The Sanctuary of the Santissima Trinità (Most Holy Trinity) stands at about 1,337 metres above sea level in the territory of Vallepietra, almost on the border between Lazio and Abruzzo. The small church is built against the base of a huge sheer cliff of Monte Autore, in the Simbruini mountains, overlooking the Simbrivio valley: a sight that is worth the trip on its own.
The origins of the sanctuary are uncertain. A popular legend tells of a farmer who, while ploughing on the hill of the Tagliata, saw his oxen and plough plunge over the precipice: when he climbed down to the foot of the rock face, he found the oxen kneeling before a painting of the Trinity that had appeared in a small cave. Another tradition, handed down by a parchment of which only a copy survives, speaks of two men from Ravenna who took refuge on Monte Autore to escape Nero’s persecution, and to whom the Holy Trinity is said to have appeared after a visit from the apostles Peter and John. Among scholars, some attribute the beginnings of the cult to Eastern monks or hermits, others to Saint Dominic of Sora.
In the chapel, worshippers venerate the fresco depicting the Three Persons of the Trinity, the sanctuary’s most valuable work. The walls hold other frescoes: Gospel scenes such as the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Adoration of the Magi and the Presentation in the Temple, two scenes of the months of January and February, two Madonnas and several saints.
For centuries the sanctuary has been the focus of popular devotion for the towns of the province of Frosinone, the eastern part of the province of Rome, the Marsica and the L’Aquila area: tens of thousands of pilgrims climb up here every year, many of them in “compagnie” (companies) that arrive on foot with their own banners. On the morning of the feast of the Holy Trinity, the Pianto delle Zitelle (“Lament of the Maidens”) is sung on the forecourt: a sacred lauda on the Passion of Christ, composed in the early 18th century and performed by girls dressed in white, while only the Madonna is dressed in black.
The sanctuary is reached from Vallepietra, climbing about 14 kilometres of paved road. From San Vito Romano you go through Subiaco and continue towards Vallepietra.
Opening hours and contacts
The sanctuary is open only in the warmer months: in 2026 from 1 May to 2 November. From December to April it is closed, except for the feast of the Apparition in February.
Opening hours 2026:
- May, June and October: every day 8:00 am – 4:00 pm;
- August: every day 7:00 am – 7:00 pm;
- September: on weekdays 7:00 am – 5:00 pm;
- 1 and 2 November: open for the All Saints’ and All Souls’ celebrations.
For July, and for Sundays and holidays in September, the sanctuary’s calendar does not give opening hours.
Mass times in October: on weekdays at 10:30 am; on Sundays and holidays at 8:00, 9:00, 10:00 and 11:00 am, 12:00 noon and 4:00 pm.
Phone: Parish of Vallepietra, +39 0774 899084
Email: santuariotrinita@gmail.com
On the busiest Sundays the opening hours and the shuttle service may change: it is best to check before setting off.
Sources: website of the Sanctuary of the Santissima Trinità in Vallepietra, pages Gli orari del Santuario for opening hours and Mass times and Contatti for phone and email (checked in October 2026). For the history: the pages La Storia, L’arte and Il pianto delle Zitelle on the same site and Wikipedia.
Photo: pietro scerrato, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0; Anghellos, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; Marica Massaro, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
