San Cassiano a Montescalari abbey

The ancient Vallombrosan abbey of San Cassiano was founded before 1040, on top of the mountain called Scalajo or Montescalari, because of its appearance which resembles a "scala" (ladder). Standing near the Cassia Adrianea road, it was used as a place of rest and shelter by the wayfarers who walked from the Chianti area to the Valdarno area or the other way round.

With the extension work the "badia" took on a Latin cross plan, while the look of the fortress dates back to the original oratory. The coat of arms in Della Robbia style terracotta, over the main doorway, still visible today, dates back to 1505. The 17th century transformations instead affected the whole eastern side of the complex, on the instructions of the designer Alfonso Parigi il Vecchio.

The abbey was suppressed in 1776, given the few monks left, and then proclaimed a parish (1785). The damages suffered during World War III required extensive restoration work which didn't however bring back to life the ancient bell tower that was blown up by the Germans in July 1944. Today San Cassiano can only be admired from the outside.