• Casa Natale di Padre Pio - Padre Pio, born Francesco Forgione, came into the world in Pietrelcina, a small town near Benevento, on May 25, 1887. His parents were Grazio (known as “Orazio”) Maria Forgione and Maria Giuseppa (known as “Peppa”) of Nunzio. The house where Padre Pio was born, known as Zì Grazio’s house, is located at Vico Storto Valle 27 in Pietrelcina. It consists of a single room, accessed by three external steps. To the right upon entering, there is a night table and a wrought iron double bed. Opposite the four-glazed window is a well-used washbasin and an old chest. A square table covered with a faded carpet, stacked with books used by Padre Pio during his school days with Master Caccavo, stands nearby. A modestly framed photograph sent to his mother by a young lady from San Giovanni Rotondo is also present.

To the left of the entrance, another chest and two chairs complete the room’s furnishings. On the wall above the bed’s headboard are four lithographs of Madonnas and two Crucifixes. A trap door in the floor leads to a lower room used as a warehouse and donkey barn, which can also be accessed through an external door on the side of the house. From a young age, Francesco felt a strong desire to dedicate himself entirely to God, setting him apart from his peers. His mother, Peppa, often remarked, “He never disobeyed, never acted out, always obeyed me and his father. Every morning and evening, he went to church to visit Jesus and the Madonna. He never played outside with his companions. Sometimes I would tell him, ‘Francì, go out and play a little.’ He would refuse, saying, ‘I don’t want to go because they blaspheme.’”

• San Giovanni Rotondo - In the Gargano region of Puglia, amidst natural beauty and charming villages, lies one of Italy’s most significant places of faith: San Giovanni Rotondo. Here stands the Shrine of Padre Pio, attracting millions of faithful each year. The sanctuary features prefabricated pillars, vibrant mosaics with iridescent colors, and polychrome stained glass with sharp, sometimes abstract designs. Unlike older sanctuaries filled with stuccos and frescoes, this place exudes a strong and clear sense of faith.

• San Giovanni Rotondo - Ascending the stairways from the square to the town, you reach another square overlooking the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, the convent complex where Padre Pio lived. The old and new churches, both dedicated to Santa Maria delle Grazie, stand close together. The new church was built at the friar’s request to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims visiting him. On the lower floor is the sarcophagus where the friar was buried, which held his remains from his death in 1968 until 2008, when his body was moved to the crystal case in the new sanctuary.

• Bottled water
• In-vehicle air conditioning
• Parking
• Fuel
• Tolls

• Tips are not included - meals and anything else that may be considered extra

The journey to Puglia takes us to this town in the province of Foggia, which receives 6 million visitors every year. All thanks to the figure of St. Pius, who lived and did good works here. Beloved and controversial figure, he is undoubtedly the great protagonist of the history of Catholicism of the last century. A reputation that lasts for decades, if not centuries, to come. He thanks a small town in the Gargano, which saw its tourism explode thanks to the portentous presence of this man. In San Giovanni Rotondo, Padre Pio spent almost all his life, and he did the works there. The faithful look to miracles, but even those who do not believe cannot deny the influence that the humble Capuchin friar has had on the masses. A great personality. Whether you are believers or not, the cult of San Pio can be an excuse to visit a delightful village in the country, those that can only be admired if you opt for holidays in Italy.

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