The hermitage of San Michele Arcangelo is a small church located on the slopes of Mount Altino, which belongs to the chain of Aurunci mountains, at 1220 m a.s.l. in the Maranola area (fraction of Formia)
Set in the rock, it is located along the path that from Sella Sola leads to the top of the Redentore, on an overhanging ridge.
The rock sanctuary, dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel, dates back to 830, in fact it is mentioned in the Codex diplomaticus cajetanus. However, the stone facade, which closes off a natural cavity, was rebuilt in Neo-Gothic style at the end of the 19th century, in 1893, when Archbishop Francesco Niola went up to Mount Altino on a pastoral visit. He indicated the interior of the cave as the ideal site for the new construction, in order to avoid the damage caused by the previous church, caused by runoff water, falling rocks and portions of ice.
The new project was drawn up by the engineer Silvio Forte di Trivio. The rock was squared to form the environment of the Church and a space twelve meters long, ten wide and seven high was obtained. On the back wall, opposite the entrance wall, a niche also carved into the rock houses the statue of San Michele.
The facade, facing west and with two projecting volumes at the sides, has an arched entrance door in the center, surmounted by a rose window open to give light inside the church. On the arch of the door, next to the inscription "Angelorum Principi", the dates of 830, the year of the foundation of the old cenoby, and 5 August 1895, the day of the inauguration of the new Sanctuary, are shown. These dates are also reported on a plaque located inside the church. Both the rose window and the other openings in the facade were closed by polychrome glass, now lost.
With the construction of the new sanctuary, a new access road was also opened, from where the new itinerary was created, while the old path of San Michele, much more uncomfortable, was thus abandoned.
The area is very rich in spring waters, which percolate almost everywhere right from the rocky vault. The internal walls of the church itself act as a source and the very cold water is collected in some masonry tanks. Outside there is a small one before the sanctuary and a larger one at the back, used by livestock.
The position of the chapel created inside a cave right on the slopes of the mountain is linked to an ancient popular story, according to which it was the statue of the saint itself that indicated the place where he wanted to be venerated. Originally placed in a cave along the coast of Gianola (hamlet of Formia), it seems that the statue, offended by the un-Christian language of the sailors of the time, had gone to Mount Sant'Angelo, in the territory of Spigno Saturnia. Even from the new position, at an altitude of 1252 m, on a rock face facing the sea, he could see the sailors, so he would have decided to move to Monte Altino, in a cavity in the rock facing west.
The inhabitants of Spigno tried several times to bring it back to their territory, but miraculously the statue always returned to its current position, in the Maranola area. The small chapel was then built in honor of San Michele Arcangelo.
The path to take to reach the hermitage doesn't present any particular difficulties, it is indeed suitable for families, given the good condition and ease of the walkway. 7.3 km long, the journey takes one hour and 30 minutes, while it is not recommended in the height of summer due to total exposure to the sun.