Our friend Giulio during his Tuscan wandering visited the Cistercian abbey of San Galgano, connected to the Arthurian myth.

Today only its skeleton remains, and this reminds us many other European abbeys as Melrose, Tintern, Paimpol and so on.

A short history:
In 1180 Galgano, dissipated knight become hermit as a penance, reached the hill of Montesiepi and planted his sword in a stone: from this legend the links with the Arthurian myth.
Here a chapel was erected at San Galgano’s death (1185). The building of the abbey began in 1218 also due to the intervention of the Cistercians.
During the 13th century it was the most powerful Cistercian abbey in Tuscany.
The ruin came in 14th century: the famine and then the Black Death which harshly stroke the monks and finally the plunders.
The decay went on also in the next century, the monks leaved and entrusted the abbey to a Commendatory abbot: unfortunately this choice proved to be flagitious.
In the second half of 1700 the complex was largely collapsed.
Toward the end of 1800 a first renewal was considered and finally in 1924 the restoration works began following the conservative method.

For more info:
wikipedia: Abbazia_di_San_Galgano

Thank to our friend Giulio for the beautiful photographs