Description of the attraction
The Skete of San Michele, located at an altitude of 520 meters above sea level in the municipality of Maddaloni, dominates the entire territory of Caserta - from its site you can enjoy a dizzying view of Vesuvius and the Gulf of Naples. Legend has it that once a shepherd, grazing a flock of sheep on the slopes of a mountain, helped a stranger to collect stones, and after that his sheep began to give even more milk. The young man was none other than the Archangel Michael himself, and he collected stones for the construction of the church.
The first mentions of the Skete of San Michele are found in 1113. Next to the church on two levels there is a covered gallery, a terrace, a place for receiving pilgrims and a bell tower, erected at the beginning of the 19th century. In the central niche, you can see the statue of St. Michael the Archangel. Twice a year - in May and September - a holiday in his honor is held here: in May, numerous pilgrims go up to the skete on foot, who, after Mass, go on a religious procession with a statue of the saint. The festivities are enlivened by the artichoke fair, where you can taste a variety of dishes made with this plant. Pilgrims bring the statue to the city, where it is kept until September, and then it is returned to the skete.
The town of Maddaloni itself lies at the foot of one of the hills of Tifat. Its main attractions, in addition to the skete, are the medieval castle with towers, the ancient Palazzo Caraffa, which belonged to the local dukes, and the college named after Giordano Bruno. Also in Maddaloni, you can visit the Museum of Ancient Crafts and Peasants, the Municipal Museum with Antiquities, the Archaeological Museum of Calatia, housed in a fortified farm from the 16th century, the Gothic Church of Santa Margherita with frescoes from the 15th century, the medieval Formali district and the so-called Ducal Mill. … 4 km from Valle di Maddaloni is the Ponte della Valle - an aqueduct built by order of King Charles III and his son.
