Sanctuary of the Madonna del Frassino

The Sanctuary of the Madonna del Frassino sits about two kilometres west of Peschiera, near the small lake of the same name. The Renaissance complex includes a single-nave church and a former Franciscan convent built around a quiet cloister. The interior is decorated with paintings by Paolo Farinati and frescoes by other Veronese masters from the late 16th century, and the venerated icon of the Madonna sits in a side chapel.

The sanctuary is a popular pilgrimage destination and remains active. The walk or short bike ride out from Peschiera passes through the moraine countryside that separates the town from the lake of Frassino, and the route makes a pleasant half-day combined with a stop at the small lake itself.

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A story
According to local tradition, the sanctuary was built on the spot where a farmer named Bartolomeo dei Brogi, fleeing a snake in May 1510, was saved when an image of the Virgin appeared in the trunk of an ash tree (frassino). The image is supposedly preserved inside the present sanctuary. The story has been pulling pilgrims to the spot for five centuries.

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