The church of St. Maria delle Grazie is a rural parish church which is found above Faggio or Secco hill, to the west of Monteloene, on the side of Mount Aspra.

Most likely, it was built on the remains of the second fortress of Vetranola, definitively destroyed by an earthquake in 1328. This can be deduced by the thickness of the walls (130 cm approx.), by the remains of construction work scattered in the area and by a cistern, which exists to this day, a short distance from the building. In the past, the annexed rooms served as accommodation for the hermits.

Here, on 31st March 1944, fleeing for fear of retaliation by the German army against the actions of the partisans, the residents of Montelone looked for shelter in the woods and pits of Mount Motola and Aspra. Having identified the area, the German troops were on the brink of reaching the fugitives when, suddenly and unusually, a thick fog covered the mountain preventing the soldiers from continuing and catching sight of the people who succeeded in hiding or passing over the mountain to freedom.

On 31st March 1986, a cross was erected to remember this event. At the base it says: “Fear and pain overwhelm us in war, faith and love joins us in peace”.