Sacro Monte di San Vivaldo

Traveling among the green hills of the Florentine you may sometimes come in one of the most famous places of worship in Italy, renamed the Jerusalem of Tuscany. It is with this name is known that the Sacro Monte di San Vivaldo, whose origin is linked to the veneration of Vivaldo Stricchi. The latter, after having dissipated fortune, and contested arms, began to live as a hermit using cell cavity of a large chestnut around Montaione. In this place, where it was discovered his body, were built starting in 1500 churches and chapels spread following the topography of the holy places of Jerusalem.

The design of the Sacro Monte was the work of the Franciscan Friars, who at that time used to travel to holy land, in order to allow the population to make a pilgrimage without having to go to Jerusalem, journey made difficult by the excessive waste of money and because at that time the town was under turkish rule.

Convent
Built by Franciscan friars, this building has been expanded over the centuries, taking on a really impressive.

Church
Arises where the chestnut was where, in 1320, was found the body of Vivaldo Stricchi, now rests in an urn fifteenth in the church. According to the classical type Franciscan, the edifficio is preceded by a porch. On entering there is a table of Renaissance Raffaellino of Garbo, the dome with the 'Apotheosis of the Franciscan Order, a beautiful wooden crucifix sul'altare major, a valuable body of 1739, funding for which was sold the largest of the cypress forest . After being restored in 1988 is returned to play.

Chapels
Dating back to early 1500, the chapels of Sacro Monte di San Vivaldo keep within them groups of terracotta statuary depicting scenes from the life and Passion of Jesus
Over the centuries some chapels have been lost due dell'incuria landslide and soil.

Permanent Exhibition: the history and images of Jerusalem in Tuscany
In a former barn in near the convent of San Vivaldo, was staged this exhibition divided into the following sections: "Life and tradition dell'Eremita Vivaldo", "Fra Tommaso da Firenze and San Vivaldo of Jerusalem", "San Vivaldo and Jerusalem" and "San Vivaldo , Varallo and the Franciscan tradition of the Sacred Mountains. "

Website: www.sanvivaldointoscana.com
E-mail: info@sanvivaldointoscana.com

Information at the Tourist Office of Montaione
Phone 0571 699255

Getting there

• By train
  You can get off at Empoli station and continue by taxi or stay at the Santa Maria Novella in Florence and take a bus.
• By plane
  Both the airport of Florence, is to Pisa is about 50 km from Montaione
• By bus
  From Santa Maria Novella in Florence buses depart for Montaione.

Events
Sundays during the summer concerts are held classical music