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Christ of Maratea

Bruno Innocenti's 1965 Christ the Redeemer, watching inland over Maratea from the summit of Monte San Biagio.

  • Maratea
  • Monument
Plan your visit
Where
Maratea
Best for
21.13-meter Christ statue
Allow
45 minutes
Tickets
Free

On Monte San Biagio, high above Maratea, Bruno Innocenti's Christ the Redeemer has stood with arms spread toward the Gulf of Policastro since 1965. The Florentine sculptor cast the statue in concrete studded with chips of Seravezza marble over a steel frame, a structure weighing some 400 tons that stands directly on the rock with no pedestal.

Its most unusual detail is the gaze: the figure looks inland toward the town rather than out to sea, watching over Maratea instead of greeting ships in the gulf. At 21.13 meters from base to crown, with an arm span close to 19 meters, it stands beside the Basilica di San Biagio but is a separate monument built decades after the sanctuary. A shuttle bus, a signed hiking path, or the newer via ferrata all lead to the summit, rewarding the climb with a full sweep of the Tyrrhenian coastline.

Sources and citations (2)
  1. Comune di MarateaCristo di Maratea: Statua del RedentorePlace title, classification and locationRead source
  2. Catalogo generale dei Beni CulturaliSantuario Basilica di San Biagio, MarateaHistorical-critical notice, statue contextRead source

Four things worth finding

If you see nothing else, see these.

  1. The face and the inland gazeBruno Innocenti, 1963 to 1965

    Go up close: the head alone is about three meters tall, and the gaze is turned toward the town and the basilica rather than out to sea.Standing directly in front of the statue

  2. The belvedere behind the statue

    A long stretch of the Maratea coastline opens up from here, and the statue itself stands directly on the rock with no pedestal.The viewing area behind the monument, on the summit

  3. The ruins of the medieval castle

    The broken walls of the fortified settlement that preceded the monument are scattered across the peak, easy to miss if you only look at the statue.On the rocky summit around the statue

  4. The Basilica di San Biagio

    The sanctuary was built decades before the statue; it is a separate monument and worth a stop on the way down.On Monte San Biagio, reached by the path from the summit

Plan your visit

Everything you need before you go.

Tickets
Free
Booking
No booking needed
Time needed
45 minutes
Best time
Early morning or just before sunset, for clear light and cooler air.
Getting there
From Maratea's historic center, take the shuttle bus up Monte San Biagio, walk the signed 2.4-kilometer path (with a notable elevation gain), or use the via ferrata with its suspension bridges, opened in 2021.
Accessibility
The shuttle bus reaches close to the summit, but the final approach and viewing terrace have uneven paving and some steps; the hiking path and via ferrata are not wheelchair accessible.

No admission fee. The shuttle bus from Maratea's historic center costs €1 round trip and runs frequently in season.

Go up by shuttle and come down on foot: the path gives you the view in stages instead of all at once, and it is far more pleasant downhill than up.

Get directionsGoogle MapsApple Maps

Good to know

How long should you spend at the Christ of Maratea?

Plan on about 45 minutes at the summit: the statue, the belvedere and the castle ruins. If you walk up rather than take the shuttle, add the time of the path.

Is the Christ of Maratea worth visiting?

Yes, mainly for the setting: a 21-meter statue standing on bare rock with the whole Tyrrhenian coast below. It is best in clear light, early in the morning or just before sunset.

Do you need to book the Christ of Maratea?

No, the summit is open to anyone who gets there by shuttle bus, by the signed hiking path or by the via ferrata. Only the via ferrata needs any kind of arrangement ahead, and only because it is a climbing route.

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