Sacra di San Michele
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
This large Benedictine Abbey was the setting for Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose, and is an important example of Roman-esque architecture. The setting itself is remarkable, high over over the Susa Valley.
This view from the Abbey looking west towards Susa and the Alps shows its elevation above the valley floor.
Dinner in Torino—gnocchi with leeks and cream; angnolotti of chicken; beef filet with peperoni and anchovy; and a veal cheek cooked in Barbaresco wine.
The Benedictine Abbey of San Michele in Piemonte dates from 998 A.D. and is related to Mont St Michel on the English Channel in Normandy, also in a very difficult spot with extreme tides and quicksand. The other related church in western Europe is the remote Sanctuary of Monte Sant’Angelo sul Gargano in Puglia, in southern Italy.
Next—Slow Food in Torino.
