Olivetani Monastery, Former religious building in Nerviano, Italy.

The Olivetani Monastery sits on Piazza Manzoni and displays the typical architecture of northern Italian monastic buildings with white stone walls and clear geometric forms. The complex includes a cloister with arcades, sleeping quarters for monks, a kitchen, and a church, all arranged around a central courtyard.

Construction began in 1468 at the wish of Count Ugolino Crivelli, of a feudal family related to the Visconti, and Alessandro da Sesto was appointed first prior that same year. The Olivetan order itself had formed in Tuscany in 1319 under Saint Bernard Tolomei. The monastery closed on 16 October 1798, when Revolutionary France made church property state property; its church later passed to the parish of Santo Stefano.

The name Olivetani refers to a monastic community devoted to contemplation, and their spaces were designed with simplicity and function in mind. Today you can still see how the rooms were arranged for a life of quiet prayer and manual work.

The monastery is located on Piazza Manzoni in the heart of Nerviano and is easily visible from the street. The best time to visit is during official opening hours, which are managed by the Ecomuseo del paesaggio di Parabiago.

The monastery was inhabited by a rare order, the Olivetans, who were known for their devotion to quiet contemplation and their preference for isolated locations. This makes the building a rare example of the lifestyle of this lesser-known monastic community in Lombardy.