abbazia di farfa

This area is known for its olive oil and the journey to this lovely old Abby is bordered by olive groves on either side of the road. It takes roughly one hour to get there from the centre of Rome and the roads are very good. The rolling hills are also pleasing to the eye. A worthwhile day trip for a change from the city.

This abbey is located just outside Castelnuovo di Farfa. A car is needed to reach it. It is very small but well worth a visit if in the area. We opted for a guided tour which, I believe, cost 8 Euros. It was money well spent as the guide was very knowledgeable, spoke fluent English. There were no crowds. Country walks around the abbey are plenty and scenic, however be prepared for some gruelling hills. There is a pretty decent restaurant (closed on Wednesdays) located just outside the abbey that served good food at good value. Also within walking distance (tough walk) are some Olive groves were one may purchase Olive Oil, both Organic and normal.

The imposing Farfa Abbey combines an ancient monastery (with one of the oldest herb gardens in Europe) with modern works of art in the surrounding gardens. There are some interesting offerings from local industries - such as linen (check out the tea towels and table runners), jewellery and great food products. Children can play in the park and the cafe and restaurant close by means you can spend a leisurely few hours.

We walked here as part of our holiday and it was a lovely finale, approaching the site and seeing how it sits in the countryside is as important as seeing the site itself - particularly considering how it dominated the area for centuries. The basilica is open pretty much all day with about a 30 minute break around 1pm and there is an audio history available. What we hadn't realised until we took the guided tour, was that the original basilica was oriented at 90 degrees to the new (still hundreds of years old!) replacement and that the cordoned off areas of floor and a small area of wall are from the original basilica from c800. It's a wonderful peaceful space that oozes atmosphere and if you are lucky the monks may be having a service in it.Guided tours are morning and afternoon and officially in Italian - we got lucky with our guide (and there only being two of us) and got very broken English (a bonus - we would have been happy to walk round and look with no information). My personal highlight was the ancient Roman sarcophagus reused by the monks, hidden away in a crypt under the main altar. The library is also extremely interesting with some books from 1100. Well worth a trip.

It's a delicious piece of medioevo near Rome. One of the best restored Abbey in Italy, the Farfa's Abbey is in the road of St. Francesco Valle Santa. Who wants to see something different ... Farfa Abbey is a good place in Sabina's Land.

I've been to Farfa many times, taking my guests. It never ceases to delight no matter how often I go. If you are lucky enough there may be an English tour round the abbey and then you can see the medieval library with beautiful hand crafted manuscripts.The tiny village is a gem, with it's high quality craft shops and trattoria but if you want the shops don't go on Mondays when they are closed.About 10 k further on is the largest, and oldest olive tree in Europe, over 2000 years old, and still bearing fruit.

Visited the Romanesque abbey at Farfa on Saturday just as a wedding was about to take place. What a perfect spot. Medieval abbey tucked in a valley with a cluster of houses, a shop or two and a pizzeria. Plus, lots of cats! Beautiful.

Our children were enchanted by the Abbey - this was the quietest they had been all holiday! The village is lovely and the abbey very interesting

The place is peaceful and very pleasant for a couple of hours The internal part of the church is beautiful. The countryside all around has beautiful views I was expecting more though. The guided tour is alright, the cloister is not best part. The new museum is interesting, especially for kids.

I've known Farfa for more than twenty years, and always visit the abbey and surrounding hamlet with pleasure. Even more so now that traffic has been excluded, and a car park provided along the fairly recent bypass. Historical ups and downs have meant that it has remained tiny and only relatively recently restored, painted and tidied up, attracting many more tourists. Farfa is basically laid out round two small streets to one side of the abbey itself, containing different shops selling linen, antiques etc plus the large Abbey shop in the courtyard selling herbal products and so on. If you take the tour of the library and other abbey buildings, visit the church and its courtyards, and have lunch in the vicinity, you can spend a very pleasant and instructive half day there. There is also an antique fair in Farfa on every first Sunday of the month. Although low in the valley, there are some pleasant views to add to the restfulness of little old stone houses snugly built against a backdrop of woods. You get a splendid view of Farfa and the whole valley from the terrace/belvedere next to the Torre Ugonesca at the top of Montopoli, the village on the other side.

The abbey is well worth a day trip fom Rome. The setting is stunning, surrounded by gently sloping hills with olive groves and litle vineyards all around. You can only see inside the abbey with a guided tour which takes about an hour. It's delightful - particularly the library. You can visit the church without a tour, and that is also beautiful. The tiny village is crammed with little artisanal shops but it's not crowded and you can pick up some fresh ricotta and local vegetables as well as locally baked cakes and bread. I would guess that now is the best season to visit - the countryside is exploding with spring green and there are flowers everywhere, including orchids, cyclamen, poppies, borage and many many more.

On a spring evening we attended a free concert at the abbey church, very intimate experience as the 12th century church is not very big.and the orchestra is very close to the audience. It was special to be amongst a local audience and share their appreciation of the performance. The historic location added to the experience.

I have been to Rome, Florence, Sienna and Pisa - and this lovely little church competes with the best of them! Beautiful paintings and frescos ... and not crowded!

It is probably less than an hour outside of Rome (more if you get lost), but a worthwhile trip to this abbey.Generally, abbeys are by themselves with surrounding countryside. This one is surrounded by a charming little village thet you will enjoy.After visiting the beautiful church, take time to stroll the village, visit the bakery, look at the craftmen's studios and perhaps stop for lunch.As we walked the village and peered into shops which seemed closed, all of a sudden the proprietor would appear and be happy to invite us inside!We happened to stop in the basilica when a wedding mass was in progress. Beautiful!All in all....a lovely day

Una Abbazia immersa in un borgo medievale molto suggestivo e ravvivato da piccoli negozi di artigianato, prodotti tipici della Sabina ed immerso in un paesaggio molto riposante tra colline di olivi, dove il tempo sembra essersi fermato. L'Abbazia è molto bella e molto interessante è la visita guidata al monastero e alla biblioteca. E' un luogo dove soffermarsi con tranquillita', nei dintorni ottimi agriturismi e trattorie, dove gustare i piatti tipici della Sabina e dove gustare e acquistare ottimo olio