Hermitage of Madonna di Valpovera in Camerino

History of the Hermitage of Madonna di Valpovera

The church dates from the 14th century and may have been built over an older building from the 12th or 13th century. It originally depended on the Olivetan monastery of Santa Caterina da Siena in Fabriano. It was later exchanged and passed to the Archdeacon of the Cathedral of Camerino. With the 19th-century suppressions of church property, the land linked to the hermitage passed to the State. Today the hermitage belongs to the parish of Calcina.

Two inscriptions record the restorations. The one on the lintels of the doors behind the altar, with the name of Scipio Savino and the date 1623, suggests a 17th-century intervention. The one on the entrance lintel records the 1881 restoration by Venanzio and Leopoldo Paoloni. The name Valpovera ("poor valley") recalls the very steep valley that must have seemed poor in resources to the mountain people.

What to see at the Hermitage of Madonna di Valpovera

The hermitage has a simple church with a gabled facade and a truss roof. The living quarters for the hermit were later added on both sides. The wooden statue of the Madonna and Child, once kept in the church, was moved after 1997 to the Diocesan Museum of Camerino.

Around the building, what matters most is the setting and the traces of the past. Just above the church are a spring and a stream, with a fountain not far away. Upstream is a hidden waterfall. From the paved road the dry-stone walls of the old mule track to Calcina can be seen; it can no longer be used.

Visiting the Hermitage of Madonna di Valpovera

The building has been unusable since the 1997 earthquake, so it is best to ask about access conditions beforehand. Before setting out, it is wise to check that the road to the hermitage parking area is passable. From the parking area a short stretch is climbed on foot. Reaching the highest spring requires hiking shoes.

The hermitage can also be reached on foot. The trail starts from the hamlet of Morro, follows a short stretch of the Via Lauretana to Arnano and continues north to the sign for the hermitage. There is also an itinerary of the Camerino section of the CAI (Italian Alpine Club), which runs along the Palente ditch and passes the Arnano cemetery.

Where the Hermitage of Madonna di Valpovera is located

The hermitage stands in the locality of Sant'Erasmo, on the Arnano-Seppio road, a few hundred meters from Calcina. Coming from the Civitanova-Foligno expressway, exit at Serravalle di Chienti and take provincial road 17 toward Camerino. At a large intersection, where a sign points to the Via Lauretana, turn left.

Around the Hermitage of Madonna di Valpovera in Camerino

Near the hermitage are the hamlets of Calcina, Arnano and Morro, linked by stretches of the Via Lauretana. To compare the hermitage with other places of worship in the area, see the page on abbeys and monasteries of the Sibillini.