The beautiful Abbey of Sant’Antimo, located about 10km from the celebrated wine town of Montalcino in southern Tuscany, was built in the early 12th century CE on an earlier Carolingian chapel dating back to the 9th century CE. Parts of the earlier structure are still visible in the apse and richly decorated portal of the church. According to legend, the first church was founded by Charlemagne himself while passing through the area after having been crowned Holy Roman Emperor in Rome. The simple interior of the church, with its vaulted aisles and ambulatory, reflects the profound spirituality of the Benedictine monks who once inhabited it. Buona visita!