Abbazia di Vallombrosa

History

Founded around 1036 by St John Gualbert, a converted Florentine nobleman, it is the mother house of the Vallombrosan Benedictine congregation. For centuries the monks tended the famous fir forest surrounding the complex — today a Biogenetic Nature Reserve — making it a school of forestry ahead of its time. The imposing present abbey, remodelled in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, still houses a small active monastic community devoted to liturgy, the historic pharmacy and hospitality.

Visiting

What to see

Abbey church with medieval frescoes. XVI century cloister. Museum with paintings and metalwork. Ancient forest of white firs all around.

Surroundings

Vallombrosa Forest (nature reserve) with trails. 40 km from Florence. Mountain landscape of Pratomagno. Tuscan villages.

Visitor information

Winter (Sep-Jun): weekdays 7:00 AM, holidays 11:00 AM-5:00 PM. Summer (Jul-Aug): weekdays 7:00 AM-10:00 AM, holidays 9:30 AM-5:00 PM.

Contacts

monaci.org

Hospitality and where to sleep

Guesthouse available

Monastic guesthouse, by reservation

Beds and prices

Internal monastic guesthouse with simple rooms, intended for retreat stays sharing the community's rhythm; book by contacting the monks via the monaci.org website. Alternatively, a few minutes away, the Hotel Rifugio La Foresta and the accommodation at Saltino (mid-range).

Services

Drinking water at the fountains on the forecourt; historic pharmacy-shop with the monks' products; bars and refreshment points at nearby Saltino (about 1 km). Meals in the guesthouse for guests. Wifi not documented in the guest areas.

Places to stay nearby (within 15 km)

• Foresteria dell'Abbazia di Vallombrosaguesthouse
  Vallombrosa, Reggello (FI) · 0.0 km as the crow flies

  Price:

  donation or rate to be agreed with the monks

  Open:

  year-round, booking required (055 862251)

  Facilities:

  simple rooms, monastic dining hall, state forest

  Source:

  monaci.org

  Vallombrosan Benedictine hospitality in the monks' old dormitory, stage finish in the Pratomagno.

Getting there by bike

The classic climb is from Sant'Ellero: about 13 km at an average gradient of around 6%, steady, with a pitch of about a hundred metres above 15% after Tosi, on good asphalt through the forest; alternatives from Pelago or Tosi. The last stretch from Saltino is almost flat up to the abbey forecourt, where you leave the bike. Free entry to the church; guided tours of the monastic rooms only on set days and times (no booking needed for individuals).

Thirteen kilometres of climbing through the wood, steady except for one pitch after Tosi, lead straight to the abbey's square. The area is now equipped for cycle tourism, with signage and downloadable tracks. The last stretch from Saltino rides almost flat.

Bike racks available at the abbey square. Fountains in front of the abbey; bars and refreshments at Saltino, about a kilometre away.

Map and stages