The Hermitage of the Madonna degli Ulivi is one of the oldest and most evocative sites in Maratea, nestled in the silence of the hills rising behind the Basilica of San Biagio, at an altitude of approximately 552 metres above sea level. This small sacred building, also known as Madonna della Neve, still retains the spiritual and mysterious charm of the ancient Byzantine monasticism that characterised much of southern Italy for centuries.

Probably of early Christian origin and linked to the presence of Basilian monks who arrived in the South between the 6th and 7th centuries, the hermitage served not only as a place of worship but also as a refuge for monks and travellers traversing the ancient paths between the coast of Castrocucco, the port of Blanda and the Lucanian hinterland. Its strategic position, along important medieval trade routes, made it a vital stopping point for pilgrims and merchants.

The building, simple and intimate, has a rectangular plan with a single nave, flanked by rooms used for daily life and the storage of provisions, forming a small, self-contained hermitage. Inside the hermitage are preserved precious 14th- and 15th-century frescoes, of great historical and artistic value. Among these, a delicate Madonna and Child and a refined depiction of Saint Catherine of Alexandria stand out, alongside the remains of a Christ Pantocrator in a distinctly Byzantine style.

The hermitage owes its name ‘Madonna degli Ulivi’ to the ancient altar carved from a single olive tree root, whilst the name ‘Madonna della Neve’ refers to the Marian tradition linked to the miracle of the snow on 5 August, celebrated in Rome at Santa Maria Maggiore. Long abandoned, the little church has been restored thanks to conservation work that has restored dignity to the frescoes and the entire complex.

Today, the Hermitage of the Madonna degli Ulivi stands as one of the most authentic testimonies to the medieval spirituality of Maratea: a secluded and peaceful place, where history, art and faith blend with the mountainous landscape overlooking the Gulf of Policastro.