Pierno is an inhabited hamlet of the municipality of San Fele (Pz), in Basilicata, situated on a small plateau at 960 metres above sea level. It is a mountainous, rocky area, rich in springs and chestnut woods. Here stands the beautiful Abbey of Santa Maria di Pierno, which, according to tradition, was founded by San Guglielmo da Vercelli around 1139, following the discovery—in a crevice of Monte Pierno—of a statue of the Madonna, previously hidden by Basilian hermits from nearby Monte Santa Croce.

The sanctuary was consecrated in 1221. Later, in 1456, after an earthquake, the statue of the Madonna was moved elsewhere, but then mysteriously disappeared, only to reappear once again in Pierno. Following this miraculous event, the church and adjoining convent were rebuilt. The interior, in Romanesque style, has three naves. The complex was restored after the damage caused by the 1980 earthquake.