Caravaggio is an Italian town of 16,000 inhabitants in the province of Bergamo, 40 kilometres east of Milan.

Unfortunately, we haven’t got any documents about its origins, which are still uncertain, but the town was probably founded by the Lombards. The patron saints of Caravaggio are Saints Firmus and Rusticus, to whom one of the town's main churches is dedicated. These Saints are annually celebrated with a procession on 9th August.

The most important attraction in town is certainly the Sanctuary dedicated to Our Lady of Caravaggio (Santa Maria del Fonte), who appeared to a poor woman called Giannetta de’ Vacchi on 26th May 1432. This place annually attracts nearly three million pilgrims from all over the world. The Sanctuary is part of a large complex which includes a centre providing counselling for married couples and families, a centre for pilgrims and sick people and a spiritual centre. The auditorium is decorated with wonderful stained glass windows by the painter Giorgio Versetti, and in the chapel of the spiritual centre, which was inaugurated by Pope John Paul II in 1992, you can admire the sculptures made by the local artist Mario Toffetti.

The town is also known for having given the nickname to a very famous Italian painter called Michelangelo Merisi. His parents came from Caravaggio, but then they moved to Milan where Michelangelo was probably born. This painter is commemorated on 29th September every year with a festival called 'Caravaggio's day'.

In addition to this, there are other sights to visit like the church of St. Fermo and St. Rustico in the centre of town, or the church of San Giuseppe in the countryside, the church of St. Elizabeth, which was built around 1600, and finally St. Bernardine's church, which is famous for a large sixteenth-century fresco depicting the Passion of Christ, painted by Fermo Stella.

Porta Nuova Gate, a monumental archway built in the eighteenth century, decorates the entrance to the town centre

There is also Porta Nuova Gate, a monumental archway built in the eighteenth century, which decorates the entrance to the town centre. It is linked to the Sanctuary by an avenue, which is about two kilometres long, where you can go jogging or go for a walk.

And finally typical dishes. They are really simple, and they include the most traditional and important food, polenta, which is served in different ways, as for example with pucì, a sauce made with meat, tomatoes and onions, or with cabbage and meat. Another typical dish is rùstisàda, roasted pork with onions and red wine. Typical desserts include the biciùlàt de la nòna, a sort of a plain sponge cake made with eggs, butter, flour and lemon zest.
That's Caravaggio, a small town full of surprises!!!!