Medieval documents show that hermits from the Abbey of Saint Zeno in Verona lived in the Baldo area beginning around the year 1000. Many centuries ago, the secluded shelf was home to a hermitage. Originally, it could only be reached by a narrow path from below, but fortunately there is now a road that leads to the church providing the most common access for visitors. The church does not actually hang on the sheer face, but sits on a thin rock shelf. Located only two miles from the eastern shores of Lake Garda, the shrine was built over 2,500 feet above sea level into a vertical cliff face on Italy’s Mount Baldo.
The Santuario Madonna della Corona, or Sanctuary of the Lady of the Crown, looks as though it is nearly suspended in mid-air. In the Province of Verona sits perhaps Italy’s most unlikely church.
