Where it is
Chiaravalle della Colomba is located on the road that goes from Fiorenzuola d’Arda towards the Po.
Why visit it
The Cistercian Abbey of Chiaravalle combines the architectural splendor of the Romanesque-Gothic style with the spiritual and hard-working lifestyle of the monks who populate it.
The architectural complex was built according to the classic Benedictine scheme, taken from the Cistercians, with the basic buildings arranged around the square of the cloister and the church with an east – west orientation. The work began shortly after 1145; the completion of the medieval parts, as we see them today, is staggered over the following two hundred years, after the destruction of parts of the monastery by Federico II in 1248.
When to go and what to see
One of the reasons why the Abbey is famous throughout Italy is the famous “Infiorata del Corpus Domini” in months of May-June, when a wonderful flowered carpet is set up along the central nave of the basilica.
Don’t miss
Its cloister, intact on all sides, is one of the best preserved of the Cistercian abbeys, and the church with simple terracotta lines favors silence and prayer.
On the table
The liqueurs produced by the monks are the specialty of the area.
Significant appointments
June: Infiorata of Corpus Domini
August: Patron feast of San Bernardo da Chiaravalle
Useful information and advice
Free parking for cars and buses near the abbey.
In the surroundings
A few kilometers from the Villa Verdi of S.Agata di Villanova sull’Arda.
