For a slideshow of the monastery, click any of the above images.
Click the photo below to see the slideshow from the June 2007 Tour.
To see images of Calvi from the air, visit the Aerial Slideshow.
The Art Monastery's pilot site is in the cherished former Ursuline convent in Calvi dell'Umbria, a charming Umbrian town only 45 minutes NorthEast of Rome. Known for its 16th-C nativity scene and accompanying Christmas exhibitions as well as the ancient and colorful week long festival of San Pancrazio, Calvi attracts visitors year-round both from Italy and abroad. Its small population triples in the summer months, as thousands come to dine or stay in its eight agriturismos (farmhouse hotels) and admire its historic charm and breathtaking vistas. Although thousands of tourists and Romans drive past this gem of a town bound for more famous Umbrian destinations, Calvi is well positioned to accommodate far greater numbers. The town administration shares our sense of possibility and is enthusiastically working with us to make Calvi known as an international center of art and culture.
Il Convento di S. Brigida
The building that will become the Art Monastery was an Ursuline convent, designed by famed Roman architect, Ferdinando Fuga. At the height of his career and fresh from projects like the Palazzo Corsini, the Palazzo della Consulta on the Quirinal, Rome, and several important churches, he accepted this provincial commission from the Ursulines, perhaps because two of his daughters were nuns in residence in the original convent. From 1739 to 1745 Fuga greatly enlarged the convent, built in 1715 by the town of Calvi with the inheritance of its benefactor, Demofonte Ferrini. By 1991 the number of Ursuline nuns had dwindled, so the town, as the monastery’s original owner, took over its administration. Calvi renovated the great kitchens underneath the convent into a public museum and have just completed a new roof and top floor of the convent itself. A gorgeous, double-tiered choir connects the convent to the church of St. Bridget and the church of St. Anthony, which houses the grand nativity scene.
Il Giardino Meraviglioso
The monastic garden that rises behind the convent is a sanctuary of enchanting beauty. Containing both wild groves and artful lanes, the large garden was designed by Fuga to fulfill all of the needs of the many nuns who spent their entire lives within its ancient walls. In collaboration with the schoolchildren of Calvi, who have created a rose garden and grape trellis, we intend to restore its full beauty and functionality. In addition to a 300-year-old wisteria overwhelming his massive wall, Fuga's original cisterns and irrigating canals remain. This system can collect rainfall and passively irrigate the vegetable beds that we will replant with appropriate local varieties. Not only will the garden then provide the legendary fresh produce that calls so many to Italy, it will offer an irresistible setting for performances and a haven for walks by inhabitants of both the convent and Calvi dell'Umbria.
Contact: Info (at) ArtMonastery (dot) org
