Recommended daytrip from Rome: the Trisulti Charterhouse

It can and it does happen sometimes: important landmarks or attractions in Italy end up being sold to the highest bidder because the government wasn’t quick enough in declaring them a national monument, or in granting them a protected heritage status.

Recently there has beeen controversy about this very topic when it emerged that the only palazzo to feature a Caravaggio mural could end up being snatched up by some foreign billionaire. However, sometimes these kinds of stories have a happy ending!

What is Trisulti?

Enter the Trisulti Charterhouse, a magnificent 13th century monastery south of Rome, near the small towns of Alatri and Collepardo.

The Lazio region has its share of beautiful areas far from the biggest cities, but this particular one gets almost no love due to its perceived remoteness, which is exactly why it started attracting communities of monks starting in the early Middle Ages. Isolated, surrounded by woods, with harsh-er winters compared with what happens on the coast, this was no place for the Grand Tour devotees and has always been ignored by mass tourism.

For a while, ex-Trump aide Steve Bannon had planned to set up an international school in the now empty building, but the regional government of Lazio recognized the importance of maintaining the memory of the activities held for centuries onsite and it has turned the monastery into a public monument, with Culture Minister Dario Franceschini saying the reopening was “a beautiful Italian story of redemption”.

The main activity in Trisulti, until modern times, was the production of medicines and liqueurs, which is why the buildings and its annexes are larger and more sophisticated, if you allow us the term, compared to the average monastery: the monks here had – quite simply put – more money to spend.

The so-called vocational crisis in the Church caused a decrease in the number of monks in the last 50 years or so, and therefore the number of residents in the charterhouse has gradually gone down to zero. This is why it could be eventually turned into a heritage site.

What to see in Trisulti

Under the new scheme by the Lazio government, the public will be able to visit the Carthusian monastery complex free of charge. It includes a garden, the aforementioned pharmacy and unseen corners of the perimeter. On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, it will also be possible to take part in free guided tours by booking them in advance. New areas of the monastery will be opened to the public as soon gradually, as the restoration work is completed there.

With the reopening of the site religious services will also resume in the Church of San Bartolomeo, reviving a place of worship much loved by the local community.

How to reach Trisulti

If you’re interested in visiting Trisulti or the towns nearby the charterhouse, which include Sora, Isola del Liri or even Frosinone, you will have to rely on a combination of trains (with Sora and Isola del Liri being the closest stops to Trisulti) and local buses. If you have access to a car, the most common way to reach the site, the monastery is roughly 1 hour and a half south of Rome, driving for the most part on the A1 highway – the route is pretty straightforward.

Should you be interested in a private vehicle with a driver to take you there and back, we suggest to get in touch with our office to get our best quote for your daytrip!