From Rome: Monte Cassino and Medieval Monasteries Excursion
Description
Depart DA Rome with a small group and accompanied by your tour assistant and your driver immerse yourself in the hilly landscape of Lazio, where millennial history meets the quiet of nature. The first stop of the tour is the imposing Abbey of Montecassino, founded DA da San Benedetto in 529 AD.C. An expert Guide will accompany you to discover one of the most symbolic places of Western Christianity. Among monumental courtyards, silent cloisters and a richly decorated basilica, centuries of history, spirituality and reconstruction are retraced – from antiquity to the dramatic events of World War II. After a lunch break, you reach Subiaco and its hidden jewel: the Shrine of the Sacred Speco, perched on the rock, which seems to merge with the mountain itself. Visit the sanctuary among medieval frescoes, chapels set in stone and the cave where Saint Benedict lived as a hermit DA. The tour ends in the late afternoon with the return to Rome.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Monte Cassino Abbey is one of the most famous and oldest monasteries in Europe, founded in 529 AD.C. DA San Benedetto DA Norcia. It is located on a hill near the city of Cassino, in Lazio, and represents the place where the Benedictine order was born. Over the centuries, the abbey has been destroyed and rebuilt several times, most recently during World War II, when it was almost completely razed to the ground by bombings in 1944. However, it was faithfully rebuilt and today is an important religious, cultural and tourist center. The current building houses a beautiful basilica, a rich library and numerous works of art. It is considered a symbol of spiritual and cultural revival of medieval Europe.
The Sanctuary of San Benedetto, also known as Sacro Speco, is set in the rock of the mountain overlooking Subiaco, in the heart of Lazio. It is a place that seems suspended in time, born around the cave where Saint Benedict lived DA a hermit, in silence and prayer, at the beginning of the sixth century. The monastery climbs the mountain face with an almost surreal beauty: arches, stairs, corridors and chapels intertwine in a spiritual and artistic path that follows the rock, as if not to disturb it. The interiors are a succession of ancient frescoes, which tell stories of saints and faith with colors still alive. Here you breathe a deep silence, broken only by the sounds of nature and the slow pace of visitors. It is a place that invites recollection, but also wonder: a sanctuary that is born from hiding and becomes a treasure visible to those who seek, even for a moment, something eternal.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Wait outside your hotel or apartment in Rome 10 minutes before the agreed time.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(3)
We had an amazing experience to the Abbey of St Benedict at Monte Cassini and the Monastery of St Scholastica in Subiaco. At Monte Cassini we were given a private guided tour into spaces not normally open to tour groups! Both sites have a very spiritual sense to them. Our tour driver max and guide Michaela were a great team and made the trip including the drive very enjoyable!! Kudos to both!! This tour was well worth the time and cost and be sure to ask for Max and Michaela!
Our day with Paola, our guide, and Max, our driver, couldn’t have been any better. Not only were they friendly, warm, and exceptionally nice, but they made us feel very welcome and like special guests. My husband, a history buff with a particular interest in church history, was impressed with Paola’s depth of knowledge and ability to communicate it well. For lunch they took us to a lovely trattoria in Subiaco. We loved it! Not only were the food and wine fantastic, but the staff was welcoming and the atmosphere so authentically Italian (translation: perfect!). When we return to Rome again, we will request a tour with Paola and Max. Please thank them (& your agency) for helping to “make our day”, as we say in America.
We enjoyed the tour a lot. The guide Federica and the driver Max were both friendly and helpful. We had ample time to visit the abbey in Montecassino and then the Sacro Speco, with free time for lunch included. In both visits we had a guided tour of the monasteries and then free time to explore on our own. A visit to the war cemetery was offered and would be included in the tour, but we were only interested in the abbey and monastery. These places are somewhat inconvenient and difficult to reach using public transport and not knowing the local language, so the trip with the minivan was well worth it as well. We would reccomend this for anyone interested in visiting these monasteries in a convenient and confortable day trip.
Thank you very much for your review! We are glad that you enjoyed the tour and that Federica and Max made the experience pleasant. It’s great to know that the minivan made it easier to visit places that are not easily accessible. We appreciate you recommending our tour and hope to see you again soon for another special experience!
