Not far from Lecce in Salento, discover one of the most beautiful abbey in Apulia open from February to December. Once a Greek orthodox Byzantine monastery, then the centre of a typical farm, now you can visit the abbey, the museum, the church, the colonnade, the mill and oven room, the removed frescoes and the hypogeum olive press. Guided tours in Italian, English and French (on request) and/or entrance ticket available. Enjoy one of the several experiences or events during the year.
Abbazia di Santa Maria di Cerrate is open (last entrance 45 min before closure times):
- in March, April, May, September, October from Tuesdays to Sundays from 10:00am to 06:00pm
- in June, July, August everyday from 10:00am to 07:30pm.
- In November and December:
From Tuesdays to Sundays, 10:00am - 4:00pm (last entrance 45 min before closure time)
Guided tours in Italian in June, July and August: 10:00am, 11:30am, 04:00pm and 05:30pm.
Guided tours in English on Fridays and Saturdays at 10:30pm.
Call us for guided tours in English.
In order to book and to verify special openings and closures, please click here.
Tickets
Guided tours
*with the exception of specific events, when only the additional event charge will apply. During events the price may be subject to change.
On Fridays and Saturdays guided tours in English, book your tickets here
By car:
Please take road SS613 (Lecce – Brindisi) and exit Squinzano towards Casalabate on SP100, you will find the Abbey after 4 km on the right.
Transfer service:
From Lecce you can book the private transfer service for € 30 round trip (1-4 people); € 5 for each person more (till 9 people).This service requires prior booking and it is run by Società Cooperativa Solidarietà & Lavoro - Tel. 339 6402204 E-mail: opiag57@gmail.com
By train:
The nearest train station is Squinzano, about 7 km from the Abbey; from Squinzano station you can book a transfer to the Abbey.
Tickets (Entrance + English guided tour)
Adults: € 14
Children (6-18 years) and students under 25: € 9,50
Family (2 adults and children under 18): € 35
For groups of more than 10 people or for other languages tours, please write to faicerrate@fondoambiente.it or call 0832.361176
Parking free of charge, available in front of the abbey.
All the purchases made in our bookshops help to support FAI’s mission.
You can find a wide choice of original gift ideas like our food production specialities (FAI marmalade, olive oil, honey, salts, etc...), books about Apulian history and customs, exclusive handmade accessories andscarfs, handcrafted bags, artisanal handmade products, traditional Salento baskets to protect this ancient craft and much more.
Pic-nic and self-service cafeteria.
Visitors with disabilities and, when applicable, their caregiver have free access, in accordance with M.D. 507/97 updated to M.D. 13/2019 and L.104/92.
A reduced ticket is required in case of guided tours, events and other additional services.
Guide dogs and therapy dogs with a training certificate for assistance to persons with disabilities are allowed, always on a leash, inside the Abbey.
Abbazia di Santa Maria di Cerrate is accessible to persons with intellectual disability thanks to the “Bene FAI per tutti” project in collaboration with L’Abilità.
For persons with reduced mobility: the church, the ground floor of the Massaro's house and the loggia are completely accessible.
Dogs are always welcome outside, but must be kept on a leash at all times. To ensure the protection and preservation of the interiors of the Abbazia and its collections, only guide dogs and assistance dogs with certificates for accompanying people with disabilities are allowed inside.