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An Italian village is attracting attention after a figure which some people think resembles the Virgin Mary appeared on a nearby rock face.

Hundreds of visitors have been drawn to Casaletto Spartano, population 1,400, to see the "Madonna of the rock" for themselves, . The site says it's a mix of faith and curiosity that's attracting people. The figure began to emerge last summer when a chunk of rock broke off the cliff during a minor landslide.

A local man says villagers didn't notice it at first, but now he can see the shape of hands and a cloak hanging down. "We don't know what it is... but the more you look at it the more it looks like a real Madonna," . The rock also happens to lie just below a path used by local people during religious processions.

But one local website asked a geologist for input, and he says it's a simple matter of erosion occurring over several millennia. It has happened elsewhere to spectacular effect, including on the island of Sardinia, Franco Ortolani . "That's the scientific explanation," he says, adding with a hint of irony that some might consider it a message from above. "It could be a reminder to love and adequately protect and value the immense natural heritage of the area," he says. "I like to think that's the 'meaning'."

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