The Santuario Basilica Regina Montis Regalis, dedicated to the Nativity of Mary, in Vicoforte, is a grandiose monument, famous for its elliptical masonry dome, the largest in the world.

Its fulcrum is the effigy of the Madonna and Child painted on the masonry pylon, raised in the central temple: legend has it that it was built by vote, by a kilnsman, at the end of the 1400s.  A century later, a group of Vicesi built a small chapel around it and in 1595, following numerous miraculous healings and given its tremendous popularity with the local community, the bishop and the city of Mondovì united to honour the holy Marian image with a large and majestic temple. 

The first stone was laid in 1596 in the presence of Duke Carlo Emanuele I of Savoy. The construction site was directed by architect Ascanio Vitozzi until 1615. The monumental work was only fully completed in the early 1900s. The dome is the work of brilliant Monregalese architect Francesco Gallo, who finished it in 1733. 

Today, Duke Carlo Emanuele I of Savoy and Vittorio Emanuele III King of Italy and his wife, Elena of Montenegro, rest there in a side chapel.

Today it is possible to see the magnificence of the sanctuary and its dome up close with Magnificat, an innovative and exciting guided tour format: wearing a helmet and a harness, you climb up to 60 metres high to admire the work from an unusual, close perspective. The path, which is highly engaging, starts from the building, then goes up inside the sanctuary, in spaces never previously opened to the public. 

The tour fosters a slow ascent and an in-depth exploration of the features: in the 266 steps up, explanations of the basic elements alternate with the first-hand view of the frescoes and decorations. Arriving at the lantern, known as the cupolino, visitors can enjoy the inimitable view of the oval environment, and observe, outside, the unique panorama of the Alps and the hills around.