Watched over by a crumbling castle, the Santuario di San Francesco di Paola is a curious, empty cave with tremendous significance to the devout. The saint lived and died in Paola in the 15th century and the sanctuary that he and his followers carved out of the bare rock has attracted pilgrims for centuries. The cloister is surrounded by naive wall paintings depicting the saint’s truly incredible miracles. The original church contains an ornate reliquary of the saint.
Also within the complex is a modern basilica, built to mark the second millennium. Black-clad monks hurry about.
