San Vivaldo – Sacred Art in the Forest of Camporena

San Vivaldo combines a wooded landscape with an unusually concentrated religious and art-historical ensemble. The Sacro Monte di San Vivaldo is located in the Selva di Camporena next to the Franciscan monastery. The wooded area surrounding Jerusalem of San Vivaldo covers approximately 400 hectares. Here, therefore, you encounter not just individual works of art, but a clearly structured complex whose chapels, churches, and paths offer different ways of accessing history and spirituality.

Frescoes, Terracotta, and Franciscan Architecture

The buildings of Jerusalem of San Vivaldo contain frescoes and groups made of unbaked terracotta from the Della Robbia school. Their depictions are inspired by episodes from the Passion and the life of Christ. For visitors interested in culture, the appeal therefore lies in the combination of space, image, and religious narrative: the works of art do not stand in isolation, but are integrated into the buildings of the complex. The church of San Vivaldo houses the painting “Madonna con Bambino in gloria con San Giovanni, San Girolamo, San Francesco e San Vivaldo”. The church itself is a simple single-nave building with a Franciscan character, constructed on an older structure. The relics of Saint Vivaldo are kept in a fifteenth-century urn beneath the altarpiece. Another focal point is the church of S. Maria Assunta e S. Francesco. It contains a glazed terracotta nativity scene attributed to Benedetto Buglioni, as well as the painting “Vergine e santi”, attributed to Raffaellino del Garbo. These two attributions make the church an independent stop within the cultural tour.

The Devotional Focus: Santo Sepolcro

The Santo Sepolcro chapel forms the devotional focus of the complex. Its distinctive effect is also due to its unusual layout: it consists of a square vestibule and a circular burial chamber. A painted statue of the dead Christ stands in a sarcophagus in the burial chamber. In a symbolic sense, the route through the complex ends at the Noli me tangere chapel, where Mary Magdalene recognizes the risen Christ. For a historical understanding of the site, the former hayloft of the San Vivaldo monastery is also part of its character. It served as a place for the ticket office and bookshop; the designation “former” preserves the historical status of this use.

Hiking between Montaione and San Vivaldo

San Vivaldo is also integrated into a 100-kilometre network of paths created by the municipality of Montaione. The Montaione–Tre Ponti–San Vivaldo trekking route passes the chapels of Jerusalem of San Vivaldo and thus combines a hike with the cultural stops of the complex. Another option is the Montaione–Fiume Egola variant. It crosses the Egola River, which is also called Evola. The section along the river is more suitable for experienced hikers and should be avoided during heavy rain. This clear distinction is important if you want to choose between a route with chapels and a variant involving a river crossing. For further regional orientation: [Zona Industriale Comiti](Zona Industriale Comiti), [Alberi](Alberi), [Sughera](Sughera) and [Iano](Iano).

For the overarching travel overview: Montaione.