3 – The Starcia, a tributary of the river Orcia, runs across the little valley where the abbey rises. This valley is framed by the undulating profile of the surrounding hills. Brother Giovanni points towards a hill and says, “At the north you can see a hill called Castellare on which a fortified village had once been built (named ‘Castello’ in medieval times), and which had then been abandoned for unknown reasons, leaving only a few remaining stones. To the south you can see the actual built-up area of Castelnuovo dell’Abate. To the west, the sunset on the Maremma remains hidden by Poggio d’Arna, where, quite recently, a cross 17 meters high, was planted in honour of Charlemagne. The hills, somewhat lower and with more open space towards the east, are dotted over with rows of cypresses, and crossed by little white country roads. Each morning, as the sun rises behind these hills, slowly, like an unrestrained tidal wave, it floods the ancient stones of this abbey with its golden rays.”