Italy Sacra di San Michele, Piemonte, Italia

The Sacra di San Michele is an ancient abbey perched on a mountain top, about 1,000 metres above sea level and marks the beginning of the Susa Valley, on the outskirts of Turin.
Not particularly well cared for for years, it has recently become one of the symbolic monuments of Piedmont, and one of the most visited in Italy.
As tradition has it, there are dozens of legends, connections with Freemasonry, and many historical events behind the church.
the Italian writer Umberto Eco took the Sacra di San Michele (in his youth he used to spend summers in Avigliana, the most important and closest town to the church) as the setting for his famous novel ‘The Name of the Rose’.

A tripod is a practically mandatory accessory, along with polarised and ND filters.
The weather changes quickly and this means that there is not always enough time to make adjustments on camera with confidence, which is why I suggest preparing presets.

The spot is near the ‘Cascina dei Canonici’ farmhouse, about 40 minutes from the Turin motorway, at the mouth of the Susa Valley. It can be reached easily, with sufficiently comfortable and well-marked roads. It is worth remembering that the final part of the road leading to the Sacra di San Michele, which you will have to take to reach the spot, is one-way on public holidays, from 9 a.m. onwards.
The spot is ideal for photographing the Sacra at dawn and in all conditions: for convenience and quality, I can recommend staying overnight at the farmhouse to optimise time and travel.