"Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore (Siena). Apside e campanile"

gelatin silver print

stamp verso

Photograph from a collection of tourism photographs from the first half of the 20^th century, issued by Italian tourism boards. High-quality works by renowned studios, such as the Alinari brothers, were frequently used to promote Italy as a travel destination. With the West German Economic Miracle (Wirtschaftswunder) of the 1950s, these idealized images of longing became a reality: rising prosperity and increased leisure time transformed vacations into a status symbol. Italy – particularly the Riviera and the Adriatic coast – became the number one destination of choice. By the mid-1950s, 4.5 million Germans were already traveling across the Alps, marking the beginning of modern mass tourism.¹

The Abbazia di Santa Maria di Monte Oliveto Maggiore is one of the most historically rich monastic complexes in Tuscany. Founded in 1313 by Giovanni Tolomei, the motherhouse of the Olivetan Order is architecturally striking for its monumental structure, built entirely of red brick in the heart of the Crete Senesi, a barren hill landscape. An absolute highlight is the distinctive exterior of the abbey church, erected starting in 1400, featuring an elegant octagonal dome and a soaring, Gothic-style campanile decorated with bifora windows. Visible from afar, the ensemble blends harmoniously into the surrounding rolling hills of the southern Tuscan countryside, characterized by deep erosion.
(Christoph Fuchs)

Note

1
"Geteiltes Deutschland: Modernisierung. Bundesrepublik im Wandel. Tourismus", Lebendiges Museum online, Deutsches Historisches Museum, https://www.hdg.de/lemo/kapitel/geteiltes-deutschland-modernisierung/bundesrepublik-im-wandel/tourismus.html (accessed 26.6.2026)