Saint Martin hermitage, Mountain hermitage and chapel in Carisolo, Italy
Saint Martin hermitage is a small mountain chapel located at roughly 1200 meters elevation with a rectangular layout and basic wooden furnishings. The interior features prayer benches and an altar painting depicting the patron saint.
The first document naming the hermitage is a 1312 deed drawn up in Carisolo. Around 1500 the priest Baldassarre Moroni, from Averara near Bergamo, restored the ruined chapel of San Martino with the bishop's permission and lived there as a hermit until his death in 1520. After the suppression of hermitages the church decayed; restorations ran from 1877 to 1904 and again from 1958, with the building blessed on 7 August 1966.
The name San Martino "in Montibus" appears in the records of the 1537 pastoral visit. On 11 November or the following Sunday, a Mass is still celebrated at the hermitage to ask Saint Martin's blessing on Carisolo and Val Rendena; the faithful once walked up in procession from the church of Santo Stefano Protomartire.
The hermitage is reached on foot only, following the "Percorso rosso. San Martino Campolo", one of the Carisolo Family trails. The path climbs through the Rio Re valley on the steep slopes of the Pala di Dalgon; the access path was made easier and safer between 1979 and 1981. From the small square in front, the Brenta peaks and the Sarca plain are visible.
Local legend tells of the final hermit who received bread deliveries from a tame bear that visited regularly. After his death, flowers reportedly bloomed in January, an unusual occurrence in this mountain setting.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,679 contributors worldwide.