Monastero di Bose

History

In 1965 Enzo Bianchi settled alone in the abandoned hamlet of Bose, on the Serra of Ivrea: from that seed grew a unique monastic community, ecumenical and mixed, with brothers and sisters of different Christian confessions living by their work and by hospitality under a common rule. Bose has become an international reference point for dialogue between the Churches, for its conferences on Orthodox spirituality and for the Qiqajon publishing house. Today the community, with foundations elsewhere in Italy, continues to welcome thousands of guests a year among the meadows and woods of the morainic hill.

Visiting

What to see

Contemporary monastic community founded by Enzo Bianchi. Modern church, important ecumenical library. Monastic gardens and spiritual workshops.

Surroundings

Hilly landscape of the Biellese region with forests. Hiking and cycling excursions. Small medieval villages. Areas of significant natural value.

Visitor information

Porter's lodge: 8:00 AM-12:30 PM and 2:00 PM-6:30 PM. Visits by appointment Mon-Sat.

Contacts

015 679185 · monasterodibose.it · info@monasterodibose.it

Hospitality and where to sleep

Guesthouse available

Guesthouses for individuals and groups, even for a single night. Booking by telephone only; free contribution according to one's means.

Beds and prices

Ample, well-run hospitality: you can stay one or more nights, midweek or at the weekend, even on your own. One iron rule: bookings are taken only by phone on 015 679 185, no email. As for cost, the community asks each guest to contribute freely according to their means (free-will offering). Meals are taken in the guesthouse.

Services

Meals and breakfast included in the hospitality; community shop with produce from the vegetable garden, jams, ceramics and books. Water available in the guesthouse; the stay is centred on silence and the liturgy, so don't count on wifi. Few services in Magnano (a tiny village); for proper bars and shops you need Ivrea or Cavaglià. Carrying cash for the offering is the simplest choice.

Places to stay nearby (within 15 km)

• Foresteria del Monastero di Boseguesthouse
  Frazione Bose 6, Magnano (BI) · 11.2 km as the crow flies

  Price:

  donation-based

  Open:

  year-round (bookings by phone only)

  Facilities:

  rooms, meals with the community, shared prayer

  Source:

  monasterodibose.it

  Monastic hospitality at the ecumenical community of Bose, the natural finish of the first stage.

Getting there by bike

Bose sits on the Serra moraine between Ivrea and Biella, at about 550 m: from Bollengo/Ivrea or from Cavaglià you climb on asphalt with steady, rideable gradients; from Magnano the final kilometre is a well-signposted little asphalt road ("Bose"). Bikes are left in the outdoor areas by the gatehouse. Free entry to the church and shop.

Bose is reached by a gentle climb through the meadows of the Serra, no ramps to fear. Booking is by phone only, calmly, before setting off. At the guesthouse the phone stays as silent as the hill around it.

The bike can be left in the outdoor space by the gatehouse. Water available at the guesthouse. In the small village of Magnano services are few: better to stock up in Ivrea or Cavaglià before the climb.

Map and stages