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Its architecture is in Romanesque-Burgundian style, and characterized by plainness and austerity. Building materials for its construction were taken from the nearby Roman settlement of Urbs Salvia. The most important elements of the abbey are arranged around the cloister, that is the heart of the monastery: here the monks would contemplate and meditate while walking, or sit under the arcade and study the Sacred Scriptures. A monumental well still stands in the middle and is connected to a cistern which receives rain-water.
The church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, was built on the north side of the cloister. The plain façade is adorned only with a rose window and a complex portal. It was further embellished with a three span narthex in the 15th century. The interior of the church is Latin cross in shape. It is divided into one nave and two aisles by pilasters, crowned by Romanesque capitals.
The chapter house is the holiest place in the monastery after the church. It was built on the eastern side of the cloister. Here the abbots would read a chapter of St Benedict's Rule every day, and the most important decisions about the abbey were made and business was transacted. The refectory is on the south western side of the cloister and we can only visit the one of the lay-brothers. It was built on a rectangular plan, the cross vaults of which rest on six wonderful Roman columns. The dormitories are on the western side of the cloister. The lay-brothers part is on the floor above; it is partly used as a meeting place, and it is also taken up by the nineteenth-century Bandini building.