Sanctuario della Caravina is an isolated church on the lakeside route from Cressogno toward Cima. In Massimo Alberti’s letter to Lelia Camin, it is both a practical landmark and the fallback meeting place where they are to wait for one another. Their actual encounter takes place just before the church, making the approach to the sanctuary—not an interior scene—the setting for their reunion.

Setting and Approach

Massimo’s directions place the sanctuary beyond the village of Cressogno. Lelia is to dismiss her guide there and continue alone; if they have not met earlier, she is to wait at the isolated church. From Cressogno, the path passes among olive trees and vineyards along a gentle slope descending toward the lake. Cypresses stand in front of the sanctuary, providing a distinct landmark on the final stretch.

A Planned Rendezvous

Massimo’s letter gives the meeting a practical constraint: he says he must be at Cima at half past two, and directs Lelia to travel then toward the sanctuary. From Cima, she can take a boat back to San Mamette, while he will return uphill to Dasio. The church thus serves as a point in a larger itinerary, connecting the lovers’ meeting with their separate onward journeys.

Lelia has forgotten to wind her watch and checks the timetable before setting out. She reaches the exit from Cressogno toward Caravina in half an hour, sends the boy who has accompanied her away, and continues by herself. Carrying Massimo’s letter, she rereads it as she walks slowly along the road. About a hundred paces from the cypresses in front of the sanctuary, she looks up and sees Massimo coming toward her.

The Meeting and Its Significance

The rendezvous is fulfilled before Lelia reaches the church. She offers Massimo her hand, shows him his letter, and silently conveys her gratitude; after a moment of emotion, they set off side by side toward the sanctuary. Their shared silence is burdened by the same memory of a dead person, while the meeting also opens a private conversation about Massimo’s sadness and his words in the letter. Beyond the sanctuary, they continue along a gently winding road through vineyards and olive groves.

The location’s narrative force lies in this convergence of route and encounter. The sanctuary is not described as the site of a religious rite; it is a recognizable, isolated landmark that makes a difficult meeting possible and gives the characters a threshold between their separate journeys and their walk together. The letter’s contingency plan remains in the background, while the actual reunion occurs on the path leading to the church.