Abbadia di Fiastra, interesting monastery
South of Macerata town lays the enchanting natural reserve Abbadia di Fiastra. But it is more than just a natural reserve; it might be better described as a preservation of time and history. The land was given to Cistercian monks in 1142, they settled here, built church and monastery and worked in the huge farmland. Abbadia di Fiastra was an important centre for approx. 300 years before it was partly destroyed. In 18th century, noble Bandini family took over the ground and buildings and, following the last will of the last heir, it was transformed into a foundation, Fondazione Guistiniani-Bandini. The foundation holds seminars about agriculture on a regular base and has laid out educative paths in context to traditional ecological farming. A museum about rural tradition and farming adds to the whole idea what I tried to describe as “preserving time and history” above. Today, Cistercian...
