The Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, set among the gullies and hills of the Crete Senesi, is the origin and uninterrupted reference point over the centuries of the Benedictine Congregation of Santa Maria di Monte Oliveto. Easily recognisable from the road, it appears as a complex of red-brick buildings peeping out between the yellow of the Crete and a flourishing garden.
The monumental complex is a set of buildings erected between the 14th and 18th centuries, preceded by a medieval palace with a drawbridge that was the entrance to the monastic enclosure. Two paved paths immersed in the greenery lead past some chapels and a large pool, to the service buildings and the solemn monastery.
Today, the monks make it possible to visit, with specific modalities, the abbey church, with its splendid inlaid wooden choir, the monumental refectory, which is still in use, the large cloister with its frescoes with the stories of St Benedict, the ancient library, the furnishings and instruments of the pharmacy, the chapter house, now an exhibition space, the garden with chapels, the wine cellar and the herbalist’s shop, where it is possible to know about the products of the land cultivated by the monks.
Aerial photo Abbey – Fabrizio Pacchiacucchi
Photographic campaign – Giacomi Doni
9.30 am – 12.40 pm (last entrance 12.20 pm)
2.30 pm- 6.00 pm (last entrance 5.40 pm)
The Garden is always open, while the Cellar and the Herbalist’s shop have longer opening hours
Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Ticket Euro 7.00 (valid 24 hours from the entrance)
Presale Euro 8.00
Ticket with audio guide (Italian and English)
Euro 8.50 (valid 24 hours from the entrance)
Presale Euro 9.50
Visit with operator by appointment for a maximum of 25 people (Italian and English; for other languages specific arrangements must be made)
Euro 80,00
Only presale at least 10 days before the visit
Groups (from 10 to a maximum of 25 people):
Reservations are recommended to guarantee entry at the appointed time.
The cost of the reservation is euro 25.00
Exhibition at the Library
Euro 4.00
Presale Euro 5.00
Audioguide (Italian and English)
Euro 5.00
Presale Euro 6.00
Tour with operator at fixed times (Italian and English)
10.00, 11.00 and 12.00 a.m.
Euro 7.00 per person
Presale Euro 8.00
Groups (from 10 to a maximum of 25 people):
Reservations are recommended to guarantee entry at the appointed time.
The cost of the reservation is euro 25.00
Information: infovisite@monteolivetomaggiore.it
342 0538090
Opera D’Arte società cooperativa
P.I e C.F. 03895810483
Via Fiume, 8 – 50123 Firenze (Italy)