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Wedding Day at the Basilica of Sant'Elia
Interior of the Basilica of Sant’Elia, a Romanesque church constructed in the eighth century by hermit cave dwellers, who embraced the Benedictine Rule and founded the Monastery of St. Elias. It is believed the basilica rose where the Emperor Nerone had erected a temple to Diana the Huntress and where before that Etruscans had built a shrine dedicated to Pico Marzio.
Currently, no regular visiting hours at the basilica, but often open on the weekends. We lucked out on our second visit there. Not only was the church open, but set up for a wedding.
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Sant' Anna Piazza View
Wild flowers growing on the hillside off of Sant' Anna Piazza in the the medival village of Castel Sant' Elia, Italy. That piazza offers a breathtaking vista of Suppentonia Valley, Sanctuary of Santa Maria ad Rupes (on cliff beyond flowers), and the Basilica of Sant'Elia that sits upon the floor of the valley.
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Holy Valley
The Sanctuary of Santa Maria ad Rupes sits upon a cliff overlooking Suppentonia Valley, the gorge that snakes between Nepi and Parazzeto in the Lazio region of Italy. Within the sanctuary you can descend the 144 tufa steps that Brother Rodio started digging in 1782 and completed in 1796. Pilgrims over the centuries have made there their way down those stairs to the grotto containing a venerated 16th century painting of the Madonna and Child and on down to the “road of the saints”. That trail leads to the Basilica of Sant’Elia, constructed in the eighth century by hermit cave dwellers, who embraced the Benedictine Rule.
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Sanctuary of Santa Maria ad Rupes
Sanctuary of Santa Maria ad Rupes overlooks Suppentonia Valley, a tree covered gorge that snakes between Nepi and Parazzeto in the Lazio region of Italy. For centuries the sanctuary has attracted believers and non-believers for its beauty, history, and grotto containing the venerated 16th century Maddona icon.
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Basilica of Sant'Elia
Located within the valley floor of Italy's picturesque Suppentonia Valley, Basilica Sant'Elia attracts visitors from around the world. The basilica was constructed in the eighth century by hermit cave dwellers, who embraced the Benedictine Rule and founded the Monastery of St. Elias. It is believed the basilica rose where the Emperor Nerone had erected a temple to Diana and where before that Etruscans had built a shrine dedicated to Pico Marzio.
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Sanctuary Road
Road within Sanctuary of Santa Maria ad Rupes in the medieval village of Castel Sant'Elia in the Lazio region of Italy.
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Heavenly Site
View from rock face terrace of the Sanctuary of Santa Maria ad Rupes in Castel Sant'Elia, Italy.
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Wisteria Arbor
Mid-cliff terrace of Sanctuary of Santa Maria ad Rupes in Castel Sant'Elia, Italy.
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A Kodak Moment
This cobblestone street in the Tunisian town of El Jem encircles El Jem the monument, the third largest colosseum of the Roman Empire.
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Deborah Downes has been a member since 20 May 2008 and goes by dsdownes.
Currently in Italy.
Subscriber since May 2008!
I am an American writer, currently working on a book about the two times I lived in China. My husband's position as a golf course design coordinator keeps us on the go. Our recent move to Italy marks my 57th move. Though moving from one country to another and adjusting to cultrual differences can be overwhelming, I love my life. Actually, I have two, my life overseas and the one I live when at my Dallas home, near where my daughter and granddaughters live. Besides writing, I love photography.
