The small church of Saint Mary of the Florentines - Santa Maria dei Fiorentini is outside the village of Riofreddo along the ancient route of the Valeria Road. The building today appears to be made up of two parts: a simple church, which ends with a small bell gable, and a building next door capable of accommodating the guardian monks of the temple.
Its construction is linked to a miracle when a statue of the Madonna was found by some inhabitants who placed it in a niche in the rock, which is still in the church. A group of merchants recognized it as theirs and brought it back to Florence but legend has it that the statue miraculously returned to its niche in Riofreddo.
For this reason the church became a destination for pilgrimages and the Madonna dei Fiorentini was celebrated with a procession twice a year, on the occasion of the feast of the patron saint Saint George and in September on the day of Maria's birth.
Santa Maria dei Fiorentini is still celebrated every year in Riofreddo.
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