THE ABBEY OF CHIARAVALLE DI FIASTRA

Built in 1142 by the Cistercian monks coming from the Abbey of Chiaravalle of Milan, it is one of the purest and most beautiful examples of Cistercian - Romanesque art in Italy. The Church, which is 72 metres in length, 20 metres wide and 30 metres high, has a nave and two side isles; the nave is very high and divided into eight spans.
The eight pillars, alternately quadrangular and polygonal, are quite characteristic; their Romanesque capitals, which decorate the central nave of the   

Church, were maybe carved by the monks themselves. The 15^th century cloister, the chapter-house and the lay brothers’ refectory are simply magnificent. The vaults of the refectory, perfectly preserved, rest on seven Roman columns with huge capitals taken from the ruins of the nearby Roman site of Urbs Salvia (the modern Urbisaglia). The whole structure of the Abbey of Fiastra, which includes a number of museums also, is surrounded by a wood where many animal and vegetable protected species live (guides available for visits).

Photo: Giorgio Semmoloni