Monastery of Rosazzo, Romanesque abbey in Manzano, Italy
The monastery of Rosazzo is a Romanesque abbey set on a hill in Manzano, in the Friuli region of northeastern Italy, with stone walls, a cloister with decorated lunettes, and a church. The complex also includes buildings from different periods and a network of underground wine cellars dug into the hillside.
The site was first established in the 11th century as a church dedicated to Saint Peter, and it soon became a full abbey. Over the following centuries, different monastic orders took charge of it before the Benedictines eventually settled there and shaped much of what visitors see today.
The cloister of Rosazzo is decorated with lunettes painted by local artists of the Friulian school, which visitors can observe up close during a tour. The church remains active today, holding regular services that connect the monastic past with the present life of the surrounding community.
The abbey is on a hill and is most easily reached by car, as the roads leading up to it are narrow and not served by regular public transport. Comfortable shoes are recommended since the grounds are uneven and some paths between the buildings are steep.
The grounds of Rosazzo include a vineyard that is considered one of the oldest documented in the entire Friuli region. The winemaking tradition here has continued without interruption since the Middle Ages, and wines are still produced today under the abbey's name.
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