«11 August 2020, 4.45 in the morning. From the balcony of the room where I was staying in Calabria I could see the beauty of the universe in all God’s glory. In a heavenly vision, the Lord turned to me and said: Calabria is a star that shines in the constellation of the universe. It is the promised land”»
The Cittadella di Padre Pio stands in the hills overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the small Calabrian municipality of Drapia (Vibo Valentia), in Contrada Vento. Set in an enviable position, on a real natural terrace halfway up a hill, it faces the Gulf of Tropea and Stromboli and is sheltered by Mount Poro, in a blend of land and sky in the typically mild Mediterranean climate.
The location was revealed to Irene by Padre Pio, whose eternal foresight had, for a specific reason, already envisaged the ideal birthplace for the Cittadella and he showed it to her for the first time in an apparition:
«My child, you must build a sanctuary in Calabria, a children’s hospital, a research centre and a home for the suffering. Because there are children who will be born with tumours in their lungs, in their blood and elsewhere, and they must be cured with natural medicines, with the herbs that grow there and with the water that flows there»
At first, Irene didn’t recognise that wild, unfamiliar place and felt overwhelmed by what seemed like a hopeless search. However, Divine Providence put Irene on the right track and in just a few months led her to Drapia, a municipality in the hinterland of the province of Vibo Valentia. Here, she discovered a land with exceptional flora and a region that needed a future: the ideal place for such a major project of life and hope.
Studies of the area of Drapia have confirmed that the variety of native plants, flowers and fruit that grow wild there, plus the presence of top quality spring water, make it a veritable unspoilt “paradise”, ideal for the restorative process for young patients who at the Cittadella di Padre Pio can recover their physical and spiritual health with unique nutraceutical treatments.
THE CITTADELLA ACCORDING TO ITS PLAYERS
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Biochemical analysis of the active principles present in the plants found unique properties and in exceptional concentrations. To name one: the Marian Thistle, which grows here with an extremely high level of its active principle, silymarin, a complex of plant elements important for a healthy liver.
This information, prophetic and of major importance in terms of human wellness, increasingly reveals the outlines of what is an immense divine plan, centred around the suffering and the least fortunate, and one that brings together all the various elements of an act of love, science and extraordinary faith in its each and every part.
100% funded by donations
The Cittadella has been built using only voluntary contributions from individuals, famous figures and entrepreneurs, including many people from Calabria who see the project as a real opportunity for growth in the region, as well as a true demonstration of faith.
Urban growth
Many local companies and small businessmen will be able to benefit from the project by taking part in the development of infrastructures and by reinstating the rules of good urban planning.
A social project
The Cittadella is a project based also on voluntary work and on raising awareness, with services in the various socio-cultural sectors such as the environment, healthcare, civil defence, culture, immigration and human rights.
A sustainable future
The design of the entire expanse of the Cittadella is based on the use of innovative technologies and renewable energies to make it energetically self sufficient and with an extremely low impact on the environment.
