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The Franciscan sanctuary known as La Verna is perched on a clifftop in the center of the Tuscan Apennines, about two hours east of Florence. The place is known especially for its association with Saint Francis of Assisi (he is said to have received the stigmata here). Visitors are encouraged by the monks to stay a few days within the sanctuary to fully experience the peaceful ambiance Saint Francis would have benefited from 700 years ago.
This large Benedictine monastery is nestled in the Tuscan landscape near Sienna. Founded in the early 14th century, the monks here practiced cenobitic monasticism, or "life in common," where they traditionally welcomed exhausted travelers into their realm. Their hospitality flourishes today, with guests welcomed regardless of religious affiliation.
In the Middle Ages, Farfa Abbey was one of the richest and most famous abbeys in Italy. Both monks and nuns live in Farfa, in separate areas. Guided tours allow visitors to discover one of the most illustrious monuments of the European medieval era and the Italian Renaissance.
A remarkably well-preserved Cistercian abbey dating back to the 13th century, Casamari Abbey hosts guests in rooms that overlook fragrant gardens and orchards fringed by Roman columns, ruins of pagan temples, sarcophagi, and a network of medieval chapels. The abbey is located about 62 miles (100 km) southeast of Rome.
Founded in the 6th century, the Abbey of Saint Scholastica in Subiaco follows the rule that guests should be welcomed "as if Christ himself were knocking on the door." Those staying overnight are accommodated in vaulted ensuite rooms with frescoed ceilings.
Located 30 miles (50 km) north of Rome in the town of Bassano Romano, this grand monastery nestles in its own estate. It offers rooms for 120 guests, with full or half board facilities provided. The monks grow their own produce in pastures set next to a pine forest where a "garden of silence" provides opportunities for peace and solitude.
The resplendent 16th-century San Giorgio Maggiore monastery is located on San Giorgio Maggiore, one of the islands of Venice. It has sweeping views of St. Marks that a hotel would charge a premium for. Yet, with prior arrangement, visitors can stay here and are asked to pay what they can.
Saint Michael's Abbey is without doubt one of the most dramatic sites in Italy. Situated on the south side of the Val di Susa in the country's Piedmont region, the monumental 13th-century abbey served as one of the inspirations for the book 'The Name of the Rose' by Umberto Eco. While Saint Michael's welcomes visitors, it does not offer overnight accommodation.
Set within Venice's lagoon, St. Francis of the Desert island is home to a 13th-century Franciscan monastery. In 1220, Saint Francis of Assisi choose the island as a place to rest and contemplate. Visitors today can do the same but only after prior agreement with the monks who live there.
Founded in 1716 by order of San Leonardo da Porto Maurizio on the foundations of an ancient hermitage, the Convent of the Encounter is tucked away in the Florentine hills just 15 minutes from Florence. Described as a place of spiritual retreat, the convent does not charge an overnight rate as such. Instead, guests are encouraged to part with a donation towards the building's upkeep.
The Convent of the Capuchin Friars in Monterosso al Mare, Liguria, is also known as the Convent of Monterosso. Capuchin friars have custody of this clifftop sanctuary and offer visitors the option of staying at this spiritual retreat for free.
This Franciscan convent, located in the historic center of Fiesole in Tuscany, stands on the site of a small hermitage built by the Franciscans in 1399. Fiesole is in fact a suburb of Florence and besides the convent is visited for its wealth of other historic buildings, many of which date back to to Etruscan and Roman times.
Praglia Abbey dates back to the 1000s. It is located at the foot of the Euganean Hills near Padua and fringed by neatly combed vineyards. The monastery accommodates guests, and the chance to sample the wines made by Praglia's monks is a treat every visitor can enjoy.
The monks at Marienberg Abbey specialize in adult education and offer weekend courses and longer retreats at this fortress of faith, which at 4,396 feet (1,340 m) is Europe's highest abbey.
Fossanova Abbey, the first Cistercian monastic complex built in Italy, is located in Priverno. The church houses the empty tomb of Thomas Aquinas, who died there in 1274: his body was moved to Toulouse at the end of the 14th century. While there is no accommodation at the abbey, visitors can explore the church and cloisters and browse an engaging museum that chronicles the history of Fossanova.
Located in Castelnuovo dell'Abate near the Via Francigena, the pilgrim route to Rome, the idyllic Abbey of Sant'Antimo is surrounded centuries-old olive groves and is landmarked by a lofty cypress tree. The abbey can be visited, though access is restricted during services.
Enjoying one of the most picturesque locations in Italy, Piona Abbey is set at the top of a small peninsula on the Lecco bank of Lake Como. The interior parts of the abbey are open to the public and include the church, the cloister, and the capitular hall. Visiting hours, however, are according to the religious commitments of the monks.
Novacella Abbey is also called Neustift Abbey: the Italian name refers to the abbey, the Germanic one to the winery. There has been a winery in the abbey since 1142, and the fortified Augustinian complex today is a major attraction for tourists, pilgrims, and wine enthusiasts. The abbey is located in the northern Italian province of South Tyrol.
One of the largest monasteries in Italy, Certosa di Pavia in Lombardy is a historic 14th-century Carthusian monastery renowned for the exuberance of its architecture, in both the Gothic and Renaissance styles, and for its collection of priceless artworks. The Certosa di Pavia and its museum are open to the public.
Sabiona Monastery, also known as Säben Abbey, was established in 1687, when it was first settled by the nuns of Nonnberg Abbey in Salzburg. The last nuns left the abbey in 2021. Perched dramatically on a rocky hill, Sabiona can only be reached on foot.
Hidden away in Le Celle, just outside Cortona in Tuscany, is the 13th-century Convent de Le Celle. Comprising a collection of rustic stone buildings nestling in terraces on a mountainside, the convent is currently run by the Capuchin order as a rustic retreat for visitors interested in prayer and mediation.
Founded in 726 and dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Andrew, Novalesa Abbey, which was partly rebuilt in the 16th century, is located near Turin and still serves as a Benedictine monastery. Visitors are especially drawn here for the fresco cycle of St. Eldradus, a series of paintings adorning the walls of one of the monastery chapels.
Once one of the most important Benedictine monasteries in northern Italy for its Carolingian manuscripts preserved in its rich library, Pomposa Abbey still fascinates with its fabulous 14th-century frescoes by Vitale da Bologna. The abbey's towering campanile dominates the surrounding countryside.
These days the Cascina Convento within Bergamo's historic Monastery of Astino Bergamo is home to the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design (CIID). Extensive work by the MIA Foundation has transformed this 12th-century gem into an extraordinary learning space.
Not be confused with the monastery of the same name in Florence, Santa Croce in Bocca di Magra, La Spezia, is a far more modest affair. This religious house of hospitality welcomes individuals as well as groups on a half board, full board, or B&B basis.
Monte Cassino Abbey was the first monastery of the Benedictine order. It's located south of Rome, at the top of Mount Cassino, a rocky hill just west of the town of Cassino. The original building was destroyed during the Second World War, and reconstruction took over a decade. A small number of monks continue to reside in the abbey, but these days they are easily outnumbered by tourists and pilgrims.
Attached to the 12th-century cathedral in Sicily, Monreale monastery showcases one of the most beautiful cloisters in Europe. Actually, little remains of the original monastic buildings except the splendid cloister.
The Hermitage of Greccio Sanctuary is one of the four shrines erected by Saint Francis of Assisi in the Sacred Valley, in central Italy. The must-see here is the Chapel of the First Live Nativity, presented by Francis in 1223 in a nearby cave.
Sources: (Ospitalità Religiosa) (Monastery Stays) (Aleteia) (Italia.it) (Fondazione MIA)
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Fonte Avellana in Marche was established by a group of hermits living at that site around 980. The sanctuary later became an abbey, in 1325. Rare for this kind of structure, the cells of the hermits had been built as suites. Today, visitors looking for time off for contemplation, private studying, or enriching conversation are welcomed in specified parts of the buildings, where some of the monks' cells have been converted to comfortable rooms.
Italy is blessed with over 200 cenobitic monasteries dating back to the Middle Ages. Cenobitic monasticism is a monastic tradition that stresses community life, and the monks who lived in these secluded sanctuaries practiced "life in common," an "amicable sharing of worldly goods" that extended to providing beds for travelers regardless of religious affiliation.
Today, many of the monasteries, abbeys, and convents found scattered across Italy still offer rooms to visitors at little or no cost. And even when accommodation is not available, most are happy to open their doors for guided tours and other forms of entertainment, wine tasting, for example, or performances of Gregorian chant. So, are looking for a monastic stay in a secular structure?
Click through the following gallery for a tour of religious hospitality in Italy.
Exploring Italy's medieval abbeys, convents, and monasteries
Where to enjoy a monastic stay in a secular structure
TRAVEL History
Italy is blessed with over 200 cenobitic monasteries dating back to the Middle Ages. Cenobitic monasticism is a monastic tradition that stresses community life, and the monks who lived in these secluded sanctuaries practiced "life in common," an "amicable sharing of worldly goods" that extended to providing beds for travelers regardless of religious affiliation.
Today, many of the monasteries, abbeys, and convents found scattered across Italy still offer rooms to visitors at little or no cost. And even when accommodation is not available, most are happy to open their doors for guided tours and other forms of entertainment, wine tasting, for example, or performances of Gregorian chant. So, are looking for a monastic stay in a secular structure?
Click through the following gallery for a tour of religious hospitality in Italy.