Hermitage of San Giovanni all'Orfento, Medieval hermitage in Caramanico Terme, Italy.

The Hermitage of San Giovanni all'Orfento is carved into rock above the Orfento river at 1,227 m in Caramanico Terme, within the Valle dell'Orfento Nature Reserve of Majella National Park. Inside the cave, a rectangular room (2 x 3.8 m) with a flat ceiling and three wall niches leads to a second room with a barrel vault, an altar and small niche storage spaces. The cenobitic section below, with monks' cells, a pilgrims' guesthouse and a small church, was destroyed.

Pietro da Morrone, later Pope Celestine V, lived in the hermitage with his disciples between 1284 and 1293, and his followers stayed on afterwards. Excavations in 1995 uncovered Bronze Age artefacts and revealed the original layout of the place of worship. The hermitage is the hardest to reach of the Celestinian hermitages in Majella National Park.

The hermitage is dedicated to Saint John and was carved above the cave of the same name. Pietro da Morrone, the future Pope Celestine V, lived here with his disciples between 1284 and 1293, and his followers stayed on afterwards. The rectangular room of 2 by 3.8 metres has three wall niches, two on the left wall and one at the back.

Access requires prior authorization from the Caramanico Terme Visitor Center. The path there is steep and involves climbing stairs carved into the rock, so visitors should wear appropriate footwear and be in decent physical condition.

The structure features a remarkably clever water system that channels rainfall through rock-carved conduits. This engineering achievement shows how residents centuries ago used the natural surroundings to meet their most basic needs.