The sanctuary stands at Madonna di Curagna, on the floor of the Pennavaire valley, at 335 metres, among steep mountains and fields of sage and fruit trees. It was not born of an apparition or a miracle: the faithful built it out of devotion, probably where a church already stood.
What to see
The plan is octagonal, with a dome, and in its present form it dates from the eighteenth century. Above the central altar hangs an unusual image: the Virgin as a baby girl in a cradle, because the sanctuary is dedicated to the Nativity of Mary and not to the grown Madonna. In the side niches stand wooden statues of her parents, Anne and Joachim.
Visiting
You reach it along the valley floor, and it is one of the few things at Nasino that does not require a climb. During restoration work an old fresco came to light that pushed the dating back: the building turns out to be among the earliest churches of the Pennavaire valley, which explains why devotion here is older than the structure you see.
Our editors' tip
Combine the visit with the hollow chestnut of Curagna: it is a few steps away, on the mule track to Vignolo, and it is the other monument of the place — except that it is a tree.
