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St Francis' Beech Tree in Rivodutri: a monumental tree
On the slopes of Mount Fausola, at an altitude of 1,123 meters in the hamlet of Cepparo di Rivodutri, stands a tree known as St Francis's Beech. The four large trunks rising from the same rootstock develop almost horizontally, intertwining in knots and curves unseen in almost any other specimen of the species: there are very few beech trees worldwide that have this specific genetic mutation.
The legend and an honest clarification
Tradition has it that St Francis, caught in a thunderstorm while travelling through these mountains, took shelter under the beech tree, which miraculously bent its branches to cover him. The tree has an estimated age of 200 to 250 years, therefore it is likely that Francis took shelter under a different tree at this site. Nevertheless, its twisted form and its location along the Cammino di Francesco (Way of Saint Francis) make it one of the most fascinating places of the Rieti Holy Valley.
The chapel and surroundings
Next to the tree, the small Church of St Francis was built for the Year 2000 Jubilee on the 18th-century ruins. Inside, fourteen ceramic plaques by the painter Franco Bellardi illustrate the Canticle of the Creatures.
