Highlights from July’s Ask Me Anything About Italy

The full video replay is now available for subscribers.

Last night, during our Ask Me Anything About Italy, Gail asked about how to get around the Gargano Peninsula, a far-off-the-beaten-path destination known for its lush pine forests, mountain hikes, and a coast composed of white limestone cliffs that give way to long, sandy beaches on a turquoise sea.

Italians flock to Vieste in the summer, but much of the area feels untouched. I suggested she also visit the Sanctuary of Monte Sant’Angelo, a very woo-woo cave church, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a story that changed the course of history. (And if you’re thinking, ‘What the heck is a UNESCO World Heritage site?’, listen to or watch this week’s podcast.)

Built around apparitions of the Archangel Michael, the cave drew medieval pilgrims from across Europe. Among them were the Normans, who, after making a pilgrimage to the grotto of Saint Michael, who led the battle of good over evil, looked around at the disorganized local governments and decided… hey, we should conquer southern Italy. I explained what happened next in the video replay.

Later in the evening, another guest asked about a cave of Saint Michael near his ancestral village. At the time, I didn’t realize he was talking about a different place — Sant’Angelo a Fasanella in the wild interior of the Cilento. It’s very remote, and many of the nearby villages are nearly abandoned. (Forget those $1- house schemes. Here you can buy an entire town for a song.) It’s a hiker’s paradise, and it breaks the hearts of those who wish the government would invest in this place, which has such extraordinary potential for tourism. And yet its sense of sacredness and purity is profound.

Cave church dedicated to the Archangel Michael in the interior of the Cilento

These are the kinds of inspiring conversations we have during the monthly Q&As. If you want to find ways to deeply connect to food, history, and nature in Italy, I invite you to join us.

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