chiesa di san pio

It is a very magical place, good walk around and feeling the vibe for when it is Via Crucis time. There are plenty of place to buy typical objects from church fans.

The Church of San Pio is simply a place of great spirituality and peace! It gives one that sense of Serenity which is very hard to come by in todays life! A must visit for all devotees of Padre Pio, you will be amazed of how you will feel once you experience the Shrine.

I have learned so much about Padre Pio here. We were very lucky to be able to enter the chapel where his body was kept. The whole chapel is so beautifully decorated with gold and color mosaic and itself is a great piece of art. We had outdoor Station of the Cross and it was awesome. The numbers of pilgrims are about 7 millions every year and it has surpassed Lourdes in France.

There are three churches in the complex. Two smaller older churches from the early-mid 20th century with little special to see and a truly spectacular large 21st century church. Having visited a number of five hundred to thousand year old cathedrals in my life, this allowed me to experience this in a modern context. The architecture of the new church is stunning both outside and in. A courtyard with a small grove of olive trees, an spacious outdoor alter worship area and clean modern lines of stone and glass surrounding you. The interior has marvelous modern (though not abstract) carvings and many, many mosaics to marvel at as you wounder the rooms and passages. If you wish you can go to the chapel crypt where you can see the preserved body of Padre Pio in a glass coffin. This visit was a great experience and allows one to see the modern interpretation of a cathedral and its saint.

The old church and new church was worth the visit. Loved the mosaic of the new church. I liked visiting the museum showcasing the life of St. Padre Pio. Lots to see. The gift shops had a lot of great stuff to buy. Great visit!

It was a blessed moment to be able to participate at mass near the body of this amazing saint. The chapel is lavishly decorated and it's not easy to concentrate, but what a privilege!

Visited the Upper and lower churches of St. Pio of Pietrelcina and amazed by the beauty and organization of the site. Lower church has crypt holding St. Pio and also a new Chapel. Upper Church held about 2000 - 3000 people for Mass adorned with beautiful stained glass on one side. About 4 hours from Rome but definitely worth the trip.

The peace this place emits is something extraordinary. I went there mainly to pray to Padre Pio and the whole experience for refreshing.

Anyone interested in architecture, and not only historical buldings, will be glad to spend an hour visiting St. Pio's modern cathedral with its beautiful exterior and interior design and colourful mosaic wall murals. Hopefully you will have better luck with the weather as we were almost blown and washed away by the wind and rain (middle of May).

Thanks GOD, I'm back to this sacred place! Always a joy and this time, even more special, because I brought my beloved 9 years son! He also loved The place and was very curious to discover The place that San Pio lived.Very organized, clean, with good indications.We also had The GIFT to be blessed by a sweet priest from HAITI! He was a loved man and his BLESS touched me a lot. We can feel The love! That's a Real priest! Thanks GOD for this marvelous experience!I also have to compliment The people from San Giovanni Rotando, really sweet ones! Really gently and helpful. We find a great positive energy in this city!

The shrine underground just has to be visited. An opportunity to reflect on life and be at peace with your thoughts. It is sad that a minority of tourists ignored the no photography requests -they were simply rude. Thankfully they did not detract from the devotions and reflections of the true pilgrims.

You go there to live the experience of seeing the great saint, and you have the opportunity to do that. La Chiesa Inferiore were you will find the body of the Saint is nice with paintings on wallsThe upper chair is big & spacious, but it has to been architectural downfall. First of all acoustic is horribly, the altar is at an angle, no religious symbols. From Renzo Piano you pretend much & much better !!!! Shameful

Although I'm not a believer, I enjoyed my visit here to admire the architecture & history. I speak & read italian so understood what was written .... If you don't you may need to pay for a guide.We also walked the Via Crusis - very serene. Although the signs say you can't take food or drink, ignore the drink part & take a bottle of cold water with you especially if you're elderly or have very young children - just bring your rubbish back down.I expected the restaurants & bars this end of town to be very expensive - they may be slightly more than the town but still very reasonable & food is good.

Really liked the fact that I didn't feel like I was being ripped off in the shops as there was something for everyones price range.

Due to a forced extended vacation in Rome, we added this to our trip, it was well worth it as we had often said that we would do it at some point.There was a special rate available on the train from Rome on Saturdays, a buy one get one free, so we elected to travel first class, for the experience, you get more room and a free snack.Once in Foggia tickets can be bought near the main door for the bus to San Giovanni, the Sita bus stop is directly across the road from the main station exit. As we speak English we had difficulty on the day at the bus timetable had been changed for the day, not a major problem.I was wondering where the bus stop was in relation to the Church, well it is the last one, the bus comes to a stop at the top of the hill and you know you have arrived when you witness the boutique style selling of souvenirs. The bus trip is about an hour depending on the driver. With an elevation of over 600m it can be cool up there at times I have no doubt, we visited in early June and it was perfect.The experience within the two Churches, the new and the old, is amazing. There are a few places nearby for a meal before you begin your journey back, ours was a day trip only.