Convents in Italy: Marche Region
With the decline of religious vocations and the thinning numbers of monks and nuns, convents in Italy are opening their doors to the secular public, often with very interesting results. Some convents are located in main cities but most are scattered in the countryside in quiet and scenic locations. With the hospitality sometimes goes the offer of meditation, yoga or tai chi courses or the possibility to hold conventions, weddings and meetings. The Marche region inland is little populated and still undiscovered by mass tourism. Castles, monasteries and hill towns sit on top of hills and mountains, in the past they were guarding the landscape from foreign attacks but now they just overlook the valleys and fields below. Here are some of the convents that opened their doors to guests in the Marche region.
The Monastero di Fonte Avellana is high on the Catria Mountain in the northern part of the Marche region. It takes its name from the water springs (fonte) and the hazel trees (avellana). The monastery is a place to cool off( at 700 mt above sea level the temperature is definitely cooling) from the mundane chaos, a site of silence an meditation. Guests can lodge in the cells, explore the surrounding mountains, visit the crypt, the scriptorium and the pharmacy with the herbal products made by the friars. Close to the village of Serra San Quirico, the abbey is one of the Romanesque jewels of the region. It offers bed and breakfast service and the possibility to host meetings and weddings. Eremo means hermitage, a quiet and secluded place for study, learning and meditation. After a massive restoration the eremo opened its doors to tourists and meetings.
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