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Stage along the route via Caprese Michelangelo
From the land of the Genius of the Renaissance, Caprese Michelangelo, following in the footsteps of Francis, the journey continues towards the castle of Montauto, encountering beautiful rural landscapes and sacred buildings that enrich the path with faith and prayer.
The route passes through the hamlet of San Cristoforo and the Church of San Paolo, before reaching the rural village of Selva Perugina. Not far from here, surrounded by chestnut trees, stands the Sanctuary of Madonna della Selva. The sanctuary was built where the Madonna appeared in the woods near a chapel, and it houses a 14th-century painting depicting the Madonna del Latte, which has long been a site of pilgrimage and devotion.
On the edge of the Monti Rognosi Nature Reserve, the path leads towards the castle of Montauto, built in the 12th century on a dominant position overlooking the surrounding lands. It is still owned by the noble Barbolani family. Here, Francis, a guest of the family, stayed several times during his travels from La Verna to Assisi. On one occasion, feeling death near, he gave his habit as a memento to his devoted friend Count Alberto II Barbolani, which is now preserved as a relic in the sanctuary of La Verna.
Signs dedicated to the saint, including the tabernacle and the spring of San Francesco, signal the approach to the medieval village of Anghiari, a land of castles and conflicts, known for the famous Battle of Anghiari between the Florentine and Milanese armies, as well as for its spirituality. Among its many sacred buildings, the Church of the Cross is a place particularly associated with Saint Francis.
