Services

This monastery is operated by the Congregazione Benedettina Olivetana.

Although recently renovated, the historic charm of this guest house remains with period features imminent both inside and out. Surrounding the building is a lush area of plants and trees that ensure a peaceful and calming stay.

Breakfast is not included in the price. However, meals are available upon request at an additional fee.

Features

A walk through the amazing cloisters that adorn this building is testament to its fine history. There are 36 frescoes in the cloisters that were painted by Luca Signorelli and Antonio Bazzi in 1497 and 1505 respectively. Each one displays part of the life of Saint Benedict.

Getting Around

Located just outside the Tuscan town of Chiusure. Outside the city, amongst the mountains and the Tuscan country side. Best accessed with private transport.  

History

This lodging was established in the 14th century.  

Customer Reviews

	Stunning location in the very historic Monte Oliveto Maggiore. Lovely guest house right next to the church. You can attend the hours to hear the monks sing in Gregorian chant. There is a nice restaurant on the campus as well.
Joanne - MD, United States (July 2022)

	I stayed at Casa Ospiti for 4 nights and had the most amazing time studying the frescoes in the cloister on a daily basis, particularly when there were no visitors. The Gregorian chants are quite addictive, you can get totally lulled by their gentle melody and the movement from one side of the beautifully carved benches to the other. And then you join in. There are 28 monks there at present and they are very busy - producing their own olive oil- one of the best I have tasted, the healing liquore from 23 flowers of the region, very good wine and they also run the Casa Ospiti that is right next to the church, plus a well stocked gift shop. I was very fortunate that Josef gave me a private tour of the ancient Abbey complex. Hearing about the life in the monastery from someone who has been there for 32 years, the daily routine, the sacrifice and the belief, the insight felt like a privilege. And then the walks around - through the deep truffle valley where you don`t meet a soul but can almost smell the truffles, then up the clay hills past some delicious figs, pomegranates, abandoned farmhouses, some ruins, until you get to a stunning medieval village Chiusure that towers Monte Oliveto and gives stunning views of the Monastery. Chiusure has teracotta, stone or marble artichokes on every house, even the local fountain has the humble artichoke a centrepiece. You need to be aware though that there is no public transport from Asciano (has a fantastic museum worth seeing) so if you don`t drive, it`s a taxi. Also there is only one restaurant in the tower where you can have meals at reasonable price or/and bring some food with you from Asciano. Monte Oliveto Maggiore is a very special place and definitely worth visiting.
Katarina - , Slovakia (September 2019)

	This place blew our minds. A 700 yr old monastery in the hills of Tuscany. Totally amazing. We went to mass, it was done in Gregorian chant and gave us goosebumps. What an experience. The church was similar to cathedrals we had seen in Rome. The views, the serenity it was all beautiful. Perfect location to explore the local Tuscan towns. The monks were friendly and helpful. Highly recommend. The restaurant next to the monastery was lovely - delicious traditional food and priced well. We loved this place! Highly recommend.
Julia - Queensland, Australia (July 2019)

	I’d liked it very much. The room was great and the bed was perfect. Good to know is that the bells are ringing very early but I liked it. The only thing I missing was that I couldn’t eat breakfast there. The place was very calm and the nature was so Beautiful. The restaurant near by did a delicate pizza for me :)
Ann-Christine - , Sweden (July 2018)

	Just a wonderful place
Timothy - NSW, Australia (June 2017)

	What a peaceful and beautiful place. Our two night stay was one of the highlights of our 25 days in Italy. The Father that greeted us and checked us in and out was very nice. Thank you for letting us stay in this awesome monastery.
Andrew - BC, Canada (May 2016)

	It is a special place. Attending the services is truly spiritually uplifting. The monks are thoughtful and welcoming. The grounds are beautiful. And the monastery's frescoes are sublime.
Erin - Ontario, Canada (October 2014)

	The monastery was fabulous in every aspect apart from the toilet. The territory was gorgeous. The monastery was easy to find. I appreciated the fact that it was a functioning monastery, so the Gregorian chants at Vestpers was magical. The rooms was fine and comfortable. The Torre restaurant nearby was excellent, fun and cheap. Everything was well kept and the wine was incomparable. All in all, a very romantic and relaxing place. I was glad that the cloiter was open to guests - fabulous library and frescoes. It would have been nice to actually dine with the monks, but I suppose that would have been distracting. The only meaningful complaint was the narrow registration window - and that is if the old man is around! For me, it ran reasonably smoothly, but it was more complicated than it needs to me. I recommend this place to everyone without reservation.
Evan - Saskatchewan, Canada (July 2014)

	Very tranquil, well organised. Restaurant very good, friendly staff and good basic food.
Doreen - Devon, United Kingdom (September 2012)

	Absolutely amazing!
Kelly - South Australia, Australia (July 2011)

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