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Visit San Giovanni Rotondo
San Giovanni Rotondo is a large town to the west of the Gargano in Puglia, south-east Italy.
Churches of San Giovanni Rotondo
A visit to San Giovanni Rotondo can start from the Church of Saint John the Baptist, whic gave the city its name due to its round shape; it was probably a baptistery in the 7th or 8th century built on ancient foundations, perhaps a temple of Janus. The Church of Saint Hermit Onofrio, located near the city, dates back to the 14th century, and has a Gothic façade complete with a rose and a portal with a bow worked in relief with acanthus leaves resting on two lions supported by two columns. The first construction of the Church of Our Lady of Loreto dates back to the 16th century.
Between the 16th and 17th centuries work started on the Franciscan Monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie, a monastic structure that has significant recent expansion. Consecrated and dedicated to “Santa Maria delle Grazie”, the main altar has a tempera painting of the “Madonna delle Grazie”, from the middle of the 16 century, a work by the local school of Cesare Turco (1510-1560) and Decio Tramontano (active between 1556 and 1599). The painting of the Virgin is part of a triptych with S. John the Baptist. In the sacristy of the Holy Shrine of Santa Maria delle Grazie there are some paintings depicting St. Anthony of Padua, St. Michael and of the Eternal Father, on the front door of the corridor between the old and the new vestry. They are attributable, probably, to a Neapolitan Mannerist painter of the late sixteenth century.
In the old sacristy three paintings are framed: “The crucified Jesus with the holy women and St. John Evangelist”, the “Lady of Sorrows”, and “Jesus crowned with thorns”. The paintings are certainly by monks of the time. Besides these paintings, we mention also the “Adoration of the Crucifix”, oil on canvas, by an apprentice of Giacomo del Po ( 1652-1726). The Church, in the lines and in the development volume, is very simple with clear references to the Romanesque style. The façade is in travertine and it is of rectangular shape , divided by two rows of monolithic columns. Among the sculptures, we note the statue of the “Madonna delle Grazie”, by Antonio Bassi da Trani (18th century). A large mosaic depicting the image of “ Our lady of Grace between Angels” also stands out, along with many other works by contemporary painters and sculptors.
After the death of Padre Pio, his brothers built a new church in San Giovanni Rotondo to accommodate an influx of believers, and commissioned Renzo Piano to design it. The church is truly monumental and from the artistic point of view the so-called “Aula Liturgica” is also remarkable, enriched with many statues by the sculptor Giuliano Vangi (born in 1931), made of “Apricena” stone, the bronze cross and Altar Apricena stone, by Arnaldo Pomodoro (born in 1926) and the Tabernacle in lava stone and silver by Floriano Bodini (1933-2005); the glass in the Chapel of Sacramento is by Michele Canzoneri (born in 1944), while the bronze doors and the baptismal font are by Mimmo Paladino (born in 1948), the "Eaglet" of marble on the wall is by Mario Rossello (1927-2000); the window of the church depicts scenes of the Apocalypse.
We conclude our tour of the religious buildings with the Church of S. Ursula, 18th century and with interesting contemporary paintings and Flemish fifteenth century brasses in the sacristy. The external façade of the Baroque-Rococo style is adorned with fine statues and stucco while its interior is decorated with frescoes in tempera by Natale Penati (1884-1955).
As we can see, San Giovanni Rotondo is a town characterized by an essentially religious character of tourism and art, but there are nearby various opportunities for more classic seaside and nature tourism, with the opportunity for tourists to get in touch with all the traditions related to the local handicrafts and the cuisine of Puglia - in this regard, the typical dish of San Giovanni Rotondo is the "Miscisca", mutton or beef, dried and then flavoured with herbs and enjoyed with a glass of the local good wine.
See also history of San Giovanni Rotondo
See the the Puglia travel guide for more places to visit in the same region as San Giovanni Rotondo.