A monastery in the Crete Senesi and a cloister frescoed by Signorelli and Sodoma
Hidden among cypresses on a hill of the Crete Senesi, the abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore was founded in 1313 by Bernardo Tolomei, a Sienese nobleman who withdrew here to live as a hermit; it is still the mother house of the Olivetan Benedictines, who live, pray and work here.
The great cloister is covered with a cycle of 36 frescoes on the life of St Benedict, begun by Luca Signorelli and completed by Il Sodoma, who painted himself among the scenes with his pet badgers. The church has inlaid wooden choir stalls by Fra Giovanni da Verona, and the old pharmacy and library recall monastic life.
Tip: you enter through a fortified gate tower and walk down an avenue of cypresses; the monks run a shop with their own wine, oil and liqueurs.
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