Madonna del Monte Sanctuary

If you start off from the Pisan Fortress in Marciana and follow the path with the Stations of the Cross (Via Crucis), you'll get to the Madonna del Monte Sanctuary.

The church is in a particularly enchanting position surrounded by nature, and probably dates back to the XVl century (although there is evidence of it being there many years before). There is very little inside the Sanctuary, so the semi-darkness, the silence and the cool air help give it an intimate and suggestive atmosphere. The fresco of the Madonna Assunta looking up to the sky, painted on a slab of granite, probably dates back to the Xlll century, when it was part of a niche opposite the fountain, and later became part of the church.

During the repair works in 1995, the 16th century frescos done by Sodom were found behind the high altar.

The exedra in front of the outside wall, with the permanent spring of pure water coming down directly from Monte Capanne, dates back to 1690, while the hermitage next to the church is from the XVl century.

San Paolo della Croce stayed here in 1735, and Napoleon used it for a short period in the summer of 1914, not only to get away from the torrid heat of Portoferraio, but also to spend time with his beloved Polish girlfriend Maria Walewska where nobody could see them.

The feast of the Madonna del Monte is celebrated on August 15th, when many locals go to the Sanctuary to to give thanks to the Virgin.