Abbadia di Fiastra is a wonderful place set in the green of Le Marche. It’s a nature reserve, tended and shaped for centuries by the Cistercian monks, who preserved a vast territory, safeguarding the forest and its ecosystem.
The Abbadia di Fiastra nature reserve still encloses a beautiful wood, home to great biodiversity: the landscape ranges from the Marche countryside to a real forest.
But that’s not all!
If I went to this place, I did it to see something that moved me even more.
Over the centuries, in fact, the monks didn’t only preserve the nature reserve, but also built the beautiful abbey of Chiaravalle di Fiastra: a heritage of inestimable value, which has come down to us practically intact.
The result is a place in perfect harmony with its surroundings, where you’ll breathe a deep balance between nature and humankind. If you’re looking for a spiritual spot to recharge, the abbey of Chiaravalle di Fiastra is just what you need.
Fancy knowing a little more?
Off we go!
The beautiful lake of Fiastra
When I read about the abbey of Fiastra I told myself I absolutely had to visit it as soon as possible. So, the first free weekend, I got in the car and set off. Imagine my surprise when, arriving in the little town of Fiastra, I found no abbey at all.
Anyone would think the abbey of Fiastra is in Fiastra, but it isn’t! The town is actually up in the mountains, near Visso: here nature gave its very best, but there was no trace of the abbey.
Despite this, we saw a truly striking sight.
When you arrive in Fiastra, after countless bends, climbs and descents, you’re left breathless: before you opens a mountain lake of a crystal-clear, spectacular green. The beauty of this place will literally leave you speechless.
Many people stop near the lake to enjoy the fine days. But we had come this far for a reason: to find the abbey of Chiaravalle di Fiastra.
Here’s where it really is.
Abbey of Fiastra: where it is
The Abbadia di Fiastra lies about fifty kilometres from the town of Fiastra, near Tolentino and Urbisaglia. It takes the same name as the town because the river Fiastra flows nearby, the same one that feeds the lake I told you about.
When you reach the Abbadia di Chiaravalle di Fiastra you’ll be filled with a deep sense of peace, typical of places of great spirituality. Whether it’s thanks to its well-kept garden, the birds chirping in the sun or the trees swaying in the cool summer breeze, the Abbadia di Fiastra will feel like a real paradise.
Did you know that for centuries this was one of the most important abbeys in the region and in Italy?
The Cistercian monks, who came from the abbey of Chiaravalle di Milano, founded it in 1142 on land donated by Guarnerio II, duke of Spoleto, committing to follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Ora et labora was one of their fundamental principles, and in this spirit the monks created something unique and extremely precious.
But they didn’t start from scratch!
In antiquity this area lay close to the ancient Roman city of Urbs Salvia (today’s Urbisaglia), destroyed by Alaric around 410: the monks reused its materials and gave the area new life, so much so that the abbey soon became a rich and prosperous economic centre.
Abbadia di Fiastra: the architecture
The Abbadia di Chiaravalle di Fiastra is one of the many abbeys founded by the Cistercians on the “ad quadratum” model, theorised by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, who launched the order’s great success.
In essence, Bernard invented a new way of conceiving monastic and ecclesiastical space, adaptable to any territory, building material and budget: a sort of “IKEA of monasteries”, to put it simply, which allowed abbeys to be built quickly and cheaply.
It may seem a small thing, but it was a stroke of genius!
In this way, and in very few years, Cistercian monasteries sprang up all over Europe. Everything was based on the concept of the square, replicated and multiplied in every space because it was a symbol of perfection and simplicity.
The linearity with which these buildings were erected is as simple as it is functional: the proportional relationships between plan and elevation are always the same, regular and clear. The result is an abbey of great constructive harmony, of a beauty as simple as it is majestic.
The Abbadia di Chiaravalle di Fiastra is no exception: looking at its plan you can recognise the various squares of which it’s composed, following Saint Bernard’s design. The Romanesque style, so powerful and elegant, gives it a very particular beauty, inside and out.
Now let me tell you about it!
Inside Abbadia di Fiastra
The Cistercian monks had to work and pray, and their day was scheduled very precisely.
Did you know, for instance, that every abbey had to be independent and produce everything it needed?
That’s why, in the Abbadia di Fiastra too, there’s a large cellar where oil and wine were stored, and a complex system of underground rooms that kept the temperature constant, both in summer and in winter.
I found the chapter house enchanting, where the monks gathered daily to talk and to improve their character and their life in community.
I also discovered a curiosity.
Do you know why Italians say “non avere voce in capitolo” (to have no say)?
The saying comes from the fact that some monks could only listen during the chapter assembly, while the choir monks could speak and therefore had a voice in the chapter.
Curious, isn’t it?
The fall and return of the monks
In 1422 a real disaster struck the abbey of Fiastra: the cloister and the church were sacked by Braccio da Montone, lord of Perugia and a soldier of fortune. From that moment the abbey lost its autonomy and various religious orders followed one another, including the Jesuits.
In 1773 the complex passed to the Giustiniani Bandini family, who added on the south side an elegant neoclassical palace and an English garden, still visible today. When the family died out, the estate was entrusted to a foundation: the Abbadia di Fiastra nature reserve was established in the mid-1980s and, in 1985, the Cistercian monks (again coming from Milan) returned to live in the abbey.
They’ve even set up a small museum on wine and on the reuse of materials in medieval buildings, using some finds from ancient Urbs Salvia.
In short, this place still has plenty of stories to tell.
What to do in Fiastra
As I was saying, today the rooms of the abbey of Fiastra are once again occupied and run by the Cistercian monks, who also offer the chance to take part in the abbey’s religious life and rediscover your own spirituality.
Within the Abbadia di Fiastra nature reserve you’ll have everything you need to enjoy the green spaces while respecting nature. If you like walking, there are several trails and tours you can book at the information office, or you can rediscover the area’s history at the Museum of Rural Life, the Archaeological Museum and the Wine Museum.
And if you love the mountains, remember that the lake of Fiastra is a stone’s throw from the Sibillini Mountains National Park, another corner of nature that will win you over.
In short, in Fiastra there are three different kinds of treasure, about 50 km apart: a mountain lake, a nature reserve and a Cistercian abbey.
And you, which will you visit first?
