Silence and Devotion in the Bosco Belvedere

The area of Supersano, nestled in the heart of the Salento Hills (Serre Salentine), holds one of the region’s most fascinating and lesser-known sites: the Bosco Belvedere. Once a vast sacred and agricultural forest, it now survives as a treasured remnant where spirituality, nature, and peasant tradition still echo.

Scattered through its paths are the remains of rural chapels, natural caves, and small votive shrines — concrete traces of a modest and intimate folk faith, expressed through silent rituals and prayers whispered to the wind.

These were not only places of worship, but also community landmarks, where farmers and shepherds would rest, light candles, leave offerings, or seek shelter from the elements and from fear. Some caves served as spiritual retreats or hermit dwellings, modest but meaningful.

The local devotion to the Madonna of Coelimanna further reinforces the sacred identity of this land. Even today, pilgrimages on foot take place along old dirt roads and trails, following the same paths that once connected scattered places of prayer among the hills.

In a world where everything is exposed and connected, the Bosco Belvedere remains a true mystery, where faith was once — and still is — expressed with humility and depth.