The Abbey of Santa Maria di Pulsano stands on a plateau about 8 kilometres from Monte Sant’Angelo in the province of Foggia. Built in 591 over the remains of a pagan worship site, it was home to the monks of the order of Sant’Equizio. Well recognisable is the portal decorated with naturalistic motifs, while the single nave is famous for its beautiful barrel-vaulted roof and precious architrave that opens the view to the 18th-century altar, the apsidal area carved into the rock and the monastery rooms.
One of the most significant, and certainly most striking attractions is the set of hermitages that served as dwellings and surrounded the religious complex. Reaching them was not at all easy: the only means available to hermits were steep stairs and ropes. After being abandoned, in 1997 archbishop Vincenzo D’Addario decided to recover the property and reopen it to the public. He also founded the monastic community of Pulsano. Since 2010, the Hermitages of the Abbey of Santa Maria di Pulsano, with more than 34,000 mentions, have been elected Luogo del Cuore FAI (Place of the Heart FAI).