San Fruttuoso Abbey

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Around mid-X century, Greek monks were the first to build the monastery of San Fruttuoso Abbey. The internal dome of the church is of Byzantine origins. Much of what we can still see today, however, dates back to the reconstruction, carried out between the end of the X century and the beginning of the XI century, by Adelaide, the widow of Otto I.

In the XI century, the abbey was entrusted to the Benedictine Order, and in the following century, another floor was built.

In the XIII century, an avant-corps with a portico was built, while the Doria family decided to turn a room into a tomb for the abbey – at the same time, the octagonal tower was fitted with a dome. Over the centuries, the small hermitage was further enlarged thanks to many different owners – unfortunately, this made the abbey a most tempting prey for pirates. After the first monastic presence, the complex of San Fruttuoso di Capodimonte served as a humble dwelling for fishermen and occasionally as a pirate den.
Later on, it used to be a property of the Doria family for a long time – the same family of Andrea, who defeated the Turks in the battle of Lepanto, in 1571. He had a large tower built for observation and security purposes, the very same that still overlooks the little bay, reflecting itself in the emerald blue waters with dark green pine trees in the background.

As it often happens, after a long, glorious spell of time, the Abbey was then neglected and used as a shelter for the poor. The restoration was eventually started in 1933, and fifty years later the Doria family donated the whole complex to the National Trust of Italy (FAI), along with 80 acres of land which include the western “Cala dell’Oro”, the observation tower and some of the wooded slope. The whole area is currently a sealife haven (for fish restocking), interdicted to navigation and swimming.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)