Sant'Antimo Abbey

Placed in the background of a small, solitary valley, in a "pastoral" landscape of vineyards, fields, woods, and century-old olive groves, the origins of Sant'Antimo Abbey are lost in legend: they say that  the first monastery building was founded by Carlo Magno, as an act of faith after he survived an epidemic during his return from a pilgrimage to Rome, where he received some relics of Saints Sebastian and Attimo as gifts from Pope Adriano I. Above the primitive convent was then erected a Benedictine abbey, whose abbots could adorn themselves of the title of Count Palatino and Advisor of the Sacred Roman Empire: soon the Abbey became very powerful, earning  jurisdiction over a very vast area, including the Sienese, Maremma, and Pistoia areas. Not far from Via Francigena, Sant'Antimo Abbey was also a location of pilgrimage.

In 1118, thanks to a substantial offer on behalf of Count Bernardo degli Ardengheschi, the monks of Sant'Antimo re-edified the abbatial church in the form it is today, simple but solemn, inspiring to Lombard and Burgandian models. The church, considered among the major examples of Romanesque art, presents itself still today in all of its austere beauty, in travertine and onyx, dominating the surrounding countryside. Numerous external sculptures portray fantastic religious figures and symbols, and to observe them, it is recommended walking around the building, admiring among other things the elegant, sober construction. Significant are the semicircular apse (perhaps belonging to the Carolingian church), and the façade, with small arch crowning and rich Romanesque portal. Stupendous, in its gray, nude essentiality, even the interior, with slender central nave and luminous and splendid capitals embellished by bizarre and disturbing decorations, among those that stand out are that which depicts Daniel in the lions' den (work of the mysterious Maestro of Cabestany) and, most of all, that which shows human figures in monkey positions wrapped around knotted branches, work revealing a stylistic imprinting with Iberian or Pyrenean derivations. On the high altar, stands out a precious wooden Crucifix from the Romanesque era.

A pleasant characteristic of Sant'Antimo is the monks' chants, which almost always accompany the visitor, creating a mysterious and  emotional atmosphere: by now accustomed to tourism, these religious people are at the public's disposal and let themselves be photographed, as you can see in the various postcards on sale at the church. For its noteworthy charm - but also for its proximity to Montalcino, in an area precious for its wine production- Sant'Antimo Abbey is today one of the most sacred sites visited in Tuscany, busy excursion point during every moment of the year. An interesting occasion on which to visit it is the 11th of May, when at Castelnuovo dell'Abate, the nearby, lovely medieval village, the Procession of the Madonna of Sant'Antimo takes place, which repeats an ancient and interesting medieval rite diffuse in the zone, in which the Virgin is venerated as the "headquarters of Wisdom".