Holy Mount of San Vivaldo

Following the road that from Montaione leads to Iano and going straight at the crossroads with Castelfalfi you reach San Vivaldo. Here, the Monastery and the "Jerusalem of Tuscany" can not be seen jet, since they are located in a large wooded area called “Boscotondo” or “Selva di Boscolazzeroni”.

Following the signs, taking the road to the left, suddenly, scattered in the green park (not randomly, but reproducing Palestine Jerusalem on a small scale) into an atmosphere of peace, mysticism, history, art and life, you can see the chapels and then the Church and the Monastery.

The Holy Mount of San Vivaldo, also called the "Jerusalem of Tuscany", dates back to early 1300, when the Franciscan Vivaldo Stricchi from San Gimignano retired to a hermitic life; he later was found dead in the trunk of a chestnut used to be his home.
On this site there was a hermitage that in 1497 the Franciscan friars transformed into a convent.

The design of the Jerusalem of Tuscany was carried out by Franciscan Friar Tommaso da Firenze between 1500 and 1515 to allow people to make a pilgrimage even without going to Jerusalem that at that time was under the domain of the Turks .
For this reason, the set of chapels (which was originally made of 25 chapels while today you can only admire18) was arranged to follow the exact reproduction (even if otherwise oriented and on a smaller scale) of the late 15th century.

Characteristic of the chapels - which symbolically reproduce the essential places of the “Via Dolorosa” - is the presence of terracotta statuary groups and paintings of the 16th century “Robbiana” school.

It is worthwhile visiting the Church close to the Monastery dedicated San Vivaldo, of great artistic and cultural interest.

Every year a series of cultural events take place at the Holy Mount of San Vivaldo.
In particular, in the cloister of the convent, during the summertime, you can attend concerts of classical music.

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Opening hours and visits

Visits by reservation only from Monday to Saturday from 15.00 to 19.00 and on Sundays and holidays from 10.00 to 19 for a maximum of 5 people. For more information and reservations, send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call the tourist office on 0571 699255.

PLEASE NOTE. This page is not linked to the public administration of Montaione which manages the Holy Mount of San Vivaldo. We therefore limit ourselves to reproduce the data available on the website of the municipality of Montaione at www.comune.montaione.fi.it and for this reason we are not responsible for any omissions and / or errors contained in the contents of this website.

Holy Mass

Church of San Vivaldo

c/o Jerusalem of San Vivaldo
SAN VIVALDO
Monday - at 8,00am
From Tuesday to Saturday - at 18,00pm
Sunday - at 11,00am and 18,00pm

Getting there

Other things you can visit in Montaione

Discover the secrets of Montaione through its artistic and cultural heritage riddled with churches and castles in a wonderful journey into our history.

Church of San Regolo

The Church of San Regolo – a remarkable example of Romanesque architecture in Tuscany dating back to the 13th or 14th centuries – overlooks onto the Piazza della Repubblica in the heart of the historical center of Montaione.

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Civic Museum

Located inside the Palazzo Pretorio, the Civic Museum tells the history of the territory of Montaione through archaeological, paleontological, mineral and fossil findings recovered in the surroundings of Montaione.

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Permanent exhibition of ancient crafts

Through the exhibition of a collection of iron crafts and footwear tools that belonged to Ernesto Gennaro Cecconi, this exhibition represents an interesting journey to rediscover the craftsmanship of the past.

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Church of St. Joseph and Lucia

This small church dedicated to Saints Joseph and Lucia is also called the “Church of the Nuns” because it is annexed to a 16th century former monastery.

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Roman Cistern

The Roman cistern is an ancient stone artifact dating back to Roman times (around III century B.C.) which was used as a water reservoire with a capacity of about 200,000 liters.

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Sanctuary of Pietrina

Situated on the peak of a rock from which you can admire the beautiful landscape that extends to the hill of Volterra, the Sanctuary of Pietrina is a small church famous for a painting representing the “Madonna with Child”.

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Church of St. Floriano

Located in the village of Castelfalfi, the Church of San Floriano, which is accessed through a staircase, is a remarkable example of Romanesque architecture in Tuscany.

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Castle of Vignale

The Castle of Vignale is located halfway down a hill that can only be reached on foot or by bicycle. Although today you can only admire the remains of this ancient castle it is easy to imagine the history of this place once disputed among the most noble Tuscan families.

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