An abandoned abbey-empty for 500 years. Great place for having my imagination run wild. Then on the hill the sword in the stone-where did the King Arthur legend get the idea?? The wine bar in the woods on the hillside nearby was excellent value as well More

We only visited once monastery and this was the one we picked. The area was quiet in the morning and there were only a few people that wandered in after us. However, when we left, a group of students were just arriving. We also saw a few tour buses. Overall, the visit is peaceful and tranquil. They DO charge for... More

It was lovely and peaceful at the ruins when we visited in April. You could walk around the abbey church (which is almost fully complete) and imagine what it was like to live and worship within the abbey as an old monk! In the church you can see the door leading into where the monks dormitory once was. The night... More

You can't stop thinking of english abbeys like Fountains Abbey or Rievaulx Abbey when you arrive at San Galgano. You can breathe peace when you walk by the ruins. And not that far from Siena and the more touristic places in Tuscany. More

This impressive place is a must see while you are in Tuscany. Besides the breathtaking ruins of the temple, I can remember lots of sunflowers everywhere! It is worth to go up the hill to see a little church with a sword of San Galgano who placed it somehow in a rock. Really charming place.. More

We were the only tourists during our visit. The only other people we saw were 2 workers (one selling tickets and one directing tourists) and a sheep herder (with about 75 sheep). Though it was quiet during our visit (late November 2011), the over-sized parking lot implies they get large tour buses during the peak season. The chapel with the... More

I have been in an Galgano several times and it never disappointed me! Once we arrived there on horseback, this was absolutely special, another time there were Gregorian chants etc. But even on 'normal' days you feel something special about this place. Now you have to pay 3 Euro entrance, while in the past it was free. I hope that... More

A mysterious "sword in the stone" said to have been thrust into a rock near Siena by a medieval knight proves that the legend of King Arthur, Excalibur and the Holy Grail originated in Tuscany, not Cornwall or Brittany, an Italian scholar claims. The sword, of which only the hilt and an inch or two of blade is visible, is... More

We arrived there in middle morning: the fields around are full of sunflowers and the abbazia is at the end of a narrow road flanked by cypress. What a landscape! The abbazia itself is gorgeous, the roof is lacking so it gives a real sense of infinite expanse. A volunteer showed us around proudly and then directed us to visit... More