New Year in the Mountains

---> The legend.... A long time ago a rich and powerful Tyrolean lord abandoned all his lands, his salt mines and his fine castle of Thaur, near Innsbruck, to retire as a hermit in the mountains of Trentino. Little by little Romedio began to perform miracles: he healed the sick, made springs gush from the rock, convinced some crows to help him build a little church, dedicated to the Trinity, in Val di Non. By now elderly, the hermit, who lived in a cave together with his two disciples, ordered one of them, Davide, to saddle the horse. Shortly after, however, Davide came back terrified, shouting that a bear was devouring the horse. Romedio doesn't flinch and orders Davide to go back out and put the bridle on the bear. Davide trusts him, approaches the bear a little trembling and, to his surprise, the animal bowed its head, lowered its back, and let itself be saddled and bridled.

The saint went down the valleys and entered Trento riding the bear, welcomed by the population and a flock of birds. In the sanctuary dedicated to him today you find the bear in flesh and blood. Unfortunately the brown bear of Trentino is dying out because of hunting and is disturbed by human presence.

---> The visit.... We discovered this truly evocative place because we spent New Year in a nearby village. Doing some research on the 'Val di Non' website we found this interesting place. We followed, by car, the directions of the municipality of Sanzeno and then those of the Sanctuary, not always clear. We drove along the narrow snow-covered two-way road up to the large car park, a bit reduced in size by the piles of snow. You cross a little bridge and climb up a short but steep lane clinging to the rock. The difficulty comes above all from the snowy and icy ground.

Its position, on a rock 90 metres high, and its construction made up of various structures, churches and chapels make the place extremely evocative. You climb along the tall staircase connecting the various buildings up to the highest point where you can feel the thrill of the void walking along a walkway... sheer above the drop!

We didn't manage to see the bear because, quite rightly, he had withdrawn somewhere warm. The whole place faces north and in winter is never touched by the sun!

Entry is free and, at the start of the complex, there's a bar / shop with souvenirs of various kinds (linked to worship, nature and architecture); visiting hours are every day from 7.30 am to 6.00 pm.