I came across it by chance, driving alongside Lake Varano, a few kilometres from the old town of Cagnano Varano in Puglia. The Grotto Church of San Michele (also known as Grotta di San Michele, or Saint Michael’s Cave) doesn’t feature in any guidebooks, and could easily be overlooked. But it turned out to be one of the highlights of my visit to the Gargano Peninsula.
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Grotta Di San Michele At Cagnano Varano
The road was deserted, and spring flowers were growing everywhere. The church was on the side of a spectacular valley, but what really caught my attention was the large (empty) car park and the rows of amphitheatre style seating. I walked through a gate topped by a statue of St Michael and down the path into a small garden with a well. The custodian of the church was sitting on a seat at the entrance to a large cave. He woke with a start as I approached: clearly he was not expecting many visitors that day!
The grotto is surprisingly large, one of the many limestone caverns for which the Gargano Peninsula is famous. Despite the altar and other church fittings you are always aware that you are in a cave. Moss competes with the faded frescoes on the walls, and water is dripping everywhere (be careful not to slip on the wet rocks). There is a natural fountain behind the alter, and the water is said to have healing properties, particularly for eyesight.
The Cult Of Saint Michael
The church, and the main altar, are dedicated to the Archangel Michael. The cult of St Michael spread across the Gargano Peninsula in the 5th century, and several churches in the region were founded in his name (most famously the Sanctuary at Monte Sant’Angelo).
There are various legends associated with the Grotto at Cagnano. The cave was probably inhabited since paleolithic times and it was later used by pagan cults. The story is that St Michael descended from heaven and ordered the founding of a church on this site. It became a place of pilgrimage and it is said that St Francis of Assisi made the journey here. I spotted an “ex voto” (a carving made by an ancient pilgrim) on the floor.
Festa Di San Michele
The Festa di San Michele takes place in Cagnano Varano in May each year to commemorate the appearance of the Archangel. The festival includes a pilgrimage from the town to the Grotto Church, as well as other activities and religious celebrations. This makes sense of the rows of seats and the car park: the church obviously plays host to large numbers of visitors in May.
I climbed to the top of the seating area and found a kiosk (now closed) and a number of picnic benches, presumably to cater for hungry pilgrims. Standing there, and looking across the valley, I started to imagine what it would be like to be here at the time of the pilgrimage, to sit among the worshippers and gaze at the spectacular view. St Michael surely chose an inspiring location for his church.
10 thoughts on “The Grotto Church Of San Michele At Cagnano Varano, Puglia”
Awesome place… is it difficult driving in this part of italy? I’m an American who is planning .my first visit
Hi Dean, I don’t know if you’ve driven in Italy before, but the roads aren’t as big as American roads and the drivers can sometimes be a bit fast and furious! Having said that, we had a car in Puglia, and found that the roads were quite quiet and the driving here was easier than in some other parts of the country. Hope you have a great trip.
How do we get here from FCO, please? Any advice for public transportation would greatly be appreciated. We have thought about renting a car and driving five hours from Rome, but we are leery about that, especially after reading other Americans experiences.
Hi Jane, there isn’t an easy answer to this question… When I went we flew to Bari and hired a car from there. You could get a flight from FCO to Bari – it’s a two hour drive from there but at least you wouldn’t have to go across the mountains. I think you could also get a train to Bari, although it might be quite a long journey. If you’re taking the train it’s probably better to go to Foggia – if you’re really determined you could probably complete your journey by bus, but it might be easier to drive (roads not too manic in Puglia!). Good luck – let me know how you get on.
Thank you for this valuable information. I believe it would be favorable to us to take the train from FCO to Foggia, then a two hour taxi to the caves. (I’m concerned about how expensive this would be since we will be paying in euros.) nonetheless, we are very determined to make this part of our pilgrimage to see Saint Michael’s cave.
May I ask: I came across this hotel called Monte Sant’Angelo at Casa del Pellegrino. And they state that they are “adjacent” to the caves, but did not tell me how far distance. When I looked on Google maps, it seems to be an hour away by car. Do you have any information on where we can stay for the night while we visit Saint Michael’s cave please?
Hi Jane, I think there may be some confusion here as there are two cave churches associated with St Michael in the Gargano area. The more important one is at Monte Sant’Angelo (which I wrote about here – https://bewitchedbyitaly.com/day-in-monte-santangelo-puglia.html), and the one at Cagnano Varano is smaller and lesser known. The hotel you mention would be good if you wanted the cave church at Monte Sant’Angelo, which does seem to be a pilgrimage destination. For the Grotta di San Michele you could try the B&B Atlantide in Cagnano Varano which is about 4 km from the grotto. Hope that makes sense!
Hi Karen! I wanted to give you an update on our pilgrimage:
From Rome we flew to Bari, where we visited the Basilica of Saint Nicholas and picked up some “manna” mixed with holy water. From there it was a 1 hour bus ride to Foggia, then transferred to another bus for a 2 hour drive to Cagnano Varano, followed by a 15-min walk to B&B Atlantide where we stayed overnight.
The next morning we met a local driver at the cafe across the street and asked him to take us to St Michael’s cave (which only 3.7 km away – that’s an 8-min car ride or a 48 minute walk). Because we came in November and this is the off-season in Italy, some very nice people at the café had called someone at Saint Michael’s cave to come and open the gates for us. We got to visit and pray inside the cave and purchase some stones, as well as holy water and oil to take home with us.
Our trip back to Rome consisted of a 2 Hour private car ride from Cagnano Verano to Foggia, where we took a 3 hour bus ride from Foggia to Caserta to catch a 2 hour fast train ride to Rome terminal. (*Our bus to Caserta got to the train station late and we missed our original train. So we booked the fast train into Rome and got in 30 minutes after our original arrival time.
Overall, this was a great experience! I hope that whoever reads this will be inspired to go on their own pilgrimage. And, thank you so much for giving us these valuable tips!!!
Hi Jane, thanks for the update – it sounds like a great experience and I’m glad you had a good time!
My wife and I were in San Giovanni Rotondo and intended to go to Monte San’Angelo but when I put St. Michael’s Cave into Google maps this location showed up. When I got there I knew it was not our intended destination, but we believe in Divine Providence and decided to check it out. It was very interesting and the caretaker could not have been nicer. We spent a while there prayed and picked up some souvenirs. We then made the drive to Mont San’Angelo, which is only about 50 minutes away by car. So in reality it became a full day dedicated to St. Michael. You can easily do both in one day. Well worth the experience at both sites.
“Accidental discoveries” are often the best! Glad you enjoyed your visit.