The Abbey of Monte Cassino, Frosinone

Posted on March 19, 2022 by La Ciociara

The Abbey of Monte Cassino, located on top of a very large hill in the town of Cassino in the province of Frosinone, was founded by St. Benedict in 528 AD and is home to his sacred relics, along with those of his sister, St. Scholastica. It is considered to be the birthplace of monasticism in Western Europe.

The abbey has been destroyed and rebuilt many times due to barbarian invasions and natural disasters, and was the site of a very important battle during WWII between Allied forces and German soldiers due to its strategic location. After being destroyed by the Allies during WWII, it was rebuilt and reconsecrated in 1964 by Pope Paul VI. Today it is a monastery and museum, and includes a large cemetery of Polish soldiers killed during WWII while trying to liberate Italy.

Monte Cassino Cemetary for Polish soldiers who died defending the abbey during WWII

Monks living in the monastery live by two basic principles: pray and work. All members of the monastery community have an important job to do. Their duties include receiving visitors, organizing events, maintaining the libraries and archives, binding books, growing herbs for their on-site pharmacy, and tending to its vineyard.

Vineyard

Was the destruction of the Abbey during WWII due to an error in translation?

According to an account by Colonel David Hunt found in the book With Alex at War, the autobiography of Sir Rupert Clarke, the bombardment of the Abbey by the Allies was due to a misinterpretation of an intercepted radio message by a British junior officer. The officer mistook the word “abbot” for a similar word in German meaning “bombardment”. By the time Colonel Hunt realized this error, it was too late and the American forces bombed the mountain top, something that both sides had promised the pope they would never do, killing hundreds of refugees that were taking shelter there. Miraculously, the abbot and monks were saved.

Monte Cassino after being destroyed during WWII

Monte Cassino Abbey Today

The monks that live in the abbey live each day according to St. Benedict’s Rule, regulations and guidelines written by him in the 6th century, which describes every aspect of monastic life and encourages love, prayer, work, respect, chastity, moderation, and community. The monks are known as cenobites, living in a religious community, rather than in isolation, under a leader, the abbot.

The cathedral that stands here today is actually the 4th church to be built on this site. What little was left of the cathedral before it was destroyed during WWII can be found incorporated in the structure and in its museums.

Courtyard with statue of St. Benedict receiving Holy Communion

Doorway of Peace (PAX)

Cloisters

One of the many chapels in the Abbey of Monte Cassino

View of Cassino from Monte Cassino

Fresco of St. Benedict

Latin Text

If you plan to visit during the warmer months, please be advised that, as with all churches, basilicas, etc., you will not be allowed in wearing shorts or sleeveless shirts.

To purchase tickets online, go to Abbazia di Montecassino.

Join my mailing list so that you can have new posts delivered right to your inbox!

Top photo credit: William Piccolino

The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci, Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan

The Last Supper Tickets, Milan

Posted on March 19, 2022 by La Ciociara

***This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links at no extra cost to you

With Last Supper Tickets Guaranteed Reservation and Entrance Tickets you will be able to see Da Vinci’s masterpiece, The Last Supper, in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Milan. Learn the history of the celebrated, 15th-century mural, and about the groundbreaking technique that Leonardo used when creating it.

In addition to skip-the-line-admission to the ‘The Last Supper,’ you can see the ‘Atlantic Codex,’ a 12-volume bound set of drawings and writings by Da Vince in the late fifteen and early sixteenth century, or go on a tour of Milan.

IMPORTANT: Last Supper Guaranteed Tickets are available only for certain dates and times. If you find a date and time combination that is convenient for you, consider completing your purchase right away as ticket availability can quickly change.

CLICK TO ORDER TICKETS: Da Vinci’s Last Supper Tickets, Milan

Palazzo Vecchio Tours, Florence

Posted on March 19, 2022 by La Ciociara

***This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links at no extra cost to you

The Palazzo Vecchio in the Piazza della Signoria is one of Florence’s most famous buildings. It has been the symbol of this Renaissance capital’s political power for more than seven centuries and still serves as Florence’s City Hall.

The courtyards, official halls, and private apartments feature elaborately decorated ceilings and statues by such luminaries as Donatello and Michelangelo, giving a sense of the wealth of the Medici, Florence’s most powerful family during the height of the Renaissance.

Buy skip-the-line tickets and get access to the museum, the Salone de Cinquecento, and the underground excavations, and climb to the top battlements of the tower for magnificent views over the city.

CLICK TO ORDER TICKETS: Palazzo Vecchio Tours, Florence

The Sanctuary of the Madonna del Piano, Ausonia

Posted on January 17, 2019 by La Ciociara

The Sanctuary of the Madonna del Piano (Madonna of the Plain) is a Roman Catholic Church in the town of Ausonia in the Province of Frosinone built during the 15th century in place of the original structure that existed here.

According to one legend, San Giorgio slayed a dragon in this very spot, but the most widely accepted story about why this church was built here dates back to the 12th century. According to tradition, there used to be a small lake here where the locals would throw babies that were born deformed. One day a young shepherd girl named Remingarda was walking nearby and the Virgin Mary appeared to her and asked her to tell the people to stop this practice and instead build an orphanage as penance for what they had been doing. When the townspeople went to the site where the girl said she had the vision, they were instructed on how to build the orphanage by ants that appeared and began to draw an image on the site.

The altar of the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Piano

Villa d’Este, Tivoli

Posted on October 10, 2016 by La Ciociara

Villa d’Este, also known as Tivoli Gardens, is a UNESCO world heritage site in the town of Tivoli which is just outside the city of Rome. It was commissioned during the Renaissance by Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este, governor of Tivoli in 1550, after being disappointed that he was not elected to the papacy. He wanted to build a residence which would rival all the Roman villas so he acquired a lot of land surrounding the governor’s official residence, which was originally a monastery and had a magnificent view of the countryside.

Villa d’Este

In the process of building this luxurious villa, many houses, roads, and buildings were demolished causing many lawsuits to be brought against him, but he continued. He commissioned Pirro Ligorio, an artist and scholar who studied the many Roman villas in the surrounding area, to plan this new villa and garden in the Baroque style (and also used many objects of art taken from Hadrian’s Villa nearby), architect Alberto Galvani to design the blueprints, many engineers to design and construct the fountains, and many painters and sculptors to adorn it.

View through the Fountain of Neptune

Because of the steep slope of the land where it was built, a large amount of dirt had to be excavated to construct terraces and canals to carry water from the Aniene river to the fountains through underground pipes.

One of the fountains is actually a hydraulic organ which plays music by pushing air through the organ pipes.