Monastic life at the Trappist monastery known as Tre Fontane Abbey (English: Three Fountains Abbey; Latin: Abbatia trium fontium ad Aquas Salvias), or the Abbey of Saints Vincent and Anastasius, goes back to the first centuries of Christianity. Located in Rome, the church and monastery were built by Pope Honorius I in 626 and given to the Benedictines.
It was held through the centuries by Cluniacs and Cistercians until its suppression at the Napoleonic invasion in 1812. By this time the surroundings were poorly drained and malarial. In 1867 Pius IX committed the monastery to the Cistercians. A community was sent there in 1868 from La Grande Trappe to institute the regular life and to improve the healthiness of the lands. They inaugurated modern drainage methods and planted numerous eucalyptus and other trees, so that the vicinity became nearly as healthful as Rome.
In 1873 the monks began production of Eucalyptus oils, extracts, and liqueurs. In 2000, when they began brewing beer, it seemed appropriate to flavor it with the eucalyptus with which the abbey had become identified. Several years of intense work produced an ale of fine quality, and in May of 2015, Tre Fontane Tripel was awarded the ATP brand (Authentic Trappist Product). Tre Fontane is the 11th Trappist brewery in the world and the only one in Italy.
