Valle Christi, Gothic monastery in Santa Maria del Campo, Rapallo, Italy.
Valle Christi is a Gothic monastery in the Santa Maria del Campo area of Rapallo, built in stone with pointed arches and a partial cloister. It now stands as an open ruin, with walls and arcade remains visible from the surrounding paths.
The monastery was founded in 1204 by two Genoese noblewomen who established a Cistercian community on this hillside. Over the following centuries it gradually fell into disuse and was eventually abandoned, leaving the stone structure open to the elements.
The name Valle Christi means Valley of Christ, and this meaning shaped the way the site was used for centuries as a place of withdrawal from the outside world. Today, visitors can walk through the open ruins and see the stone arches and roofless walls that once enclosed the nuns' daily life.
The ruins are set in the Santa Maria del Campo area and can be reached on foot along hillside paths from central Rapallo. Since the site is fully outdoors, a visit is more comfortable in dry weather and with suitable footwear for uneven ground.
A local story tells of a nun who fell in love with a shepherd and is said to have been entombed alive inside one of the walls along with her newborn child. This tale has been passed down in the area for generations and gives the ruins a human story that goes beyond their religious past.
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