Santa Maria de Idris e San Giovanni in Monterrone

After our afternoon riposo, we made the walk up the many stairs to see the Chiesa Rupestre di Santa Maria di Idris. This is a cave church that is dug into the rock and is located on the high part of the rocky spur just up from San Pietro Caveoso. Due to continuous alterations over the centuries there is not much left intact, however its crypt is the site of important frescoes that date back to the 8th century that conservationists are trying to preserve. The unique thing with this church is that it is literally built into the mountain with the crypt being nothing more than a cave dug into the stone.

Unfortunately, we really weren’t that impressed, having paid an entrance fee, there was no information in English and with the deterioration of the frescoes, they weren’t that impressive. Harsh, I know, and while we appreciate the history and the location, we have seen some amazing sites so far and this one is not one we would suggest to other travellers.

In saying that, the church was unique, and the views of the city and the gully were definitely worth the walk up. We spent some time admiring them before heading back down to find somewhere for dinner.Read more