Abbey of Chiaravalle Milan: Guided tour

Chiaravalle Abbey in Milan is a jewel of art and architecture built by Cistercian monks in the early 12th century. A guided tour of the Abbey, along with theOrto dei Semplici and the 14th-century nolare tower, the famous Ciribiciaccola, gives two hours of freedom and quiet away from the city chaos, among rows of poplars and mulberry trees and the reflections of the gentle waters of the Milanese countryside, in a small, surprising paradise on the outskirts of Milan.

Rurality and art of the Abbey of Chiaravalle

This guided tour takes you on a discovery of a small gem of the Milanese suburbs that is really worth exploring. Also known as Santa Maria di Roveniano, the abbey is located in what is now the Parco Agricolo Sud di Milano, a rural area that stood a few kilometers from the city walls and the Porta Romana neighborhood. Founded in the 12th century by Cistercian monks, at the behest of St. Bernard of Clairvaux himself, it is, after the Duomo in Milan itself, one of the earliest examples of Italian Gothic architecture: a marvelous architectural complex, whose construction continued in the following centuries, also enriched by the splendid pictorial decorations created by Bernardino Luini and the Fiammenghini.
Let our tour guides lead you to discover the abbey and the village that surrounds it. The beauty of the site is due to the skillful and meticulous reclamation work of the monks of St. Benedict who built and healed a marshy and swampy land giving it new light and splendor. Within a setting out of time, here is the chapter house, the cloister, the famous Ciribiciaccola…

The kitchen garden, the mill and the bell tower: valuable works of the Abbey

The 13th-century cloister, of which only the north side and two bays remain, is impressive and from the south side offers a magnificent view of the Ciribiciaccola, the abbey’s bell tower, a work of considerable architectural merit. Our professional guides will explain the mysterious origin of this strange name that hides in the oral tradition of Lombardy and in the Milanese dialect its deepest origins. Finally, our guided tour of the Chiaravalle Abbey almost always includes, whenever possible, a stop at the Abbey Mill and theOrto dei Semplici, the kitchen garden used by the monks, even in medieval times, for the cultivation and study of medicinal herbs. Particularly evocative and still within the cloistered area of the abbey, the Chiaravalle Abbey Mill was inaugurated in March 2009 after decades of restoration work that not only brought it back to its former glory but restored its original function. It can only be visited thanks to guided tours organized by the abbey on weekends and thus see it in operation just as it was in medieval times, appreciating its use for both production and educational purposes. To this day Chiaravalle Abbey is populated by monks: a Cistercian monastic community consisting of Abbot Father Stefano Zanolini and about fifteen followers.

Chiaravalle Abbey: a tour among the flavors of Lombardy

Let our tour guides walk you through the history of the ancient mill, telling you about the many works to which the monks of Chiaravalle dedicated themselves over the centuries: did you know that, among the many, there was also the invention of Grana Padano cheese, a prized ingredient of Lombard cuisine? At the end of the tour of the abbey, in the little store next to the monastery you can buy the many high-quality organic products produced by the monks.
And if you decide to visit Chiaravalle Abbey in the spring months, it is sometimes possible to participate in the lavender harvest: you will be revealed tricks and secrets on how to harvest it, preserve it and use it to the best advantage in all daily activities, including cooking.
One of the most special guided tours to rediscover traditions and flavors thousands of years old in the history of Milan and Lombardy.