Abbey of Santa Maria di Morimondo (Abbazia Santa Maria di Morimondo)

A peaceful oasis just a short drive from downtown Milan, the Morimondo Abbey is built along a slope above the Ticino River. Highlights include the church, which has typical Cistercian architecture outside and gothic arches soaring above a 16th-century wooden choir inside; the monastery, home to the historic cloister and halls used by the monks in their daily life; and a network of granges (monastic farms) and rural oratories surrounding the abbey.

To visit the monastery, you must hire an official guide or come as part of a group tour, so book your tickets and tour in advance.

• Wear modest attire covering your shoulders and knees to enter the abbey’s church and oratories.

• There is a lot of ground to cover in the abbey and on the granges, so wear comfortable shoes and a sun hat.

• The monastery is accessible to wheelchair users.

• The abbey church and cloister can be visited without a guide; the monastery is only accessible via a guided tour.

• Tours of the monastery include Founders’ Hall and the cloister, chapter house, workrooms, loggia, refectory, and dormitory.

Morimondo Abbey (Abbazia Santa Maria di Morimondo) is located in the village of Morimondo, just southwest of Milan, and can only be reached by car. Take highway A7 to the Binasco exit, then continue southwest to highway 526.

Tours are offered each afternoon and must be booked in advance except on Saturday and Sunday. To visit just the church and cloister without a guide, stop by in the morning on weekdays and in the afternoon on Saturday and Sunday.

Like many historic Cistercian abbeys, Morimondo Abbey includes a network of medieval farm complexes and rural chapels belonging to the monastery that extends across the surrounding countryside. To visit, request information and a map at the abbey and drive from site to site.