is about forty kilometres from Foggia, which has the nearest railway station, and buses connect the two; many pilgrims arrive on organised coach tours.

Tours often combine the sanctuary with Monte Sant'Angelo, whose cave sanctuary of Saint Michael is a UNESCO site, and with the beaches and forests of the Gargano National Park. The sanctuary offers an information centre and guided visits. The friars' convent, where Padre Pio lived, includes his cell and the old church. Modest dress and silence are expected in the churches. Pilgrim groups often reserve masses in the chapels, and individual visitors can join them.

Visiting Sanctuary of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina: what to see

Padre Pio, a Capuchin friar born in Pietrelcina in 1887, lived at the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in San Giovanni Rotondo from 1916 until his death in 1968. He was famous for the stigmata, wounds resembling those of Christ, which he bore for fifty years, for his confessions and for reported miracles, and he was canonised in 2002. The sanctuary includes the small old church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, from the sixteenth century, the newer church of 1959, the friar's cell and the crucifix before which he received the stigmata. In 2004 a vast new church designed by Renzo Piano was consecrated, with a fan-shaped roof supported by stone arches, able to hold thousands of people.

Beneath it, the lower church holds the body of Saint Pio in a glass reliquary, visible to pilgrims; its walls are covered with gold mosaics. The hospital Padre Pio founded, the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, stands nearby. The friar's cell, with his simple bed and chair, is preserved as he left it. A long Way of the Cross, with large bronze sculptures, climbs the hill behind the sanctuary. The confessional where he heard confessions for decades is still displayed in the old church. A museum shows his vestments, letters and personal objects.

Sanctuary of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina opening hours and the best time to go

The sanctuary is open daily, and the busiest times are summer weekends and the feast day of Saint Pio on 23 September, the anniversary of his death, when pilgrims fill the town. The anniversary of his birth in May and of his canonisation in June also bring crowds. Winter is quieter, and the Gargano can be cold and windy. Mornings on weekdays are the calmest time to see the tomb. The town has many hotels and restaurants catering to pilgrims. Allow about two hours for the sanctuary, the tomb and the old convent, and half a day more for Monte Sant'Angelo. Monte Sant'Angelo, about half an hour's drive, holds a cave sanctuary to Saint Michael visited since the fifth century.