But don’t let the calm fool you - this place has seen drama. In 1569, the monastery was at the center of a scandal hot enough to make a nun blush. Salomea Basoina and her daughter Isabella, accused of a less-than-holy lifestyle, were hidden here by order of the authorities. The local bishop, the chaplain, and even the general visitor all protested, saying, “No way, not in our convent!” But the powerful Cardinal Alessandrino said, “She stays.” Imagine the whispers in the shadowy corridors and the nuns peeking through the arches, waiting to see what happened next.
The site changed hands many times, so by 1916, only three nuns remained, shuffling through a monastery that was crumbling around them. When they finally left, perhaps the halls sighed in relief - “Finally, retirement!” In 1932, the place found its way back to church hands, and today, if you listen closely, you might just sense the secrets of the past fluttering beneath the tiles and echoing in the sandstone passages.
