According to an old popular tradition, still upheld by the local, the church was destroyed by a flood a long time ago. The next day, however, the statue of the Virgin Mary was miraculously found on a pine tree. Since then, both the small church and the hamlet are also called S. Maria del Pino. Actually, the name seems to have been derived from the aristocratic De Lupino family. The ancient wooden statue depicting the ‘Madonna del Carmine’ dating back to the 18th century, stolen by unknown thieves on 25 August 2014, was returned to the community on 19 December 2023.
The church, located in the village of Pastena, has a gabled façade with a circular window surmounted by a triangular neoclassical pediment. On the right, stands the bell tower built towards the end of the 19th century on an archway that acts as an overpass to the pedestrian street, where a fresco by an unknown author depicting the Flight into Egypt can be seen. The belfry has a tambour with interlaced arches and single-lancet windows between them, and is surmounted by a small dome.
The interior consists of a single room covered by two cross vaults decorated with stucco friezes and floral rosettes. Along the side walls, there are two wall niches with statues of St Christopher and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The altar – a polychrome marble ensemble dating back to 1895 – is surmounted by a canvas depicting the Madonna del Carmine with Child.
