Stresa Festival | Blog

On the evenings of August 1 and 2, 2009, the Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso will once again be the venue for the Bach Suite for Cello Solo performances. This year the celloist is Colin Carr. The hermitage has an interesting history; think about this as you approach it from the lake below…

It was on a stormy night in 1170 that the story of the hermitage and monastery of Santa Caterina del Sasso begins. During this storm, a rich trader named Alberto Besozzi was washed from his boat and was saved from certain drowning by the intervention of Santa Caterina. In a gesture of thanks Alberto decided to live out his life as a hermit in the caves in the rocks at that spot, and during his years there he built the first chapel on the site. Santa Caterina intervened again centuries later, wiping out the plague that had been terrorizing the region. And again the 17th century, when she is said to have stopped a massive rockslide before it crushed the chapel which contained the tomb of Alberto. Some like to say the evidence of this last miracle is in plain view inside the small chapel. In there, over the alter, a large boulder hangs dangerously, seemingly frozen in its fall by some invisible means. I won’t ruin the wonder by telling you the geological reasons for the rock’s strange state; isn’t it still remarkable that, for whatever reason, it hangs here looking impossible anyway.

Inside, the monastery has been recently renovated. Fragments of frescoes have been revealed. The beautiful arches and vaulted ceilings have been cleaned. Outside, fig trees, geranium, and oleander grow. Below, hundreds of feet below, the blue waters of Lago Maggiore wash up against the rocks. And far off in the distance is the snow-capped peak of Monte Rosa. Questa e’ la rara bellezza che c’e’ nel Santuario di Santa Caterina. This is the rare beauty that is Santa Caterina. And there couldn’t be a more magical location than this for the Bach performances…

Post guest written by Dana Kaplan, writer of Stresa Sights, a blog for visitors to Stresa. Thank you very much Dana!

www.stresasights.blogspot.com