Continue along the same road, away from the village centre. There's just one more stop before we reach the Teatro del Silenzio.

 

Simply follow the signs for "Teatro del Silenzio". At a crossroads along the way, you'll come across a small red-brick shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

 

That's where we'll search for the final missing note.

 

If you need help finding this location, you can view it on Google Maps.

Small roadside shrines like this one are known in Italy as edicole votive. Their origins date back to Roman times, when small shrines dedicated to the Lares, the protective deities of homes, crossroads and travellers, were placed along roads and near settlements.

 

After Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire in AD 380, many of these pagan shrines gradually gave way to images of the Virgin Mary and Christian saints. Over the centuries, families often built new shrines as an ex voto, an act of gratitude for a recovered illness, a safe journey or another blessing received.

 

Today, thousands of these shrines can still be found across Italy. Many locals continue to place flowers or light candles, preserving a tradition that has remained part of Italian daily life for well over 1,500 years.