San Pietro al Monte: the abbey you earn on foot

There are monuments you visit by stepping out of the car, and others you have to earn. The Abbey of San Pietro al Monte, perched on the slopes that overlook Civate and the nearby lake of Annone, belongs to the second category. There is no paved road that reaches all the way up: you set off from the village and climb on foot along a woodland path, a good hour's walk with the odd step and roots underfoot. It is precisely this effort that keeps the crowds away, leaving the place to those willing to earn it.

Lombard Romanesque

The complex is one of the most important examples of Lombard Romanesque. Inside the church, the medieval frescoes and stuccoes cover walls and apses with scenes of powerful impact, in a state of preservation that surprises anyone who expects them faded by time. Beside it stands the oratory of San Benedetto, smaller and more intimate. All around, the silence of the mountain and a view that opens onto the plain and the lakes of Brianza: a contrast that alone is worth the climb.

How to visit

The rarest thing today is that here you won't find queues, crowded ticket offices or coaches of tourists. Access to the interior is often looked after by local volunteers and follows limited hours, so it's worth checking before setting out and taking nothing for granted. Bring water, proper shoes and time to spare: this is not a hit-and-run kind of place.

When to climb up

To avoid both the heat of the climb and the few visitors of summer weekends, the best months are those of the shoulder seasons, when the woods change colour and the air is cool but dry. Climb up on a weekday and in all likelihood you'll have the abbey almost entirely to yourself: a luxury that, just a few dozen kilometres from Milan, seems almost impossible.

Related guides: Unusual Lombardy: hidden villages and little-known places far from Milan · An alternative to Lake Como: the romantic, peaceful lakes of northern Italy · The most beautiful abbeys in Italy to visit, region by region.

Getting there

The basilica can only be reached on foot, climbing up from the village of Civate, above the lake of Annone in the province of Lecco. The most used path starts from the locality of Pozzo, where you can arrive by car and park, and climbs to the basilica in about an hour's walk with a fair amount of elevation gain. Civate is served by the railway on the suburban line from Milan towards Lecco, and the station is just over half an hour on foot from the start of the path.

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