Italians are a religious people, it is not for nothing that the Vatican is located on the territory of their country. Each city in Italy has its own special holidays, Naples, for example, especially revered the Madonna del Carmine, and in its suburb - Piedigrotta, Santa Maria di Piedigrotta is celebrated.
The celebration in honor of the Madonna takes place on a warm Italian night from 7 to 8 September. “Piedigrotta” in translation from Italian means “at the foot of the grotto”. Since ancient times, folk festivals have taken place in this place.
The inhabitants of Piedigrotta, like all Italians, are very musical. They composed lyrical and very melodic songs dedicated to Madonna. In this town, there was even a folk music festival dedicated to Santa Maria di Piedigrotta, where residents sing songs of love for their saint.
Perhaps this is the most mysterious Madonna in the whole world. She leaves the church every fifty years. Once upon a time there was a cave on this place where people saw the saint. Later, a church was built here, where tourists and pilgrims come from all over the world, it is called that - Santa Maria di Piedigrotta.
The day of this Madonna is celebrated with solemn processions and the obligatory singing of folk songs. Although people know that the saint appears only once every fifty years, they still expect her to appear every year. In 1967, Santa Maria left the church for the last time, that is, in 2017 we can expect her next appearance.
To get to the holiday, you need to get to Naples, and from this city you can easily get to Piedigrotta by bus or taxi. In southern Italy, Naples is the most important destination, so the choice of trains is wide. There is also Eurostar, which will bring you from Rome faster than others. Departure stations from the capital are Garibaldi and Central Railway. More than thirty trains run between Rome and Naples every day.
You can also easily get away from Piazza Garibaldi by bus. If you are traveling by car, Naples is easy to find as the city is located on the main road, the del Sole motorway. It will be even easier to purchase a tour to the Santa Maria di Piedigrotta festival.
