GUIDED EXCURSIONS > Abbey of Vallombrosa

Immersed in a deep forest of Beech and Chestnut, to which the monks added Fir in the course of the centuries, Vallombrosa (950 m) sits at the head of a scenographic wooded road.
The imposing complex lies on the site where Saint John Gualberto a Benedictine monk (985-1073 canonised 1193), member of the Florentine Visdomini family, founded the new monastic order of the Valombrosians. From here, Giovanni Gualberto began his predication which gave impulse to a profound reform in monastic costume.
Through their urban seats, the monasteries of S Salvi and S Trinita, the monks, from their retreat in Vallombrosa prepared themselves to intervene in the social and political life of Florence. The Vallombrosians had many followers in this city and, thanks to substantial donations, extended their possesions as far as Pratomagno.
Today, the Abbey, in addition to it's 17th century façade

Today the Abbey, in addition to the 17th century facade, presents numerous remanagments which date to various phases of construction. The church, whose perimetral walls and bell-tower date to the XIII century, was restructured by Gherardo Silvani in the XVII century. Above, there is the Medici stem and a baston of "Tau" form, the greek letter chosen by the Vallombrosians as their symbol. Inside, it is decorated in Baroque style; in the chapel of Saint John Gualberto there are the reliques of the Saint displayed in a sumptuous 16th century reliquary-case. The Saint's tomb instead is found in the Abbey of Passignano, another religious center linked to the Vallombrosian order where he passed the last years of his life dying in 1073.
As in all of these Monasteries, life was minutely organised: the refrectory, the kitchen, the library are testimony to the phases which regulated the monk's day.

GUIDED EXCURSIONS > Castle of Trebbio

On the road which leads from Sieci to S.Brigida by way of Molin one meets the Castle of Trebbio, and an example the fortifications typical of the Tuscan countryside in the 1200s. This ediface, protected by walls, internally was intended as a self-sufficient center: the well, the oven, the grannery, guarenteed a degree of autonomy from the insecurity of the surrounding teritory. In the 1400s, the castle was acquired by the Pazzi family; to this period belongs in particular the court colonaded on two sides with colums of the local stone, while the windows and iron-work are of the XVI century. In the course of the 1800s the castle was modified numerous times. From the annexed chapel comes a painting by Andrea del Castagno now in the Contini Bonacossi collection, the coordinated surrounding decoration of flowers and cherubs still remains. Today, it functions as a farm and "agriturismo".

GUIDED EXCURSIONS > Monastery of Rosano

A bridge over the Arno links Pontassieve with Rosano, a little town which grew up around the Benedictine Convent of S.Maria founded, according to tradition, in 780, and documented from the XI century. It was linked to the Guidi family. The ediface today is seat of a community of Nuns. Dammaged during the second world war, it has undergone numerous restaurations which did away with the 17th century stucccoes favoring instead the simple Romanesque lines. On the facade the door of the 1500s records the date of the foundation and restructuration. The Romanesque bell-tower with five orders of windows presents elements typical of Lombard architecture of the same period. The church has a wooden cieling and the three naves house numerous 14th and 15th century works of art; in the cript there is a beautiful alter-front in white and green marble which takes up the decorative motif of the pavement (XII century).