At the end of a long avenue of cypress trees, in a hollow of the clay hills south of Siena, stands a great red-brick monastery. Monte Oliveto Maggiore was founded in the early fourteenth century by a Sienese nobleman who gave up his career and his comforts to live as a hermit, and who was soon joined by others. They built here, on what was then a wild and wooded slope, and the community grew into the mother house of the Olivetan Benedictines. The abbey is still home to a small number of monks, and it feels like it: quiet, ordered and slightly outside time.
The brick buildings rise from a forest of cypress and oak, with a gatehouse tower and a church with a leaning bell tower, and inside are some of the finest frescoes in Tuscany. The great cloister is decorated with a cycle of scenes from the life of St Benedict, painted at the end of the fifteenth century and in the early sixteenth, begun by Luca Signorelli and completed by the painter known as Il Sodoma. The scenes are full of life, with elegant courtiers, animals, tricks played on the saint and a number of gleefully worldly details that suggest the artists did not take themselves too seriously. It is worth an hour of anyone's time.
The monks make honey, liqueurs and herbal products, which are sold in a shop by the entrance, and there is a restaurant nearby for a simple meal. Visitors are asked to dress modestly and to keep quiet in the church and cloister, and opening hours are fixed and sometimes interrupted by monastic services, so check before you go. The place has a spiritual calm that is a pleasant contrast to the busy Tuscan towns.
The ride to the abbey runs through the heart of the Crete Senesi, with long, gentle bends over bare clay ridges and a few sections of white gravel on the side roads. The main approach is paved and in good order, with views opening on each crest, and the cypress avenue at the end is one of the great sights of the district. Go on a weekday if you can, since coaches visit in summer. Cyclists are common, so give them room.
The village of San Giovanni d'Asso, about five kilometres away, is known for its truffle festival in autumn, and Asciano, a little further, has stations, supermarkets and cafes. Fill the tank in Asciano before heading out.
If you can, come in the morning, when the mist often fills the hollows between the hills and the abbey rises out of it.