The little temple inside the cave
Not far from the entrance to the Frasassi Caves, in the Gola di Frasassi, a short path climbs up the wooded side of the gorge to one of the most surprising and picturesque sights in the Marche: a small, white neoclassical temple, perfectly octagonal, with a lead-covered dome and a classical portico, built inside the mouth of a huge natural cave, sheltered by the rock as if in a giant stone niche. It is the Tempio del Valadier, officially the Sanctuary of Santa Maria Infra Saxa, "among the rocks", built in 1828 to a design by the famous Roman architect Giuseppe Valadier, the author of Piazza del Popolo in Rome, at the wish of Pope Leo XII, who was born in the nearby village of Genga, to offer a place of prayer to the shepherds and pilgrims of the area.
According to tradition, the temple was built as a place of refuge for sinners, and inside it housed a statue of the Madonna with Child in marble, attributed to the school of Canova, today replaced by a copy. A few metres away, in another cavity of the same cave, stands the much older Hermitage of Santa Maria Infra Saxa, a small church built in the eleventh century, perhaps by Benedictine nuns, partly dug into the rock, which tells of the ancient tradition of hermits and monks who chose these wild, isolated caves as a place of prayer and solitude. The path that leads to the temple, about ten minutes from the parking area along the gorge, among woods and rocks, is easy and evocative, and the contrast between the elegant neoclassical architecture and the wild nature of the cave is unforgettable.
Tip: combine the temple with the visit to the Frasassi Caves; the path is short but steep, wear comfortable shoes.
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