Romantic ruins of a medieval women's monastery
In the green hills of upper Irpinia, near Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi, the Abbey of San Guglielmo al Goleto is one of the most evocative places in inland Campania. It was founded in 1133 by St William of Vercelli, the founder of Montevergine, who died here. Unusually for the time, it was a double monastery governed by an abbess, with a large community of nuns and a smaller one of monks who served them.
The complex, abandoned in the nineteenth century and damaged by the Irpinia earthquake of 1980, has been partly restored and is now a place of romantic beauty, where ruins and restored buildings alternate. The most remarkable elements are the Torre Febronia, a massive twelfth century tower built with stones from a Roman monument, and the two superimposed chapels of San Luca, a jewel of Gothic architecture of the thirteenth century. The ruins of the great baroque church designed by Vanvitelli stand open to the sky. A small community of monks lives here again.
Tip: the abbey is in a peaceful countryside setting, perfect for a stop on a tour of the Irpinia villages and wineries.
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