Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ABBAZIA DI SANT'ANTIMO
This beautiful Romanesque
Abbazia di Sant'Antimo
(
www.antimo.it
; Castelnuovo dell'Abate;
10.30am-12.30pm & 3-6.30pm Mon-Sat, 9.15-10.45am & 3-6pm Sun) lies in an isolated val-
ley just below the village of Castelnuovo dell'Abate, 10.5km from Montalcino. It's best visited in the
morning, when the sun, streaming through the east windows, creates an almost surreal atmosphere. At
night, too, it's impressive, lit up like a beacon.
Tradition tells us that Charlemagne founded the original monastery here in 781. The exterior, built
in pale travertine stone, is simple except for the stone carvings, which include various fantastical an-
imals. Inside, study the capitals of the columns lining the nave, especially the one representing Daniel
in the lion's den (second on the right as you enter). Below it is a particularly intense polychrome 13th-
century Madonna and Child and there's a haunting 12th-century Crucifixion above the main altar.
Monks perform Gregorian chants in the abbey during daily services - check times on the website.
Three to four buses per day (€1.50, 15 minutes, Monday to Saturday) connect Montalcino with the
village of Castelnuovo dell'Abate.
It's a two-to-three-hour walk from Montalcino to the abbey. The route starts next to the police sta-
tion near the main roundabout in town; many visitors choose to walk there and return by bus - check
the timetable with the tourist office.
The abbey has a
guesthouse
(
foresterie@antimo.it
) offering simple accommodation for pilgrims.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Pienza
POP 2134
If the primary road to Montepulciano didn't pass right through town, Pienza might still be
the sleepy hamlet it was before Enea Silvio Piccolomini (later Pius II) decided to rebuild it
in magnificent Renaissance style. And, frankly, that could be a very good thing. Summer
weekends here are horrendous, with tourists outnumbering locals by a ratio of around
50:1. Come midweek if at all possible.
Unesco added Pienza's historic centre to its World Heritage list in 1996, citing the re-
volutionary vision of urban space realised in Piazza Pio II and the buildings around it.
Sights
Piazza Pio II
Stand in this magnificent square and spin 360 degrees. You have just taken in Pienza's
major monuments. Gems of the Renaissance constructed in a mere three years between
PIAZZA
