The Sanctuary traces its origins to verified apparitions from the period 490 to 493 A.D. The apparitions, the first called "of the Bull", the second, "of the Victory", the third "of the Dedication", occurred September 29, 493, when the Archangel appeared to Bishop Lorenzo Maiorano to announce that no consecration of the grotta had to be made because the Archangel himself had done it.
The sanctuary of San Michele, which originated around the sixth century, underwent repeated sacking and destruction.
The King of Naples, Charles I of Anjou, and his son Charles II, ordered the present entrance. At the bottom of the stairs one can admire the bronze doors commissioned by Pantaleone of Amalfi and built at Constantinople in 1706. The nave, dating to the second half of the thirteenth century, is in gothic style.
The authors of this work, along with the eight-sided bell tower (1282), were the architect brothers Giordano and Maraldo. The statue of San Michele in pure white marble was sculpted in 1507 by Andrea Contucci, called the "Sansovino"

From the spiritual point of view the sanctuary of San Michele is part of the oldest and most important pilgrimage complex, containing the triple-name Deus (Jerusalem), Angelus (the cave of San Michele), Homo (the tombs of the Apostles of Rome and of San Giacomo of Compostela in Galizia, Spain).

For all these reasons, Monte Sant’Angelo deserves to be visited. After having satisfied the desire for history, art and tradition, what better than to sit at a table and savor the delights of Pugliese cooking? Just 150 meters from the Sanctuary of San Michele, in a charming historic street, one finds the beautiful Restaurant Real.

Here, in a traditional environment furnished with modern comforts (air conditioning, sound system, TV and bar), in a large dining room offering comfortable accommodation for up to 100 people, one can taste all the local specialties, including seafood.