Badia A Cerreto: Abbey, Art and History

Badia a Cerreto can be explored through several historical periods: the Chiesa di San Pietro is a former Camaldolese abbey whose history spans from the early hermitage building to its suppression. Works of art and a probable medieval route add further perspectives to this historical approach.

An abbey with several historical milestones

The first hermitage of San Pietro was built between 1059 and 1072. In 1421, Pope Martin V united San Pietro with the Cistercian monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Florence; the abbey was finally suppressed in 1652. These milestones mark different events: the construction of the hermitage, its union with a Florentine monastery, and finally the end of the abbey. Nearly six centuries separate the earliest and latest dates. This makes it possible to understand the abbey’s history as a sequence of events rather than a single founding event.

Buildings and art history

The surviving complex includes the Chiesa di San Pietro and a cloister with several brick pillars. Together, the church and cloister give the former abbey a tangible architectural form. The former monastery buildings are now used as private homes. This present-day use is as much a part of the description of the place as its historical designation: “abbey” describes the past, while “private homes” describes the current use of the former monastery buildings.

Lorenzo Monaco’s “Coronation of the Virgin” was kept in the church for more than three centuries and is now in the Uffizi. Its long period in the church links the work to the history of San Pietro, while its current location is in Florence. After the altarpiece was returned, the church received a painting by Francesco Soderini dating from 1726. It depicts the Virgin and Child between the saints Nun and Augustine. This makes it possible to distinguish the altarpiece’s long history from the later work and its own date.

A probable route along the banks of the Elsa

A probable medieval route on the left bank of the Elsa led as far as Badia a Cerreto. This route adds a landscape perspective to the history of the abbey and its art: the focus here is on the historical course along the Elsa. This gives you a different way to approach the history of the place than through institutional changes or individual works of art.

A technical topic in Gambassi

A March 2025 interview describes a model railway layout in Gambassi with twelve passenger and freight trains running at the same time. The number and the two types of trains give railway enthusiasts a concrete impression of the layout described. If you are considering a visit, check visiting options in advance.

When choosing what interests you, the topics can be distinguished as follows: Badia a Cerreto brings together monastic and art history with a historical route; the railway topic is based in Gambassi. Cultural history and miniature technical worlds therefore represent different travel interests.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Varna, Camporbiano.

Back to the main travel overview: Gambassi Terme.