A small village nestled in the mountains of southern Italy is home to the childhood house of one of the most famous and beloved saints of the 20th century.
The picturesque town of Pietrelcina is a quaint village in the Campanian Apennines, located just 10 kilometers from the city of Benevento. It is a peaceful oasis that greatly influenced the personality of Padre Pio. Originally, Pietrelcina was a feudal castle surrounded by strong walls, with two entrance gates: Porta Giardino and Porta Madonnella.
There are several sites to visit related to Padre Pio’s life, beyond his childhood home, such as the church where he was baptized. Guided tours are available that trace the saint’s footsteps throughout the town. However, the most well-known pilgrimage site is about 170 kilometers away, in San Giovanni Rotondo, where the Sanctuary of Padre Pio is located.
From Pietrelcina, visitors enjoy breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. The town has long attracted crowds of Catholic pilgrims who venerate Saint Pio, one of the most beloved saints of the 20th century. Also known as Padre Pio, he became venerated worldwide for receiving the stigmata and for his supernatural gifts, such as communicating with angels, receiving visions, and performing miracles.
What to See in Pietrelcina – An Important Religious Tourism Destination
Many of the town’s attractions are tied to the mystic saint, who was born and raised in Pietrelcina before donning the Franciscan habit and becoming a friar.
Padre Pio’s House in Pietrelcina
Padre Pio, born Francesco Forgione in 1887, came from a poor but deeply religious farming family. He soon decided to dedicate his entire life to God. The house where his family lived is now open to visitors and offers a glimpse not only into the saint’s early life but also into southern Italy’s rural society at the turn of the 20th century.
The house-museum is not a single building, but several rooms located along a narrow street in the oldest part of the town. One room is the actual birthplace of Padre Pio, his parents’ bedroom. There’s a trapdoor in the floor that leads to a cellar where the family’s donkey lived, used for transport between town and countryside.
Another building nearby houses two more rooms: the family kitchen, still containing original furniture and a fireplace, and the children’s bedroom, where Padre Pio shared the space with his siblings—often sleeping on the floor using a stone as a pillow. According to tradition, this is where he had his first visions and supernatural experiences.
Church of Saint Anne (Chiesa di Sant’Anna)
This church was built in the 13th century and later rebuilt in 1688 after an earthquake. It has two naves, a wooden ceiling, and several wooden sculptures in one of the aisles. Saint Pio was baptized here on May 26, 1887, received his first communion in 1899, and was confirmed in the same church. On the left side is the baptismal font, and beneath the altar lie the relics of Saint Pio Martyr, to whom Padre Pio was deeply devoted and from whom he drew inspiration for his religious name.
Church of the Holy Family (Chiesa della Sacra Famiglia)
Completed in 1951, this three-naved church is built in Neo-Romanesque style. The central nave is taller and wider than the side aisles, which are covered with barrel vaults, while the main nave features a cross-shaped layout. The side aisles contain altars and are decorated with mosaics and wooden sculptures.
Piana Romana and the Chapel of Saint Francis
In Piana Romana, a rural area near the town where the Forgione family owned land, there is a tiny chapel built in 1958. It stands on the very spot where Saint Pio used to pray in a straw hut. This site is sacred because the elm tree under which the saint received the stigmata still stands. It’s said that several attempts were made to uproot the tree with heavy machinery, but the elm never budged, a sign of the saint’s strong spiritual presence.
Nearby is a well that was dug exactly where Padre Pio told his father to dig, after he struggled to find water for irrigating the fields. The chapel is a simple single-room building, and the entire area exudes silence and deep mysticism.
Padre Pio Museum
Located on Viale Cappuccini, the museum was built on land Padre Pio pointed out to Father Salvatore Pannullo, the parish priest at the time. It was financed by wealthy American Mary Pyle, who lived in the convent for many years. Since 1947, it has been inhabited by Capuchin friars and houses several personal items of the saint, such as his bloodstained tunic, worn during self-flagellation. There are also writings in which he describes nights when the devil visited him, and the spiritual battles he endured.
Why Visit Pietrelcina?
Beyond its sacred and mystical sites, Pietrelcina is a beautiful, well-kept village. It’s clean, peaceful, and offers stunning panoramic views over the surrounding valleys. Walking through its narrow alleys lined with old stone houses is like stepping back in time. There are also craft shops selling traditional local products.
Silence reigns throughout the town, and knowing that these streets and homes were once walked and inhabited by Saint Pio makes visiting Pietrelcina a unique and deeply moving experience.
