The beautiful rural setting of the Monti Lucretili
Exploring the abandoned Abbey of Santa Maria del Piano
One a half century of decay weigh heavily on this magnificent medieval abbey ... Abbazia di Santa Maria del Piano - a site that had been on my list for a very long time! This magnificent ruin is set in the beautiful context of the Parco Regionale dei Monti Lucretili, a vast protected area east of Rome in which I've already hiked several times (to the highest elevations, the Gennaro and Pellecchia mountains, and the tiny karstic lakes of Percile). The region experienced a very dynamic and rich religious history, ranging from the testimonies of early hermitism (several hermitages are on…