Suspended between Frontino and San Sisto, on a hill surrounded by greenery, lies a place that welcomes with the same gentle breath as those who know how to listen: the Convent of Montefiorentino, long a destination of pilgrimage and silence.
Tradition holds it was founded by Saint Francis in 1213, and it is mentioned as early as 1248 in the papal bull of Innocent IV, which recognized its spiritual value and granted indulgences to those who supported its restoration.
Once across the threshold, visitors find themselves immersed in an oasis of history and art. The cloister, with ribbed vaults and a still well-kept garden, leads to the Chapel of the Counts Oliva, created in 1484 by order of Count Carlo Oliva. It is a small Renaissance jewel attributed to Simone Ferrucci of Fiesole: slender and refined arches, marble sarcophagi carved with delicate elegance, choir stalls and kneelers inlaid in the style of the studiolo of the Duke of Urbino.
At the center of the chapel stands an altarpiece painted in 1489 by Giovanni Santi, father of Raphael: a Madonna and Child flanked by saints, with Count Carlo Oliva portrayed in prayer—almost as if to testify to the bond between the devotee and the divine.
The convent also preserves frescoes, a walnut choir, an ancient organ, and old musical manuscripts. The polyptych by Alvise Vivarini, once housed here, is now kept at the National Gallery of the Marche, though its memory still resonates within these walls.
The setting invites a suspension of time: a quiet park, wooden crosses, shade, beauty. It is a place where history can be breathed, where every stone, every ray of light, every artistic trace tells a story that still beats, both ancient and present.
Mu.Mont invites you to visit Montefiorentino with slow eyes and an open heart. An itinerary steeped in spirituality, art, and quiet—an invitation to listen, to feel, to rediscover yourself in the breath of history.
