This content was automatically translated. View the original text.
A stage on the Via Caprese Michelangelo branch.
From Caprese Michelangelo, the land of the Renaissance genius, following the footsteps of St Francis you continue towards the castle of Montauto, encountering beautiful rural landscapes and sacred buildings that enrich the route with faith and prayer.
You pass the hamlet of San Cristoforo and the Church of St Paul, before reaching the rural village of Selva Perugina, from which it is a short distance to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Forest, surrounded by chestnut trees. The sanctuary - which was built where the Virgin Mary appeared in the woods near a chapel - houses a painting depicting the Nursing Madonna dating back to the 14th century, an object of pilgrimage and devotion.
At the edge of the Monti Rognosi nature reserve, the route passes close to the castle of Montauto, built in the 12th century in a position overlooking the surrounding area and still owned by the noble Barbolani family. Here, St Francis stayed several times as a guest of the family during his travels from La Verna to Assisi. On one occasion, sensing that death was near, he gave his cassock as a memento to his devoted friend Count Alberto II Barbolani. The garment is now kept as a relic in the Sanctuary of La Verna.
Artefacts dedicated to the saint, the tabernacle and the spring of St Francis let you know that you are close to the medieval village of Anghiari, a land of castles and conflicts. This was the site of the famous battle of the same name between the Florentine and Milanese armies, but it is also a place of spirituality; among its many sacred buildings, the Church of the Cross is a place of faith with a particular connection to St Francis.
