SIlvia Marchetti, CNN – Ever dream of really getting away from it all? The Italians have long known how to do it.

For centuries this has been a land of hermits and religious retreats — and Italy is still full of secluded monasteries and abbeys where religious folk have lived in seclusion.

Only, you don’t have to be religious to live their lifestyle. With roughly €2 million ($2.16 million) you can buy a restyled retreat where meditation, peace and silence reign.

As the seat of the Catholic church, Italy is dotted with countless convents, monasteries, churches and priests’ housing. Many of these date back to the Middle Ages — and often, they’re up for sale. Some can cost less than an apartment in the prime real estate districts of Milan or Florence.

“Historical properties with a religious background and structure have enormous potential and appeal to foreigners wanting to live the spiritual side of Italy,” says Riccardo Romolini of Romolini Immobiliare agency, a Christie’s real estate affiliate.

“There are many convents and monasteries on sale because over time rich families with no heirs donated these properties to the local churches, which then dismissed the estates at a later stage by selling them back to private individuals. Sometimes religious orders put them up for sale for maintenance reasons,” he adds. He has recently sold one of these monasteries to an American family as a “private retreat.”

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