We went off the trip itinerary a bit to visit this church, the winner in 2023 for the best modern religious building. Solitary, serene, and monolithic is the way the architects describe the church of Santa Maria Goretti as it rises from the northern edge of the Calabrian hill town Mormanno.

It was designed by a Paris architectural firm, Mario Cucinella Architects, where our trip leader Dario once worked as an architect. The building draws inspiration from natural forms as well as from the tradition of austere and beautiful Calabrian churches built by monks escaping conquest and persecution. It is dedicated to Saint Maria Goretti, the Catholic Church’s youngest saint.

This is what it looks like in the evening…

July 6 is the feast day of Maria Goretti, the patroness of purity, young women, and victims of assault.