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This leg connects the La Verna-Anghiari stage with the Ways of St Francis in Umbria. The itinerary intersects at Bertine, between Sansepolcro and Anghiari, and then winds along the Tuscan-Umbrian border, passing through both regions before finally remaining in Umbria.
In a few steps you cross the regional border, where you will discover the beautiful Umbrian hills and a sacred place: the monastery of the Most Holy Crucifix and St Mary. Here, according to legend, St. Francis stopped to preach in front of the image of the crucifix. There is also one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, Citerna.
Perched on a hill, Citerna is a town of evocative beauty and places linked to St Francis. Miraculous events attributed to the saint took place here, while the church named after him guards a rich collection of sacred art, including the terracotta Madonna and Child by Donatello. To this day, the nuns of the Third Order of St Francis carry out their work in the monastery of St Elizabeth, an oasis of peace and faith within the medieval village.
A brief Umbrian interlude before returning to Tuscany, looking onto nature and the art of Monterchi. Built on an isolated hill, this is known for being one of the places associated with Piero della Francesca, where he left one of his masterpieces, Our Lady of Childbirth. It is kept in the Chapel of St Mary at Momentana, on the outskirts of the village.
Amid the verdant hilly landscapes of the Valtiberina, just beyond the rural Church of Saints Sixtus and Apollinaris in Petretole, the Tuscan Way of St Francis ends and joins the Umbrian route.
The stage now continues towards Città di Castello (follow the directions given in stage 5a Citerna Monterchi – Città di Castello of the Way of St Francis from La Verna to Assisi – Pieve Santo Stefano branch).
