Hello dear friends,
How are you? I hope everything is going well. Today, in this beautiful community, I would like to share a lesser-known place in Italy. By now, you know me and you know that I'm always on the lookout for these less famous tourist destinations. I believe that in every country, there are places waiting to be discovered, true hidden gems.
A few days ago, I found myself in Padua, a splendid city located in the north of Italy for work-related reasons. As you well know, my work often takes me on journeys. I had heard about this place, but I had never seen it in person. So, during my lunch break, I decided to explore this beautiful abbey called the Abbey of Santa Maria delle Carceri, located in the municipality of Carceri. We are essentially in the lowlands of Padua.
As soon as I arrived, I was immediately struck by the facade of this abbey. I must say it is very beautiful and well-preserved. To think that this abbey dates back to the twelfth century and was mainly built to accommodate pilgrims who were on their way to Rome. It is situated on an important road connecting Europe to the cities of Rome. So, during their journey, pilgrims could find accommodation for rest and food to eat.
Over the years, it was expanded, and there was a period when it was abandoned until almost the twentieth century. I believe that today, there are very few religious residents within this abbey, at least that's what the signs I found outside the abbey say. Once again, I was a bit unlucky because you can only visit it on Sundays with a guided tour, and there is no entrance fee; it's basically on a voluntary donation basis. At the end of the tour, there are volunteers who take care of the place's valorization. In fact, this gentleman gave me an email to contact for a visit, but only on Sundays.
So, I limited myself to taking a walk around the abbey and the cloister area, which I must say is very beautiful and truly impressive. Naturally, in the past, the area around the abbey was mainly agricultural land cultivated to provide food for this place, and this very kind gentleman explained that these monks even had animals that they raised.
In conclusion, I was very satisfied with my visit to this place. It exceeded my expectations because artistically, the place is very beautiful, and it's great that it has been preserved over the years. I think that's the most important thing. Fortunately, there are volunteers dedicated to its valorization. It's a shame that visits are only available on Sundays. As soon as I have the opportunity, I will definitely return here to explore it more thoroughly.
As always, I thank you for reading my post. I hope you enjoyed the photos, and I hope I was able to convey some of the emotions I experienced in this wonderful place!
Have a great day, everyone!
