Tour Crete Senesi - Benedetta Landi

Benedetta Landi
Benedetta Landi
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Crete Senesi e Monte Oliveto Maggiore

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DATE

01 JAN - 31 DEC
TIME

Half Day
PRICE - € 160
CRETE SENESI
MONTE OLIVETO MAGGIORE
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During this tour we will explore the territory south-east of Siena, known as “Crete Senesi” . I’ve chosen one of the most scenic itineraries in Tuscany for you;
along the way we will stop at the panoramic points to make surprising shots. The tour includes a visit to the Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore and a stop in the village of Buonconvento, just 15 minutes by car from the Abbey.
The guide does not provide transportation service.  To get further information, to book the tour or to get a licensed driver providing private transfer service, please contact me.


ABBEY OF MONTE OLIVETO MAGGIORE
The monastery was founded by the sienese Bernardo Tolomei in the early 13 hundreds, who retired with some friends to an almost desert area in the heart of the Crete Senesi. They chose the Benedictine rule as their norm of life and started the Congregation of Santa Maria di Monte Oliveto. This Congregation is characterized by a particular devotion to the Virgin Mary, which is also testified by the white dress worn by the monks as a symbol of purity. At the center of the monastery is the beautiful Big Cloister, frescoed with stories of St. Benedict by Luca Signorelli and Giovanni Antonio Bazzi, called the "Sodoma". From here you can access all the other rooms of the Monastery: the Church, first of all, large in size, to symbolize the primary importance of choral prayer within the Benedictine community; the Refectory, on the opposite side; the Library with 40,000 volumes, brochures, parchments and a Pharmacy, which preserves an important collection of seventeenth century vases, which served to conserve the herbs from which honey and liqueurs are still made today

BUONCONVENTO
The name comes from the Latin Bonus Conventus, a lucky place, and it has been listed as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. The first historical news dates back to the XII century, but certainly the most important fact refers to the death of Emperor Arrigo VII of Luxembourg, who went down to Italy to restore imperial authority in 1313. According to the legend the Emperor was poisoned during communion by a local friar.
The fourteenth-century village is perfectly preserved and enclosed by the medieval walls. Along the main street you will find the Town Hall with the coats of arms of the ancient rulers, the Church of Saints Peter and Paul and the Museum of Sacred Art of the Val d'Arbia, which contains important masterpieces of the area. Immediately outside the circle of walls, the Museum of Mezzadria (sharecropping) tells about the world of sharecropping through original materials and interesting installations. Of great interest are also the Art Nouveau buildings that are located both inside and outside the village.
The last two weekends of September the village is colored with festivities: the districts in which Buonconvento is ideally divided organize the Valdarbia Festival, in which each district manages its own restaurant.


INFO / BOOK
€ 160


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