A Day in Tranquility: Visiting Fontevivo Abbey

Hello, dearest friends!

Unfortunately, this weekend I had to postpone a trip to Liguria with friends due to the weather, and because that region of Italy has experienced a lot of rain in recent days, which unfortunately caused flooding situations.
My region has also been hit hard, although fortunately, in the area where I live, the rivers have remained under control, and there was no risk for us. Because of this alert that was issued, I had to return home and practically could not take the trips in Tuscany that I wanted to.

So yesterday, since fortunately the weather gave us a bit of a break, I wanted to visit a friend of mine who lives in the province of Parma. But before going to see her, I had noted down a place to visit, as I usually do. It often happens that due to work, I travel to many places in Italy, but due to a lack of time, I can't delve into the visit of a particular artistic and cultural location.
By now, after several posts that I publish here, I think you understand that I am a very curious person, and this curiosity drives me to always explore new places that I discover.

Today, therefore, I would like to tell you about the Abbey of Fontevivo, also known as the Abbey of San Bernardo. It is an ancient Cistercian monastery located in Fontevivo, as I mentioned, in the province of Parma.

The abbey complex, which was founded back in 1142, includes a church, a library, a refectory, a kitchen, and numerous dormitories for the monks. Naturally, as usual, I arrived a bit unprepared for this visit and discovered only upon arriving there that they actually organize guided tours, but these are in the afternoon.

So, I was able to visit the church inside, and I must say it is very well maintained but quite bare of artistic works, as can be seen from some photos I took. From what I could read on the information boards inside the church, this church, which was initially dedicated to the Virgin Mary, was rebuilt around the 13th century. However, like many other churches, it has been modified over the years, although unlike many others I had already seen, it has remained almost original, like the initial one.

Inside the church, there is a mausoleum of Duke Ferdinand of Bourbon. As you could see, in the center of the church, there is a beautiful rose window, a feature often found in other churches. But the interesting thing is that if you come here on August 15, I read that a spectacular light effect is created because the rays of the sun pass through this rose window, creating a splendid effect.
Then I was able to visit the internal cloister, which is very beautiful. It is definitely a place of peace and meditation with these somewhat unique columns that surround it. Naturally, there are still some friars living here, and I could not visit other parts of this monastery.

I must say, in the end, that it was a very interesting visit. You know I am not a super believer, but at an artistic level, and in terms of how these places are conceived, I find it very interesting. At the same time, I find them places with great organization.
A part of this whole monster was also sold as I understand it and turned into a restaurant.

I hope the photos I shared with you were to your liking. I hope you can visit this place, especially if you are passionate about history, art, and architecture. This is undoubtedly a must-see stop. See you soon, friends, and I wish you a great start to the week!

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