The sanctuary of Nostra Signora delle Grazie stands along the road that leads to the cemetery of Castelvecchio, and it is the oddest building in the municipality: its plan is shaped like a heart, with a small portico in front.
What to see
The shape is everything. It is neither a cruciform church nor a nave church but a building drawn around a symbolic figure, a rare thing in a valley where churches have rectangular plans and square bell towers. Originally the little church was not dedicated to the Virgin: in the sixteenth century it bore the name of San Bernardo, and the present title came later.
Visiting
It is a few minutes on foot from the village, following the cemetery road. It is small and should be seen from outside before inside, because it is from outside that the heart-shaped plan can be read; the portico in front also serves as shelter.
Our editors' tip
Pair it with the du Castagneu path, which loops around the castle: in half an hour you see the two things at Castelvecchio that resemble nothing else, the stronghold on its knoll and a church shaped like a heart.
