Day 14 – A day of outings

Another week having passed, Wednesday was a day to rest, to do something else, to relax. They could visit nearby historic sites: Frascati and Grottaferrata, Fossanova Abbey or have a tranquil day at Lake Albano in Castel Gandolfo.

Fossanova Abbey is a church that was formerly a Cistercian abbey, and is one of the finest examples of early Burgundian Gothic architecture in Italy, dating from around 1135.

Another group went to Grottaferrata to visit the Abbey of Santa Maria of Grottaferrata. It is the only remnant of the once-flourishing Italo-Greek monastic tradition. After an ice-cream they went to nearby Frascati. The village is closely associated with science, being the location of several international scientific laboratories. Frascati is famous for its villas, which were built from the sixteenth century onwards by popes, cardinals and Roman nobles as “status symbols” of Roman aristocracy. It is worth mentioning that, previously, the novitiate of the Society was located in Frascati.

Lake Albano is a volcanic crater lake just below the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo. The sisters spent a peaceful, relaxing day at the lake enjoying the view of the surrounding Alban Hills of Lazio.

After a day full of excursions the capitulants were ready to continue their work.