Places that make you feel good, spaces that are designed by architects to elevate the soul. The region Marche in Italy is rich in places like this. Within just a few minutes’ drive from the yoga school Yoga Marche ASD lies the abbey of Fiastra, one of the best conserved and most important early medieval monuments of Central Italy.  

Here you can admire the play of light and the beautiful colors. And enjoy the silence and spaciousness.

These evocative surroundings create a new space-time concept that is fertile ground for new thoughts, for new inspiration, for a new way of seeing or interpreting, of one’s own life but also of life in a broader sense.

This environment surely enriches the yoga holiday in Italy, it gives peace and inspiration.

These places are a tangible trace of a past and a way of life that is no longer there, but so palpable during your stay here, such as the rhythm of life in harmony with nature, and the ideals.

It is a relief for every city dweller, or any person with a full and busy life. On entering the various spaces one feels the divine inspiration directly. The rhythm of the capitals, the infinitely high walls, the wooden beams, suggestive arches and frescoed niches provide a unique atmosphere.

A group of monks started with the construction of the church in the year 1142, the complex then grew with several rooms, including the dining room for the brothers and the olive hall, and the underground storage in the form of a labyrinth.

Here lived and worked a group of friars together under the rule of Saint Benedict: Orat et Laborat. A part of the day dedicated to study and prayer, and a part devoted to working.

 In the Sala del Capitolo was read daily from the writings of Saint Benedict. This room with stone arches and colored masonry is very popular with filmmakers.

The lay brothers were innovative farmers and worked the many acres of land that were donated by landowners to the abbey over the centuries. They were self-sufficient and contributed to the flourishing of this part of Italy.

The beautiful cloister gives access to the kitchens, the kitchengarden and the adjoining palace Palazzo Giustiniani Bandini with its lovely English gardens.

Here we are reminded of the possibility to live according to the pursuit of higher ideals. But especially of love and humility, of living in serenity, knowing that we are always accompanied by a greater whole.

Phaedra de Zeeuw has travelled as “a pilgrim, a pilgrim of art” (Bernard Berendson, Pellegrinaggi d’arte) to monasteries, churches, medieval occupations and glorious Renaissance cities in Marche, Italy, and happily gives ideas or tips for visiting inspiring places during the yoga holidays in Italy.

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