Badia di Sant'Andrea di Dovadola

At the edge of Dovadola, in the Montone valley, the abbey of Sant'Andrea, known here simply as 'la Badia', dates back to the 11th century. It was founded by Benedictine monks and over the centuries has been damaged several times by fires and earthquakes, then rebuilt.

Today it has a late 16th-century appearance with Florentine taste: three naves, a raised presbytery and an irregular dome. It is surrounded by the park of the villa of the same name, with centuries-old trees such as firs and horse chestnuts, which make your visit a pleasant walk.

The Badia holds the remains of Blessed Benedetta Bianchi Porro, born in Dovadola in 1936 and died in 1964. Struck by a serious illness that left her deaf and blind, she became through her letters an example of faith and serenity for thousands of people. She was proclaimed blessed in 2019 and her tomb is a pilgrimage destination.

Above the village there is also the fortress of the Guidi counts, and a few kilometres away the Eremo di Montepaolo, linked to Saint Anthony of Padua: together they form a small spiritual itinerary in the Montone valley.