In 1863, following the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy and the subsequent confiscation of ecclesiastical properties, the hermitage and the Abbey of San Salvatore were abandoned. In 1871, they were purchased by Marquis Filippo Marignoli, a senator of the Kingdom of Italy. The Marignoli family retained ownership of Monte Corona for over fifty years, transforming the hermitage into a luxurious residence and carrying out significant canalisation works. In 1938, the historic site and its adjoining buildings were acquired by the renowned tenor Beniamino Gigli, who once said: “These harmonious hills, these fertile valleys. Green Umbria has always been in my heart”. Over the years, Monte Corona saw a succession of owners, including financial groups linked to the Agnelli family, and experienced various historical events: the occupation by Anglo-American troops in 1944, sheltering refugees fleeing bombings and reprisals, abandonment in the 1960s, and the occupation by an Indian guru in 1977, who established a spiritual retreat there until 1980.

Finally, in 1981, a small group of cloistered nuns from the “Monastic Family of Bethlehem, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, and Saint Bruno” settled in the monastery, restoring its function as a religious community. The nuns later relocated to the convent of Mocaiana, near Gubbio, and the hermitage is now inhabited by monks of the same order.

The Hermitage of Monte Corona is a place of silence and prayer. While partially inaccessible, visitors can follow an external path that offers insight into monastic life throughout the day and purchase the monastery’s natural and handcrafted products. They can also explore the evocative oratory ­– simple and unadorned, yet decorated with icons made by the monks. Hospitality and accommodation are reserved for men only and not for groups. Of the original structures, only the 18th-century church remains, now abandoned ­– its interior bare and modest, while its exterior still retains stucco decorations.