"Well, what of him?
"'What of him?' It was the bishop Elpidius who conceived the idea of consecrating the church to the Virgin, and that is the reason why the Virgin came to visit the church."
"Ah! how do you know that?"
"How do you know it? You see it."
"Do you mean to say that it has been seen?"
"I mean to say that it is still to be seen: have the goodness to come with me."
So saying, he started off, and I followed him, very curious to learn what this visible form of the descent of the Virgin might be. We stopped in front of a sort of chapel close to one of the great pilasters of the central nave. The guide pointed out a white stone set in the wall covered by an iron net, and with this inscription running around it:
"Quando la reina del cielo
Puso los pies en el suelo,
En esta piedra los puso."