Sanctuary S. Maria dell’Isola,Tropea

The sanctuary stands on the homonymous rock near the town of Tropea. Hermits around the 7th-6th century probably inhabited the rock of the island. These, isolated from the civilized world, devoted themselves to a contemplative and ascetic life. The first written indications of the use of the rock for monastic purposes date back to the 11th century. Everything that precedes it must be considered a historical hypothesis. For many years it belonged to the Basilian monks, and from the eleventh century, the Benedictine monks lived there. © iStock / LianeM