Overview
Located in an oasis of peace, the former Monastery of Astino represents an extraordinary artistic and architectural reality just a few kilometres from Bergamo. Perfectly restored in 2013 and made a comeback during Expo 2015, it was originally inhabited by the Vallombrosa monks, of the Benedictine family. The adjoining Church of the Holy Sepulchre has a peculiar cruciform structure and three altars.
It changed from a place of worship to an asylum under Napoleon, then to a farm and finally in 1923 it was privately sold. A curiosity for art lovers: the refined Last Supper, carried out for the monastery refectory by the Florentine Alessandro Allori, exudes an even more mystical charm thanks to the painstaking restoration the painting underwent.
If you come from the Upper Town , you can reach the monastery from what is one of the most scenic walks in the area, with views over the Po Valley to and beyond Milan.
