Did you know that Umberto Eco was inspired by a royal abbey when he wrote his famous novel? The name of the rose? And no, it is not in Germany, where his film adaptation was recorded, but in the Italian region of Piedmont. We invite you to discover the beautiful Sacra di San Michele.
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If you’ve never read Umberto Eco’s popular historical thriller “The Name of the Rose,” it’s time to get your act together. This world best seller is an immortal masterpiece that must be read in depth. For this reason, it is not by chance that director Jean Jacques Annaud decided to carry out an adaptation for the big screen starring a world-famous star such as the great Sean Connery. Although visually quite impressive, the film contains some inaccuracies because it was filmed inside the Kloster Eberbach, a former Cistercian monastery located near Frankfurt. And not only that, but also, the exteriors of the abbey where the story takes place are shot in two different locations: Castel del Monte, a 13th century castle located in the Apulia region, 70 kilometers from Bari; and Rocca Calascio, in Abruzzo. Finally, the portal seen in the 28th minute of the film corresponds to that of the Mossaic abbey, located in the Tarn-et-Garonne region, in France.
Wonderful places of worship that, however, were far from the idea that Eco had in mind when he wrote the adventures of the Franciscan friar William of Baskerville and his follower Adso de Melk, ideally set in the imposing and austere abbey of the Sacra di San Michele. , one of the symbols of Piedmont, located about 40 km from Turn.
Perched on top of Mount Pichiriano, the abbey is dedicated to Archangel Michael, and is part of a nearly 2,000 km pilgrimage route that ends in France, at the famous Mont Saint-Michel.
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Climbing to the top of this splendid Italian construction of enormous historical and cultural value will allow you to enjoy an incredible panorama from the Turn horizon to the Susa valley. Inside there are important artistic elements such as the statue of Miguel Archangel by the sculptor Paul d Doss-Moroder; and the Scalone dei Morti and the Portale dello Zodiaco, sculpted by the Piacentian architect Maestro Nicolaio. In the same way, you cannot leave the place without first going up to the Torre della Bell’Alda, which dominates the precipice of Pichiriano, and from which, according to legend, the young Alda, fleeing from the soldiers, launched herself invoking the help of Saint Michael, who saved her from certain death.
The extraordinary library with more than 10,000 volumes, which can only be accessed during the special visits that are organized on the first Saturday of each month, together with the museum of daily life, dedicated to everyday objects of the past, and the old halls of the House of Savoy. In fact, some of the members of the royal family are buried within the main church of the Sacra.
In short, the Sacra de San Michele will allow you to relive the same atmosphere as in “The Name of the Rose” and rediscover the art and history of Piedmont and all of Italy while strolling within its walls.
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