Piana di Prata – View of Mount Vesuvius loop from Lauro

02:53

30.1km

940m

Mountain biking

Hard mountain bike ride. Very good fitness required. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: May 17, 2026

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

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5.30 km

Abandoned Church of Our Lady of the Snow

Highlight • Religious Site

On the hill of Casa Piana, in the municipal area of Diecici, the Tortora family from Bosagro, owners of almost the entire hill, had a sanctuary built in 1847. The church was dedicated to the Madonna della Neve.
The religious complex consists of various rooms arranged on four levels with an adjoining church, the latter constituting the central nucleus of the complex. Inside it there are numerous family tombs.
In the central part of the church you can admire four monumental marble tombs decorated with the Tortora coat of arms and the insignia of the characters buried in them. Among them Mons. Leopoldo (1815 – 1878) and Luciano (1820 – 1887) Tortora, both courtly apostolic prothonotaries, domestic prelates of His Holiness, chamber chaplains of the Majesty of the Two Sicilies, apostolic mayors of the Alcatarini fathers, Jerusalemite knights, Constantinians of Holy Sepulcher of the Order of Civil Merit of Ferdinand I.
In the presbytery you can admire the marble tomb of Nicola Tortora (1775 – 1855), founder of the Sanctuary. Along the staircase leading to the sacristy are the tombs of Nicola (1847 – 1891) and Federico (1853 – 1883) Tortora.
Other burials of simpler construction can be seen at the entrance to the church.
About twenty-five years ago, unknown thieves stole the beautiful statue of the Madonna, which was then replaced with a papier-mâché copy.
Today it is the Sisters of Charity, owners of the sanctuary, who provide for the needs of the complex, which are numerous, burdensome and require a considerable expenditure of resources.

Translated by Google •

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