The Santuario di Montenero sits on a hilltop about 9 km south of central Livorno, overlooking the city and the Tyrrhenian Sea. The basilica was founded in 1345 around an image of the Madonna that, according to tradition, was carried to the hill by a lamb. It became the main Marian shrine of Tuscany and is still a significant pilgrimage destination.
The approach by funicular from the town of Montenero adds to the experience — the views on the ascent are excellent, and arriving by cable car at a hilltop sanctuary has a certain theatricality. Inside the church, beyond the devotional art, the ex-voto gallery is extraordinary: hundreds of small painted scenes depicting moments of peril and salvation, left by grateful survivors over five centuries. The gallery is open to visitors and should not be skipped. Bus 1 from central Livorno runs to Montenero; the funicular operates from there.