The hamlet's sensitively restored Benedictine abbey was built as a final resting place for Bishop St Fructuosus of Tarragona, martyred in Spain in AD 259. It was rebuilt in the mid-13th century with the assistance of the Doria family. The abbey fell into decay with the decline of the religious community; by the 19th century it was divided into small living quarters. Today it has a calm simplicity and its charming everyday collection of ancient monkish things feels touchingly close and human.
©Atlantide Phototravel/Getty Images
Abbazia di San Fruttuoso
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