San Galgano
Abbazzia di San Galgano, halfway between Massa and Siena, is probably the largest Gothic building in Italy, and undoubtedly the most romantic — without a roof, with a grassy central nave, patches of frescoes among vegetation and a panorama of the sky, clouds and hills visible through the rosette. Viewers of Tarkovsky's Nostalgia recognize the abbey from the end of the film.
The region south of Siena was one of the main centers of medieval monasticism.: in the west, the Benedictines had their headquarters in Sant'Antino (see "Montalcino"), while the order of Vallombrosan has located a few kilometers north in Torri. However, in the 12th and 13th centuries. the leading force in Tuscany was the Cistercian San Galgano. His abbots settled disputes between cities, and in Siena, monks oversaw the construction of the cathedral and held casalinghi jobs, that is city accountants. Among them were Italians and French - from the main abbey in Citeaux - and through them the ideas of Gothic architecture were brought to Italy., as well as sophisticated drainage and tillage methods.
The abbey is attractive mainly because of it, that it is in ruins - which was mainly due to the papacy. W XIII c. the Cistercians lost much of their power and the English condottiere Sir John Hawkwood seized the opportunity, to plunder the monastery, whose only resident in 1397 r. he was the abbot himself. In the following century, the number of monks returned to normal for some time, until the pope handed over the proceeds of the abbey to one extremely wasteful cardinal. The monks left and the building gradually fell into disrepair — the campaign collapsed with a bang during a mass with the participation of villagers..
On the hill above the monastery rises an unusual Romanesque church of Monte Siepi on a circular plan, commemorating the place, where San Galgan, a soldier from the nearby village of Chiusdino, was shown by Saint. Anonymous, what prompted him to start the life of a hermit. The legend of the sword in stone associated with the saint was depicted in one of a series of frescoes by Ambrogio Lorenzetti in the neighboring chapel.
Noclegi — i Torri
Getting to San Galgano by public transport requires adjusting to the bus timetables - there are three daily runs between Massa and Siena - but in summer there should be no major problems with hitching. If there is a need for an overnight stay, the closest accommodation can be found in PALAZZETTO, 4 km by road towards Massa. Bar - Hotel II Palazzetto (0577/750160) has deuce since 28 000 L and a good restaurant.
Driving your own car to or from Siena, worth joining TORRI, 2 km east of the road. Monasterio dei Santi Trinita e Muustiola is not as dramatic as San Galgano, but it is a beautiful Romanesque building with triple cloisters of black and white marble.