Having ruled my Italy Pinterest board for years, this church clinging to a vertical cliffside at 700 metres high is a true northern Italian hidden gem. Yet, most tourists visiting Lake Garda or Verona never take the time to explore this marvel on their own, or they end up booking a rigid tour.

If you want to make the most of this destination, connect with the silence, and experience it in an independent and respectful way, you are in the right place. In this travel guide, I will break down the exact logistics to visit completely on your own, along with my best insider tips along the way. Shall we?

Vale la pena visitar Madonna della Corona?

One hundred per cent yes, but on one condition: you must do it on your own. The true magic of this place lies not just in the Gothic church embedded into the cliff, but in the dramatic landscape of Monte Baldo and the deep sense of isolation.

It is a unique postcard view, completely surrounded by towering mountains and lush greenery.

How to get to Madonna della Corona from Verona

Verona is the most common base for this day trip, although if you are planning to spend a few days around Lake Garda, it is actually much better to visit the Sanctuary from there. Verona sits about 45km south, and aside from tours, you have two clear ways to get there:

Getting to Madonna della Corona by car from Verona

This is the fastest and most flexible option. Drive north from Verona taking the A22 motorway (towards Brennero) and take the Affi exit. From there, follow the signs to Caprino Veronese and finally head up to the village of Spiazzi. It takes just under an hour. There is a designated car park available about a 10 to 15-minute walk from the sanctuary.

Visiting Madonna della Corona without a car from Verona

Doing this sustainably and without breaking the bank is completely doable, though it does require more time. From Verona’s central train station (Verona Porta Nuova), you can take Bus 185, which drops you off in the lovely lakeside town of Garda. Once there, you catch a connecting ride on Bus 476 up to Spiazzi.

This is actually my absolute favourite route because buses do not run very frequently, and if you have to wait for your connection, the town of Garda is an incredibly beautiful spot to sit back and relax.

🧚🏽 Do not bother taking a train from Verona to Lake Garda for this specific trip; stations like Sirmione or Desenzano del Garda are too far away from the Sanctuary and will overcomplicate your journey.

Best places to stay in Verona

If you are using the city of Romeo and Juliet as your base to explore the mountains, these are my top clean, minimalist picks:
All’Opera Prima: Gorgeous rooms located just a stone’s throw away from the iconic Verona Arena.
Albergo Mazzanti: Right in the heart of the city near Juliet’s House, boasting excellent traveler reviews.

-> Don’t miss my complete guide: What to see in Verona: The Ultimate Travel Guide for a full breakdown of areas and local secrets.

How to get to Madonna della Corona from Lake Garda

If you are already exploring the Lake Garda area, the Sanctuary is right next door, making it a spectacular scenery combination for a single day. The lake is lined with stunning medieval villages—Limone, Riva, and Malcesine being my absolute favourites.

Visiting Madonna della Corona from Garda by car

Driving up from lakeside towns like Garda, Bardolino, or Lazise is simply breathtaking. Head towards Costermano, pass through Caprino Veronese, and tackle the winding road up Monte Baldo towards Spiazzi. It takes barely 35 minutes of twists and turns, with lake views so stunning they will force you to pull over for photos every few minutes.

Getting to Madonna della Corona from Garda by public transport

Departing from the town of Garda (on the eastern shore of the lake), you can catch a direct bus up to the village of Spiazzi. The journey takes around 40 minutes. However, the schedule is quite limited (it usually runs every 2 hours), so this trip definitely requires you to check the timetables the day before.

Now, if you are staying in the more popular tourist hubs like Riva del Garda (in the north) or Sirmione (in the south), the logistics add an extra step: you will need to take an initial bus that skirts the lake to reach the Garda terminal, and change there for the bus to Spiazzi.

🧚🏽 Instead of single tickets, I highly recommend buying the ATV Day Pass for 11 EUR. It gives you unlimited rides for a full day and—here is the ultimate bonus—it completely covers the local shuttle minibus that takes you from Spiazzi village right to the Sanctuary gates. Otherwise, you’ll have to pay separately for about 4 EUR each way.

Best places to stay around Lake Garda

Riva del Garda (my absolute favourite village): Hotel Canarino or Hotel Benacus—both are spectacular.

Sirmione (the most popular southern hub): Hotel Giardino.

Garda (the most direct access to the Sanctuary): Casa Cavour Garda.

Reaching Madonna della Corona from Spiazzi Village

Once you set foot in Spiazzi, you have officially arrived. To bridge the final gap to the Sanctuary, you have two choices:

1 – Take the shuttle bus: It costs around 2 EUR and drops you off right at the main viewpoint.

2 – Walk the 1 km path: A scenic walk down following the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross). The trail offers a mix of traditional steps and smoother ramps.

The Sentiero della Speranza (The Hidden Trekking Route)

If you want to experience the true, awe-inspiring visual approach to this place, do not walk down from Spiazzi. Do the exact opposite: hike up from the valley village of Brentino Belluno via the Sentiero della Speranza (The Path of Hope).

The experience changes completely. It is a moderate-difficulty trek featuring over 1,500 stone steps carved directly into the mountain, surrounded by a dense forest that makes you feel completely disconnected from the outside world. The best part is the visual reward: the silhouette of the sanctuary slowly emerges through the mountain mist and towering rock walls as you ascend.

🧚🏽 It takes roughly 2 hours to complete the climb, and the route is perfectly marked on Google Maps.

What makes Madonna della Corona so special?

It originally started in the 1200s as a mystical, inaccessible hollow for hermits and monks looking to isolate themselves entirely from civilization. Today, witnessing how the architecture seamlessly fuses with the living rock of the mountain is an absolute showstopper.

The iconic Neogothic bell tower and the marble-detailed facade you see in photos were completed in 1922. However, in the 1970s, the entire complex underwent a massive engineering renovation to safely demolish damaged sections, expand the space, and permanently anchor the temple to the cliffside using heavy-duty steel tension rods so it can defy gravity forever.

Essential Tips for Your Visit

The Best Time to Visit:

The sun hits the cliff face directly during the early morning. If you manage to arrive by 7:30 AM or 8:00 AM, you will get clean, crisp side-lighting—perfect for your photography—and you will have the entire temple all to yourself.
🧚🏽 If you haven’t seen any photos of the church interior online, it is simply because photography is strictly forbidden inside the sacred space.

Supporting the Local Community

Instead of buying mass-produced, packaged snacks at motorway service stations, support the small family-run taverns in Spiazzi or Brentino Belluno. The prices are incredibly fair (no tourist traps here) and your money goes directly to the mountain locals.

Free public toilets

The use of rest rooms at the Sanctuary is completely free of charge. It sounds like a joke, but trust me, this is a massive luxury worth highlighting in Italy!

Final Thoughts on Madonna della Corona

Northern Italy hides corners so deeply special that it genuinely brings me so much joy to write about these places, far away from the rows of mass tourism. As you might know, I am Argentine but I am also Italian, and I spent a chapter of my life living in Torino.

I have a mountain of Italy articles coming down the line, but in the meantime, if you are currently exploring the north of the country, I highly recommend planning your independent route with these detailed guides:

-> Traveling to Venice on a Budget

-> What to See in Verona: A Complete Guide for Your Trip

-> Toscana: guía + itinerario orientativo

Stay tuned, because new definitive guides on the Italian Alps, Cinque Terre, the Tour du Mont Blanc, and many more are dropping very soon. If you have any specific questions about tackling this route or just want to see where I am wandering next, you can always drop me a message on my Instagram @guadiviajando.

Thank you so much for reading this far, and have an incredible journey through la mia Italia!

Guadi.