About
a park from the fifteenth century that resembles the Holy Land in Italy.
The Sacro Monte, which translates to “Sacred Mountain of Varallo,” all started in the 15th century when Franciscan friar Bernardino Caimi came back from his pilgrimage to the Holy Land of Jerusalem. On his return to Italy, Caimi wanted to bring a bit of the Holy Land to Varallo, a commune in the country’s Piedmont region. Caimi built some modest buildings that were meant to replicate places in Jerusalem connected to Jesus Christ’s life. In the early 16th century, Valsesian artist Gaudenzio Ferrari was tasked with creating colorful statues to enhance Caimi’s earlier project. Later in the century, in 1565, Milanese Giacomo d’Adda hired famed architect Galeazzo Alessi to further modify the project. Then Bishop Carlo Bascapé, who served as bishop from 1593 to 1615, and his successors continued to add to the Sacro Monte.
