Old Path Petta ‘E l’Àngiali

If you go down from the town to the north, along the ‘a mpetràta ‘e Cerasìa, on the left you’ll find the granite road that leads to the Franciscan monastery of Santa Maria delle Angeli and to the hills to the north and north-west of the town.

In the past, this road was only used by farmers, because those who wanted to go to the mountains to reach the Apennines as far as Serra San Bruno, and perhaps even the Tyrrhenian Sea, would climb up from the road that starts directly from the area of the village where the church of San Domenico stands today. It was also used by those who wanted to visit the Basilian Coenobium of Saint Isidore Agricola, also known as the Madonna of Good Health.

With the construction of the church of San Rocco, which still stands today but is closed and abandoned, the “petta” (uphill road) began to be used more frequently. The frequency increased significantly and became continuous from the early 1600s with the beginning of the construction of the Franciscan Convent of Santa Maria degli Angeli.

With the expansion of the convent, the relationship between the monks and the community of Badolato grew, as did the religious and non-religious activities of the inhabitants of the village, especially the poorest. The religious rites related to Saint Anthony of Padua were the ones that most fascinated the people of Badolato over the centuries, especially the farmers and craftsmen. After a few centuries of Franciscan presence, the monastery became a “seaport”.

With the construction of the brickworks in the district, and especially with the creation of the municipal cemetery, hundreds and hundreds of people passed through ‘a petta’ and l’Àngiali.

For a long time it was an unpaved road, and people still remember that it was paved with local granite stones from the nearby Granèli stream. Over time it became uneven and neglected, until it was repaired about fifteen years ago by the members of the Mondo X community, guests of the monastery since 1987, when the monks left.

In 2010, the steep Via dei Angeli was illuminated by a long row of electric street lamps, which are occasionally lit, creating an enchanting night-time view for those observing from the north of the town centre.

From the square in front of the large structure built by the people of Badolato through the Franciscans, you can admire, beyond the large jurisdictional cross, a splendid panorama of the entire northern part of Badolato.