Every 13 December a torchlight procession climbs the flank of Monte San Pietro dei Monti and stops in front of a cave: inside the rock there is a church. The rock-cut sanctuary of Santa Lucia occupies the front section of the Santa Lucia Superiore cave, on the southern slope of the mountain, in the municipality of Toirano. A small place of worship partly carved into the stone already existed in the late Middle Ages; the present one was hollowed out of the cavity between the 15th and 16th centuries, and in 1519 a bull of Pope Leo X granted it the title of sanctuary, joining it in the same decree to the hospital in Toirano's old town.
What to see
Two centuries-old cypresses grow on the forecourt, beside the house known as the Hermit's House, topped by a Baroque bell tower. The two structures partly enclose the natural cavity: the sanctuary itself is cut into the rock and paved with cobbles, and the altar stands raised above the floor. Behind a wrought-iron grille is the statue of Saint Lucy of Syracuse, carved by Taddeo Carlone; devotion to the Sicilian saint was already circulating among the faithful of the Varatella valley in the 15th century.
The furnishings are completed by an early nineteenth-century painting of the healing saints Agatha and Apollonia, signed by Agostino Oxilia of Savona. A second recess of the Santa Lucia Superiore cave runs about a hundred metres into the mountain: its walls carry carvings and signatures left by pilgrims who came this far, a kind of visitors' book written on stone.
Visiting
The climb starts from Toirano, towards the Varatella valley; the sanctuary opens halfway up the slope and the last stretch is done on foot, so wear shoes suited to uneven ground. The setting is still a cave: little light, cool air even in August, cobbles that turn slippery after rain. Opening times are not fixed all year round, so it is worth asking in the village before setting off. From the forecourt in front of the entrance, in the shade of the two cypresses, the view runs down the Toirano valley to the sea.
Our editors' tip
If you can choose your date, come on 13 December: the torchlight procession organised by the Gruppo Speleologico Cycnus gives the cave back its original job, a place of worship lit by fire. In other months we suggest standing on the forecourt for a few minutes before going in, letting your eyes adjust: the shift from open daylight to the darkness of the rock is half the visit.