Guide to the abbey of Novacella: what to see and what to do
Here, good Sylvaner and Gewurztraminer are made with grapes from the vineyards that go all the way around the abbey.
Where are we?
In Varna, a small town of 5,000 inhabitants in the autonomous province of Bolzano, in Trentino-Alto Adige, at the entrance to the Scaleres Valley, near the city of Bressanone, stands the Augustinian abbey of Novacella. One of the most prestigious in northern Italy and the whole Alpine Arc, and certainly the largest convent complex in Tyrol.
History
In 1142, the Augustinian Canons started a separate organization that did different things at different times.
Originally, the convent was used to host numerous passing pilgrims. Rebuilt and enlarged several times up to the end of the eighteenth century, it was closed by the Bavarian government in 1807 following the suppression of religious orders by Napoleon.
The abbey was restored thanks to the edict of Emperor Francis I in 1816. Today, its evolution translates into a jumble of companies ranging from agriculture to viticulture, from herbal medicine to enology, including the educational training of young people (it is home to a college for middle school children) and the organization of conferences and events of a cultural nature.
From an architectural point of view, this complex is a good example of how elements from different time periods can work together well. For example, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and even Baroque styles all meet and merge in this complex.
The Isarco Valley, therefore, enjoys the monumental presence of a significant work whose plethoric abundance represents a breath of immortal beauty, conferred by a heterogeneous unicum (the layout is original to the 12th century), which is accessed by crossing a covered and formed bridge from a minor basilica, the convent space, the cloister, a castle, a library whose historical manuscripts have been consulted by distinguished scientists, doctors, artists, and theologians who in the past attended the abbey school, a picture gallery, and a cellar with a restaurant.
What to see at the Novacella Abbey
A proud Romanesque bell tower flanks the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta. At the same time, it reveals a sumptuous wealth of works of art, mostly frescoes and precious paintings by the painter Matthäus Günther, which adorn the hall, which is also exalted by the choir, and the presbytery, displaying some Baroque and Rococo conciliations but with a resistant Gothic structure that remained unaltered during the eighteenth-century renovations.
The abbey has a main courtyard, which in its center gives way to a Renaissance well nicknamed “Well of Wonders” because, on the sides of the octagonal aedicule that overlooks it, there are depictions of the seven wonders of antiquity, or rather seven plus one, of which the triumphant image stands out on the wall surface of the eighth side.
The library grants itself two floors of the monastery, a space certainly necessary to hold about 65,000 volumes that touch 43 topics.
The smallest handwritten book is hidden among the manuscripts and illuminated manuscripts.
Beyond what is contained, accessing the library means contemplating a room in which the South Tyrolean Rococo is manifested in all its disruptive aesthetics thanks to the craftsmanship of Antonio Giuseppe Sartori, also the author of the altars of Sant’Anna and Sant’Agostino present in the ecclesiastical presbytery.
Above all, the Chapel of San Michele stands out, which has taken the name of Castello dell’Angelo and is a Romanesque rotunda, very similar to the dome of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.
Kerner and other Novacella products
The beautiful ornamental garden is annexed to the property of the abbey (it features impressive ancient trees, spectacular flower beds, pergolas with overflowing bunches of grapes, an overhanging sequoia, hedges, and a central fountain) and land cultivated with fruit and vines for the production of DOC wines such as Sylvaner, Kerner, and Gewürztraminer.
All these delicious wines are stored in the cellar, where guided tours with tasting are periodically organized. In the garden, on the other hand, medicinal and medicinal herbs are grown with the blends of which are used to make excellent herbal teas, sold together with all the other products (which can also be purchased through the online shop) in the shop at the entrance to the convent.
Useful information, dates, times, and ticket prices for the visit.
Where: via Abbazia, 1 – Varna (Bolzano).
Opening hours: all year round from Monday to Saturday from 10.00 to 16.00.
Tickets: € 9.00 for adults, € 4.00 for children aged 6 to 17, € 7.00 for groups of at least 10 people, € 4.00 for 60-minute school visits, € 6.00 for 90 minutes.
Winery visit and tasting: from May to October, every Tuesday and Thursday, at 4 pm, it is possible to participate in a guided tour, without reservation, of the abbey cellar with tasting of 4 types of wine (2 reds and 2 whites). On request, it is also possible to visit the vineyards. Prices: € 9 for a guided tasting of the four wines; € 13.50 for a tour of the vineyard and cellar plus a tasting.
Contacts: contact tel. 0472/836189 or send an e-mail to [email protected].
More information: the art gallery and cloister are not accessible to people with motor disabilities, while the church and library are free of architectural barriers. It is not permitted to take photographs inside the abbey while outside or in the basilica. Consult the official website for information on conferences, events, and the possibility of staying in the abbey.
How to get to Novacella Abbey
Coming from the Brenner A22 motorway, exit at Bressanone/Val Pusteria, turn right for Varna, cross the village, and at the Hotel Lëwenhof turn left for Novacella in the direction of the abbey, near which you can park your car; lines n. 2 and 3 of the Citybus.
