EREMO DI SANTA CATERINA & GIARDINO BOTANICO
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A former place of pilgrimage, the hermitage of Saint Catherine stands at an altitude of 260 metres, next to a pretty botanical garden.
Along the municipal road that connects Rio nell'Elba to Nisporto, the SP-33, stands the hermitage of Saint Catherine (Eremo di Santa Caterina). At an altitude of about 260 metres, on the eastern slope of Mount Serra, the place offers a beautiful view of the mines and the Piombino canal. This ancient place of meditation, prayer and pilgrimage dates back to Roman times, although it was restored in 1634. The façade has a tympanum interrupted at the top and two small windows, while the interior is made up of a single nave and an altar lined with columns in local stone. According to tradition, the hermitage was enlarged following the apparition of St. Catherine to a shepherd on a spring afternoon. Since then, every year on Easter Monday, the people of Rio nell'Elba come to the hermitage to celebrate this miracle. Today, the hermitage of Saint Catherine regularly hosts art and photography exhibitions.
Created in 1990, the Botanical Garden, called "Orto dei Semplici", aims to promote the flora of the Tuscan archipelago and to preserve its ethnobotanical traditions. It contains spontaneous, rare and endemic plants, as well as fruit trees (plum, almond, peach, cherry, pear), some of which are in danger of extinction. Please note that in case of rain, the Botanical Garden is closed.
Access: a small car park allows you to leave your car and continue on foot for about ten minutes.
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