Camaldoli (in the province of Arezzo) is a place with a long history, an ancient place where Saint Romuald founded a community of Benedictine monks a thousand years ago.
Its two houses, the Sacred Hermitage and the Monastery, are immersed in the enchanted silence of the forest, and the monks offer the peace they breathe every day to the men and women of our time, above all through hospitality: in this place of profound silence, it is possible to reconnect with God and savor the peace that our busy days, full of commitments and deadlines, often cause us to lose.

A little history

Around the year 1025, the monk Saint Romuald of Ravenna received a plot of land as a gift from the Bishop of Arezzo, Teodaldo of Canossa, in a very secluded place in the Tuscan-Romagnolo Apennines. Here he founded the Hermitage and had the church built, along with the first five hermit cells. In doing so, he carried out a revolution, because he combined the need for a life of solitude with organization within a communal structure, bringing together a community of brothers guided by a rule and a prior, while providing not only the solitude of the cell but also some moments spent together.

The Hermitage pharmacy and the healing power of natural products

The presence of an infirmary in the hermitage has been documented since the 12th century: the constitutions of the Hermitage state that at the Camaldoli monastery there are “servants entrusted with caring for the sick” and a place where they can receive “treatments that may aid their recovery.”
Furthermore, a document from 1510 confirms that there was a botanical garden near Camaldoli where various medicinal plants were cultivated.

The tradition of Camaldoli continues: in recent decades, the work of the Ancient Pharmacy’s laboratory has focused on cosmetic and herbal products, which are also available in our store.
And you, have you ever used Camaldoli products? Tell us about your experience in the comments!