Located in the beautiful Val de Merse, just 35km/22mi south of Siena, the Abbey of San Galgano is one of the most magical places in Italy. Built in the early 13th century by Cistercian monks, the most suggestive part of the remaining structure is the roofless church. Just up the hill is the Hermitage of Monte Siepi, where, in the 12th century, legend has it the noble crusader San Galgano retired and definitively renounced his worldly life by driving his sword into a stone where it can still be seen today. Buona visita!