A memory of Pompeii

How much time has passed! I travel with my parents, who got married here in a town known for its beautiful excavations, which alas we didn't see, and for its very famous basilica. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary is one of the main centres of Marian devotion in Italy. The Sanctuary holds the title of Pontifical Basilica and is governed by a Pontifical Delegate, assisted by a board of administration. The interior, rich in marbles, frescoes and mosaics, has a Latin-cross plan with three naves and a grand dome (57 m) on four pillars, a transept with three naves and an ambulatory around the presbytery.

Entering the Basilica through the central door, you pass beneath the monumental and very rich choir loft. On the high altar is the much-venerated Our Lady of Pompeii, a 17th-century canvas from the school of Luca Giordano, restored in 1965, adorned with gems and enclosed in a rich bronze frame, surrounded by the Mysteries of the Rosary painted on copper by Vincenzo Paliotti. The side chapels of the temple are dedicated to saints particularly venerated in the Sanctuary; in the vault (apse) the mysteries of the Rosary are depicted in mosaic by the Vatican School. Inside you can admire the ex-votos, examples of popular devotion, and episodes from the life of Bartolo Longo, the lawyer who promoted the building of the basilica. My memories are blurred, but I promise myself to visit those places again, poised between the sacred and the profane...