San Giovanni Rotondo city guide

San Giovanni Rotondo is a hill town on the Gargano in Puglia where the Capuchin friar Padre Pio lived from 1916 until his death in 1968. Pilgrims come for Mass and confession at the old church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, where he received the wounds of Christ on 20 September 1918, and for the church of Saint Pio, where his body is shown in a glass reliquary. The Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, the hospital he founded, and the Way of the Cross on Monte Castellano are within a few minutes' walk. Two kilometers east, the old town keeps the Rotonda, the round church that gave the town its name. Plan around the daily Mass times, the feast of Saint Pio on 23 September and the stigmata anniversary on 20 September. Monte Sant'Angelo, Saint Michael's cave, is about 40 minutes away: read Monte Sant'Angelo from San Giovanni Rotondo.

Fly over San Giovanni Rotondo in 3DA tour of the town Padre Pio never leftStart the tour

HistoryA Catholic History of San Giovanni RotondoSan Giovanni Rotondo began as a stop on the pilgrim road to Saint Michael's cave and became, after 1916, the town of Padre Pio: the friary where he received the wounds of Christ, the confessional, the Prayer Groups and the hospital he built.Read the full history

Top sites

Santuario di Santa Maria delle GrazieSan Giovanni Rotondo, ItalyCapuchin sanctuary where Padre Pio lived for 52 years, housing the choir where he received the stigmata, his monastic cell, and the crypt where his body was venerated after his death.

Santuario di San Pio da PietrelcinaSan Giovanni Rotondo, ItalyHome and burial place of Saint Padre Pio, housing his body in a glass reliquary, built in Apricena limestone with 22 radial stone arches.

Via Crucis Monumentale di San Giovanni RotondoSan Giovanni Rotondo, ItalyMonumental outdoor Way of the Cross on Monte Castellano, initiated by Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, featuring 14 bronze stations by sculptor Francesco Messina and a summit Christ Risen sculpture.

Casa Sollievo della SofferenzaSan Giovanni Rotondo, ItalyHospital founded by Saint Padre Pio as a work of mercy, uniting medical care and prayer, owned by the Holy See, and recognized as a scientific research institution by the Italian Ministry of Health.

Battistero Paleocristiano di San Giovanni BattistaSan Giovanni Rotondo, ItalyRound church of Saint John the Baptist, by tradition an early Christian baptistery, giving San Giovanni Rotondo its name, on the Via Sacra Longobardorum pilgrimage route to Monte Sant'Angelo.

Basilica Santuario San Michele ArcangeloMonte Sant'Angelo, ItalyCave sanctuary on Mount Gargano consecrated by tradition to Saint Michael the Archangel himself, housing the sacred grotto, celebrated Byzantine bronze doors, and the Archangel's footprint in stone.

The Saints of San Giovanni Rotondo

Saint Padre Pio
The Capuchin priest from Pietrelcina who lived at the friary from 1916, received the stigmata on 20 September 1918, heard confessions for hours each day and founded the Prayer Groups and the hospital. He died on 23 September 1968 and was canonized on 16 June 2002. His feast is 23 September.
Santuario di Santa Maria delle Grazie Santuario di San Pio da Pietrelcina Via Crucis Monumentale di San Giovanni Rotondo +1 more
Archangel Michael
The angel of the cave sanctuary at Monte Sant'Angelo, goal of the pilgrim road that made San Giovanni Rotondo a stopping place. His feast of the apparition is 8 May and the Archangels are kept on 29 September.
Basilica Santuario San Michele Arcangelo
Saint Camillus de Lellis
A soldier and day laborer who lodged at the Capuchin friary on 1 February 1575 and was converted the next day. He founded the Ministers of the Sick. His feast is 14 July.
Santuario di Santa Maria delle Grazie
Saint John Paul II
As a young priest he confessed to Padre Pio in 1948. As pope he prayed at his tomb on 23 May 1987 and later beatified and canonized him.
Santuario di Santa Maria delle Grazie Santuario di San Pio da Pietrelcina

Beyond the churches

Views, walks and the town between the churches.

The old town and the Rotonda
Two kilometers east of the shrine, the old town has a dozen small churches and almost no pilgrim traffic. The Rotonda, the round church of Saint John the Baptist, gave the town its name, and by tradition it was an early Christian baptistery. Opening times are not published, so ask in town.
Battistero Paleocristiano di San Giovanni Battista

Itineraries

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In San Giovanni Rotondo

1 day · 3 sitesHalf a Day at San Giovanni RotondoMass, the body of Saint Pio, the old church and the hospital desk in about four hours

1 day · 4 sitesOne Day at San Giovanni RotondoPadre Pio's day, from the first Mass to the evening Rosary

Collections

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7 sitesGreat Franciscan Saints of ItalyTombs and relics of the Franciscan family, from Assisi to the Gargano

5 sitesMarian Shrines of Foggia and the CapitanataMadonnas honored in Foggia, Lucera, Bovino and at Padre Pio's own church

5 sitesPadre Pio's San Giovanni RotondoWhere Padre Pio lived, prayed and worked, and where his body is venerated

Featured Events

Good to know

On weekdays Mass is at 06:30 and 18:00 in the old church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, at 07:30 in the lower church of Saint Pio, and at 10:00 and 11:30 in the church of Saint Pio. Weekends add 16:30, and Sundays and feasts add 19:30. Confession has no published timetable.

Article · 4 minMass and Confession Times at the Padre Pio ShrineRead

Yes. It is shown in a glass reliquary, in the lower church of Saint Pio for most of the year and in the crypt of Santa Maria delle Grazie in winter. It is not incorrupt. The expected moves are 22 November 2026 and 14 March 2027.

Article · 4 minCan You See Padre Pio's Body and Relics?Read

There is no regular English Mass on the shrine's timetable. The Pilgrimage Office offers guided visits in English and five other languages, and the office is on the forecourt of the church of Saint Pio.

Article · 4 minMass and Confession in English at San Giovanni RotondoRead

The old church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, from 1540, is where he said Mass. The 1959 church stands beside it. The church of Saint Pio, by Renzo Piano, opened in 2004 and holds the lower church with his body.

Article · 4 minWhich Church Is Which at the Padre Pio ShrineRead

The feast of Saint Pio follows a novena from 14 September, the stigmata anniversary on 20 September and an overnight vigil on 22 September. The 2026 feast had a Mass at 00:15 and a procession with the statue through the town.

Article · 5 minThe Feast of Saint Pio and the September Days in San Giovanni RotondoRead

There is no train station in town. Take a train to Foggia, then a SITA bus of about 65 minutes. Rome by public transport needs a night; a day trip is not realistic.

Article · 4 minGetting to San Giovanni Rotondo from Bari and FoggiaRead

One full day covers the shrine, the hospital and the Way of the Cross. Two nights let you add Monte Sant'Angelo, and three suit a dedicated Padre Pio pilgrimage.

Article · 3 minHow Many Days in San Giovanni RotondoRead

Hotels cluster around the shrine, and two pilgrim houses publish their own details: Casa Pace e Bene in the town center and the Padre Pio Spirituality Centre near the shrine.