San Giovanni in Venere is certainly one of the places to visit during a holiday in the south of Abruzzo. The Abbey stands on a promontory from which you can admire the surrounding cultivated fields and have a 180 ° view of the stretch of sea, increasingly known as the Costa dei Trabocchi. It is called “in Venus” almost certainly because of a pre-existing Roman temple dedicated to the goddess Venus but there is no trace of it left today.
Easily accessible from the Statale 16 (follow the signs), the Abbey of San Giovanni in Venere looks at the sea and there are two viewpoints that you can easily visit.
But with this article, rather than dwelling on the church and the wonderful thirteenth-century cloister (here you can read an article that tells them well), we would like – thanks to a photo sent by Valerio Politi – let you know the unexpected crypt.
Below the altar, in fact, there is the crypt of the Abbey of San Giovanni in Venere that appears decorated with evocative frescoes dating back to the thirteenth century and which depict the blessing Christ and the enthroned Virgin. Both are works by anonymous painters of the mid-thirteenth century, perhaps belonging to the workshop of the Roman artist Jacopo Torriti.
The one in San Giovanni in Venere is really a recommended visit for anyone who wants to know an important cultural and artistic aspect of the area and maybe stay a few minutes to contemplate the sea from the wonderful lookouts directly overlooking the Costa dei Trabocchi.
Roberto De Ficis (Instagram: qui, Facebook: qui)
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