San Vincenzo al Volturno, a Benedictine monastery

© Ragemax/Shutterstock

Abbazia di San Vincenzo al Volturno

Molise


Founded in the 8th century, the Abbazia di San Vincenzo al Volturno is famous for its cycle of 9th-century frescoes by Epifanio (824–842) in the crypt. The original monastery was sacked and burned by the Saracens in 881 and subsequently rebuilt on the opposite side of the river; the crypt was miraculously spared. Surrounding it, the evocative archaeological area is also worth visiting.

The crypt is only open for short visits at certain times of day (see the website).

The abbey was rebuilt in the 10th century and was one of the foremost monastic and cultural centres in Europe for a time. It's still home to a small community of Benedictine nuns. Badly bombed in World War II, most of the current structure was rebuilt in the 1960s. The complex and ruins are a 30km drive northwest of Isernia, near Castel San Vincenzo.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Molise attractions

1. Museo Civico Isernia

8.52 MILES

World War II doesn’t get a lot of coverage in Italy, which makes this small museum chronicling the events of 10 September 1943, when Isernia was heavily…

2. Museo Paleolitico di Isernia

9.06 MILES

Built around the adjacent 730,000-year-old archaeological site of La Pineta, this intriguing museum stands next to a pavilion that protects the site of…

3. Museo del Lupo Appenninico

10.85 MILES

This museum and info centre has an impressive amount of information (in Italian only) on the Appenine wolf and its role in myth and literature. There's…

4. Centro Visita del Camoscio

15.95 MILES

This small wildlife sanctuary is devoted to the Apennine chamois. There's a viewpoint from which you can usually see the animals roaming.

5. Collegiata di Santa Maria del Colle

16.53 MILES

Rebuilt in the decades following a 1456 earthquake, the atmospheric Collegiata di Santa Maria del Colle combines a superb Romanesque portal with a lavish…

6. Palazzo Fanzago

16.62 MILES

The Palazzo Fanzago was designed by the great baroque architect Cosimo Fanzago in 1624. Look out for the carved wooden dragons under the roof and the…

7. Samnite Theatre-Temple Complex

16.91 MILES

About 30km northeast of Isernia, outside Pietrabbondante, the remains of a 3rd-century-BC Samnite theatre-temple complex reward a visit, as much as…

8. Abbazia di Montecassino

17.73 MILES

Dramatically perched on a mountaintop near the regional border with Campania, the Abbazia di Montecassino was one of the most important Christian centres…