Greek Abbey of Saint Nilus

Also called the territorial Abbey of Santa Maria di Grottaferrata, this abbey - of Byzantine rite - was founded in the year 1004 AD and is dedicated to San Nilo da Rossano.
Curiosity: in 2004, marking the millennial, Poste Italiane issued a dedicated stamp.

In the year 1004 a community of monks from Campania was welcomed in the monastery of S. Agata on the Tuscolani hills: they were the disciples of the venerable Abbot Nilo, born in Byzantine Calabria and therefore Greek of origin and rite, founder of various monasteries.

Having moved away from Calabria following the Saracen raids, after having lived for a long time in Campania in the monasteries of Valleluce and Sérperi, famous for his holiness, the humble old man wanted to find a place "where to gather all his brothers and his missing children", having, according to the account of his disciple St. Bartholomew, known "by divine revelation" as the place of his last rest.

On the hills of Tusculum there were the ruins of a large Roman villa, perhaps belonging to Cicero, including a small double-room building in blocks of peperino ("opus quadratum") formerly a republican tomb used as a Christian oratory since the 5th century , called, for the windows with double iron grates, "Crypta ferrata" (hence Grottaferrata).

According to tradition, Saints Nilo and Bartholomew saw the Madonna appear here, asking for the construction of a shrine dedicated to her. On the site, donated by Gregorio Conte di Tuscolo, the monks began to build the first nucleus of the monastery, using the material of the ancient Roman villa.

abbaziagreca.it/index.asp

It's beautiful to get there and admire it from the climb up Colle dell'Asino.