Discover San Vivaldo: Art, Devotion and Woodland Landscape

San Vivaldo combines a wooded landscape with churches, chapels and religious art. At its centre is the Sacro Monte di San Vivaldo. The interplay of woodland, buildings and paths makes the area interesting for you if you would like to combine cultural impressions with travel planning shaped by the landscape.

Woodland Landscape and Religious Centre

The Sacro Monte di San Vivaldo is located in the wooded Selva di Camporena beside the Franciscan monastery. The wooded area around the Jerusalem of San Vivaldo extends over approximately 400 hectares. Its location beside the monastery and within this extensive woodland landscape shapes the character of San Vivaldo and places the individual stations within a clearly recognisable natural and cultural setting.

Churches, Frescoes and Terracotta

The buildings of the Jerusalem of San Vivaldo contain frescoes and groups made of unfired terracotta from the Della Robbia school. The depictions are inspired by episodes from the Passion and the life of Christ. The painting “Madonna con Bambino in gloria con San Giovanni, San Girolamo, San Francesco e San Vivaldo” is located in the Church of San Vivaldo. The Church of San Vivaldo is a simple single-nave building with a Franciscan character, constructed on an older structure.

The Church of S. Maria Assunta e S. Francesco also preserves important works: it contains a glazed terracotta nativity scene attributed to Benedetto Buglioni. The painting “Vergine e santi”, attributed to Raffaellino del Garbo, can also be seen there.

Santo Sepolcro Chapel

The Santo Sepolcro Chapel is the devotional focal point of the complex. It consists of two structures: a square antechamber and a circular burial chamber. A painted statue of the dead Christ is located in a sarcophagus in the burial chamber. The relics of Saint San Vivaldo are kept beneath the altarpiece in a 15th-century urn.

In a sense, the route through the complex ends at the Noli me tangere Chapel. There, Mary Magdalene recognises the risen Christ. The former hayloft of the San Vivaldo monastery houses the ticket office and bookshop.

Hiking Around San Vivaldo

The Montaione–Tre Ponti–San Vivaldo trekking route passes the chapels of the Jerusalem of San Vivaldo. Another variant, Montaione–Fiume Egola, crosses the Egola River, also known as the Evola, and is intended for more experienced hikers. The section of this variant along the Egola River should be avoided during heavy rain.

The San Vivaldo complex lies at the centre of a 100-kilometre network of paths created by the municipality of Montaione.

More Destinations for Your Travel Planning

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To the higher-level travel overview: Montaione.