Near the small town of Montegiove are the Franciscan monastery and the gardens of La Scarzuola. The convent was founded by St Francis in 1218 and is situated in a wooded area. The church has an interesting fresco; it is one of the earliest depictions of St Francis, painted by an artist who had met him. In 1956, the architect Tomaso Buzzi bought the complex and began restoration. He created a garden which was modelled on the descriptions in Polyphilus’ Dream of the Strife of Love, of 1499. The gardens are divided into various themed ‘cities’.
