santuario di san michele arcangelo

This is quite a place, a grotto, a church, a sanctuary. And a bit of spectacular piece of architecture. We bought our tickets prior to our visit of San Michele, at the tourist office. The town has a spectacular setting and you have to be a daring driver (or one used to this kind of steep terrain), but it is so worth the effort.

Grotto di St. Michele an inspirational and spiritual destination. The medieval town and church are a must see in Apulia. An ancient pilgrimage route and modern religious destination the area successfully links the present and past together. At times you feel transported in time and then around the corner come face to face with modernity.

I traveled with a group of friends in September, to be more specific, it was one of our "stops" in the route of pilgrimage we made to visit most beautiful Italian shrines. (Padova, Della Verna, Cascia, Asiz, Monte Cassino, San Giovanni Rotondo, Monte Sant'Angelo...)It is indescribable, this place is one of those places in the world where you can feel inner peace.Make sure that you come 29th of september at the Feast of Archangels!Or if you avoid crowds, try to avoid that date.Will come next year for sure!

this church is built on the rocks in a cave; there is a legend about the arcangel Michael that appeared and left his sign on the rock. the atmosphere is really suggestive. from there passed the knights leaving for crusade 1000 years ago.

The chapel is partly in a cave. Exceptionally beautiful! We took the public bus up from Manfredonia. Definitely recommend!

A truly unique blend of the natural cavern and more traditional church architecture. There have been some additions since our last visit several years ago; a museum of art inspired by visions of St. Michael, the confessional and even guided tours of the crypt. It is a place that has held onto the reverence of the institution, despite changing the main icon of St. Michael. Definitely worth a visit for the pilgrim and non-pilgrim alike. Before wandering the serpentine streets of this ancient town. Once you leave the main streets bargains and local fare is to be found.

Really happy to be here again!My third time here and I always thank GOD and SAN MICHAEL for this great opportunity in life!Beautiful to see people from All over The world with The same LOVE and veneration for SAN MICHAEL! We had a chance to take part to a mass from a german priest and his group. Really very beautiful.Dispite All my devotion, I was disapointed with The priest at The information desk inside The church. I asked him to BLESS my son and I, plus SOME souvenirs. He Did it, but in a really fast and cold way... What a enormous difference from yesterday at San Pio church, where we were touched by The love and positive energy from a blessed priest from Haiti... Well, love is not for everybody...Beside this, I was also disapointed with public toilettes in The city, near the santuary. Not for free and also disgusting... What a pity... Parking place was nice, but 3€...

As ones arrive to the sanctuary one needs to descend to the actual entrance. Afterwards, one is directly in front of the main entrance. One can visit 2 crypts/chapels free of charge, the first one having the statue of Saint Michael. Then at a price, one can see a small museum and the crypt. We decided to buy the city ticket which apart from these two attractions, including the castle, the baptistery and a museum all for just 6 euro. Price worth really good. The museum was small, but nice filled with religious artefacts. Then on to the crypt which has to be visit only with a guide. Sorry to say, but I went there to visit the crypt, not to listen to all the nonsense which came to the mind of that idiot guide, Enrico. He talked about the Israeli - Palestine conflict, about Berlusconi, about wearing tangas in churches, about the lack of assistance in Saint Pio's churches in San Giovanni Rotondo and much more. Irrelevant to say the least. Still the crypt is worth visiting. So, one has to tolerate this egocentric man. Indeed, all because of him I rated the visit very good not excellent.

If the history of this place is true and you have faith you cannot miss such a place. Still worth see number of historical artefacts. Tour guide although knowledgable on the subject sometimes deviated a went out of subject. Still a place not worth missing.

What a BLESS to visit this great santuary again! Thanks GOD and loved Saint Michael for this great opportunity!!! Full of love and positive energy bring us this place!I hope to be back soon!

Our hotel staff recommended the Sanctuary of the Archangel Michael and we were not disappointed. The grotto was amazing and the walk around town was very cool. The location was disabled friendly and the people were very helpful. The view from the town was not to be missed.

The site is quite interesting, both from the artistic and historical point of view.It has also an inspiring spirtitual value.The visit can include an optional visit to the underground ancient medieval access, for a small fee.Unfortunately, this is not accessible as a a free visit, but a guided tour is compulsory. This would be fine in general, except that we ended up "guided" by a certain Enrico who couldn't refrain from blablaing about anything that came to his mind, from the Gaza-Israel confrontation to the Devil and exorcism portraits in popular B-rated TV shows. After wasting 1/2 h "introduction" upstairs he finally lead a group of about 25 down to the actual place, where again he wasted everybody's time in pointless explanations (occasionally incorrect ones, e.g. he mentioned Brescia rather than Pavia as the Langobards capital). The whole thing could be resolved effectively and instructively in about 25-30 mins, with a clear accounting of all the pieces of art contained there and the role of the structure.Overall an average experience, but could have been much better.

The drive up the mountain provides amazing views. But the shine is what everyone goes there for. We went on a Sunday, so was able to witness mass in the cave chapel and it was truly a memorable thing to see, even for a none religious person, quite wonderful. Afterwards, it was interesting to see groups of men and youths in the old town, with all the women no doubt cooking dinner at home. A must see if you visit Puglia. Some nice cafes in the old town, but it can get busy.

The drive up the mountain to 750m gave a hint as to what we could expect. Another magnificent road and no traffic, no parking attendants or scammers. We parked in the street and were surprised how few people were about. Maybe the threatening clouds or the imminent world cup match. In any case, a stroll to the sanctuary ( no fee) down to the sizable furnished grotto church with frescoes on the walls on the way down and a modern painting which provided a sense of connection between 490AD and modern day. Onto the Tombs di Rotary (0,60euro) with beautiful frescoes from 13Century.Gentle walk through the Centro storico on one of the tourist walks then lunch at a small café on the way down. Then the thunder clouds gathered and the rain started and we made our way back to Trani - an easy 2 hour trip via salt pans and lidos.

Amazing place. It definitely worth a visit despite the "panoramic" road to drive through. The whole city is an unexpected location with narrow streets and amazing views.