Padre Pio's town, San Giovanni Rotondo, Puglia, Southern Italy.
I am a fan of Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina so have been here several times. The site has changed a lot since the early 2000's, it used to just be the original parish with Padre Pio's tomb in a room below, where devotees would kneel around the tomb, place roses and petitions through a grill, and have a chance to quietly reflect. Now it has grown into the huge Padre Pio Pilgrimage Church large enough to house 36,500 people, with a golden room housing the saint's tomb, where you are ushered in a queue past the crack in the wall from where you can see the silver casket. I personally prefer what it was like before, however, it is a frequently visited pilgrimage site, and is still holy ground where Padre Pio once lived, celebrated masses, opened a hospital, and is now buried.
In the town I have met a few older locals who used to personally know him, the devotion to him there and in Italy in general is incredible. The lady whose hotel I always stay in used to know the saint when she was a little girl, and he predicted that she would open a hotel for when his friends come to visit.
One can see the original parish, the new basilica, the museum of his personal items, and do the stations of the cross in one or two days. Heading up to nearby Monte Sant'Angelo is a must. I will go into that next, suffice to say it is a favourite pilgrimage site for Padre Pio himself.
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| The Padre Pio Pilgrimage Church |
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| Saint Padre Pio's Tomb |
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| The viewing spot in the wall where the tomb is |
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| One of the many mosaics of the saint in the church |
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