Convents in Italy - Le Marche

Among the myriad of convents in Italy, The Abbey of Fiastra and San Nicola da Tolentino surprised us for their beauty and the wealth of art displayed.

The abbey sits in a green valley, surrounded by the farmland created by the monks and one of the few native forest of Le Marche.

This setting gives the place an atmosphere of calm harmony. It would be the perfect background for a romantic weddings in Italy.

Walking trough the church and cloister you’ll notice how the monks used building material coming from the nearby ruins of the Roman Urbs Salvia, now an archeological park. Even the altar stone comes directly from a Roman temple.

The church is simple and austere, the cloister is beautiful and gives access to a set of chambers, the refectory and a very interesting display of Roman funerary stones with an invaluable translation and explanation.

In the shop are on sale herbal products made by the monks: an eucalyptus concoction rescued me from a persistent cough. The taste was terrible but in case you can’t stand it, use it locally for insects bites, it works wonders.

With a short drive we reached Tolentino, which happened to be a pleasant surprise.

The town itself is lovely with the unusual clock tower, then hidden on a side street, we suddenly came across the San NicolaBasilica.




The facade with the trademark star of Saint Nicholas is unusually beautiful, but the interior reveals more portents.

Overhead you’ll see the striking golden ceiling and at the end of the church there is the “Cappellone” entirely covered with magnificent frescoes. The chapel of the holy arms is so richly decorated it would be worth a visit for itself. From here you’ll access the crypt with the body of the Saint in a silver urn, the Museo delle Ceramiche with beautiful ancient ceramics and the exhibition of ex-voto, gifts of gratitude to the saint. Downstairs there is a collection of nativity from all over the world and a “diorama” telling the story of St. Nicolas.




Finally relax in the sumptuously painted cloister.

The basilica is centuries of art and history condensed and it offers more wonders then the “Da Vinci Code” plot.

Take your time, don’t let the power of the place overwhelm you, walk slowly through the basilica reading about its story and enjoy your visit to this unique a tribute to Italian history and art.





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