Priory Church of the Blessed Virgin—and St Nicholas of Bari—Piona Abbey—Abbazia di Piona

The church, first built in the 11th century, was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and St. Nicholas in 1138. Secularized in the 1300s, the abbey deteriorated until being closed in the 17th century. It was restored in the early 1900s and fresco remnants in the cloister include an unusual calendar decorated with images of saints and country life appropriate to the months. The Cistercian Abbey is famous for its liqueurs, honey, medicinal herbs and cosmetic creams.

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