In the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi: La Verna sanctuary, Hermitage of Cerbaiolo and of Montecasale
The paths of the Tiber Valley were also the paths of Saint Francis of Assisi, who traveled them many times to reach La Verna, the most important Franciscan monastery after that of Assisi. On his initiative or in his memory, convents, monasteries, and hermitages arose throughout this corner of Tuscany, which still today welcome pilgrims and people from around the world in search of spirituality.
Since 2017, between May and June, thanks to the Fondazione Progetto Valtiberina, the Festival of the Walks of St. Francis “Festival dei cammini di Francesco” has been held in our valley, featuring a rich program of walks, meetings, and events in the municipalities of the Tiber Valley.
Sanctuary and Monastery of La Verna (30 minutes from Agriturismo Il Sasso)
The site of the Sanctuary and Monastery of La Verna (1,128 m above sea level) was donated to St. Francis by the Count of Chiusi in Casentino in 1213. An ideal place for meditation, St. Francis spent long periods of the year there, and it was here that he received the Stigmata in September 1224. A visit to La Verna is moving from a spiritual, naturalistic, and artistic perspective. Worth visiting are the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, the first church built in La Verna, dating back to 1216-17 and containing polychrome terracottas by Andrea della Robbia; The Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, built between 1348 and 1509, houses other Della Robbia terracottas and a monumental 16th-century organ of rare quality; the Sasso Spicco, a gigantic cleft in the rock where the Saint stopped to pray; the bed of St. Francis; the Corridor of the Stigmata, built in 1578 and frescoed again in the 1930s; the Chapel of the Stigmata, dating back to the 13th century, the most sacred site on the mountain; and the Grotto of St. Anthony, right next to the Chapel. Particularly evocative is the monumental forest that climbs Mount Penna and the panorama that can be enjoyed from the “quadrante,” the square in front of the Basilica.
Caselle Hermitage (30 minutes from Agriturismo Il Sasso )
On September 30, 1224, after receiving the stigmata on Mount La Verna, during his last journey to his hometown, Francis stopped at La Casella (1,263 meters above sea level), in the municipality of Caprese Michelangelo, to perform a ritual. Aware of his approaching end, he wanted to bid a final farewell to Mount La Verna, which was visible from there. His words are reported as follows:
“Farewell, mountain of God, holy mountain, mons coagulatus, mons pinguis, mons in quo beneplacitum est Deo inhabitare! Farewell, Mount Alvernia; God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit bless you! Rest in peace, for we shall see each other no more.” The hermitage, currently uninhabited, consists of a chapel and a shelter that is always open.
Montauto Castle and Sanctuary (20 minutes from the Il Sasso)
From there, Francis reached Montauto Castle, where it is said he stayed as a guest of Prince Alberto Barbolani, to whom he donated, in exchange for a new one, his threadbare habit, currently displayed in a chapel of the Sanctuary of La Verna and of which a small fragment is venerated in the Church of Santa Croce in Anghiari. To meet the people, the Saint went to the highest point of the village of Anghiari, where three roads met, and it is said he planted a cross there. This visit sparked a popular demand to build a chapel and then a monastery on that spot, which grew over the centuries until it became a true village, called “Borgo della Croce.” Furthermore, Alberto promised Francis to build a monastery in Montauto. This promise was only fulfilled much later by his heirs.
Cerbaiolo Hermitage (30 minutes from Agriturismo Il Sasso)
In the municipality of Pieve Santo Stefano lies Cerbaiolo (861 m above sea level), a small hermitage built on the rock. In the Tiber Valley, there’s a saying: “chi ha visto La Verna e non Cerbaiolo, ha visto la madre ma non il figliolo” ,”He who has seen La Verna and not Cerbaiolo, has seen the mother and not the son.” Its origins date back to the 8th century, when, in 722, Tedaldo, lord of Tiferno (now Città di Castello), donated the church and monastery to the Benedictine monks of San Michele Arcangelo al Presale. In 1218, the Franciscan friars took up residence there. It’s uncertain whether Francis resided there, but it’s likely he passed through during his travels. It is certain, however, that Saint Anthony of Padua stopped here. The hermitage was destroyed by the Germans in 1944 and restored by the hardworking hermit Chiara of the Little Company of Saint Elizabeth, who lived there alone until her death in 2010. The hermitage is currently inhabited by Father Claudio.
Montecasale Hermitage (20 minutes from Il Sasso)
In the hills overlooking Sansepolcro lies the Montecasale Hermitage (706 m above sea level). Built in the 12th century on the ruins of an ancient fortress by Camaldolese monks, who used it as a hospice for pilgrims and a center for the sick, it was later ceded to the Franciscan friars by the Bishop of Città di Castello. The stories of the three thieves and the cabbage planting in the garden are linked to this place. The first, reported in the “Fioretti,” tells of three thieves who had been rampaging through the area and demanding food, who were rudely chased away by the guardian friar. When Francis returned from begging, bringing back some bread and wine, and hearing what had happened, he harshly rebuked the custodian, ordering him to go search the woods for the thieves and bring them the bread and wine he had just received, begging them on their knees to forgive his cruelty. After the friar left, Francis prayed that their hearts would soften and they would repent. The event far exceeded expectations, for the thieves, returning to the Hermitage, converted, and even asked to join the Order. They died in Montecasale, where their remains are still preserved. The episode related to the garden, however, recounts that Francis, wanting to test the spirit of obedience of two young men who had come to the monastery to join the Order, took them to the garden and told them to plant cabbages as he did. Francis planted them backwards, and while one of the young men did as he had told him, the other continued to refuse. Only one of them, therefore, was accepted into the Order. Cabbages are still grown today in the Montecasale garden. A visit to the small cloister, Sasso Spicco, is particularly evocative. It’s said that Francis competed with a nightingale in singing praises to the Lord, and the bed of Saint Francis. The oldest work of art is the exquisite 13th-century sculpture of the Madonna and Child, displayed in the church.
In the small, intimate choir are 17th-century ceramic paintings depicting episodes from the life of Saint Francis and events related to Montecasale, and a 16th-century canvas depicting Saint Francis quenching his thirst at the side of Christ.
In the corridor connecting the church to the cloister is the Chapel of the Crucifix; on the altar is a 15th-century crucifix, and the reliquary contains the remains of the converted thieves and the habit of Blessed Ranieri della Montagna.
Continuing St. Francis’s journey to Assisi is possible. The city is about 75 km away and can be reached in 50 minutes by car.
