Travelcast Piceno - Audio & Video Guide per la Provincia di Ascoli Piceno

The sanctuary of the Madonna dell’Ambro is in the territory of the town of Montefortino, but is easily reachable from Amandola.  On the street that connects the two towns of the Sybilline Park, we come across a fork in the road that crossed the Tenna river. From here the street winds through woods full of beech trees in the heart of the park.
The valley of the Ambro is enclosed between Monte Amandola and Monte Priora and closed off at the end by the Pizzo Tre Vescovi (Peak of the 3 bishops).
Tradition has it that this sanctuary was built after the Madonna appeared to a shephardess named Santina.  The girl, mute since birth, received the gift of speech from the Madonna.

Construction was started in 1037 and had strong ties to the abbey of Saints Vincent and Anastasio.
During the 17th century, the sanctuary was transformed and important works of art by Marino Bonfini and Domenico Malpiedi were added. The current arrangement of the square  with its colonnade is from the early 20th century.
The work was overseen by the Cappuchin Friars to whom the monastery was entrusted.
The natural environment of the area around the monastery is suitable for  walking in the silence of nature. Through the summer and during festival days, the locality might be crowded, given the strong ties between the sanctuary and the Piceno territory.
Passing the sanctuary, one can climb the path of the Ambro to the “Infernacetto”, a gorge running water of the stream and called by this name because of its similarity to the “Infernaccio”, the gorge carved by the Tenna river.
The “Infernaccio” can be found in the territory of Montefortino, between Mount Priora and the Mount Sibilla. The excursion ending at the source of the Tenna is evocative but demanding, while it is simpler to climb to the hermitage of Saint Leonardo. The small church may be found at the border of a beech wood and was restored by the work of Padre Pietro, who worked in solitude for 26 years in these mountains.

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