Walking through the Tuscan places connected to the life of Saint Francis of Assisi.
The Ways of Saint Francis are a set of paths that connect the many places linked to the life of San Francesco d'Assisi in Tuscany. From Florence, in particular from the Basilica of Santa Croce which is one of the most important Franciscan basilicas in Italy, today's walkers can reach the renowned Sanctuary of La Verna. Here, Francesco spent several periods of his life and, in September 1224, received the stigmata.
The itinerary then crosses the Valtiberina Tuscany, which boasts places inextricably linked to the life of Francesco such as the hermitages of Cerbaiolo and Montecasale and the castle of Montauto. From La Verna, two routes reach Anghiari, one route goes west to Sasso di Simone and another one joins the path that leads to Assisi, passing through Monterchi.
From Anghiari, the route goes further south and leads pilgrims to the heart of Arezzo, where the Basilica of San Francesco is located. Through the Valdichiana Aretina, it continues up to Cortona, another place of which San Francesco d'Assisi was very fond and where he founded the fascinating Eremo Le Celle.
In summary, Francesco's routes in Tuscany can be divided into 3 different sections, linked together:
Distance: 427 km
Difficulty: average
- the Florence-La Verna section, with its two routes (brown on the map)
- the paths that cross the Valtiberina Toscana, or the two routes of the La Verna-Anghiari section, one that passes through Pieve Santo Stefano and Sansepolcro and the other through Caprese Michelangelo (in red on the map); the stretch that connects the Hermitage of Cerbaiolo to the territories of Badia Tedalda and Sestino (in orange) and which is connected to the path of Francesco Rimini-La Verna; the stretch that passes through Monterchi and rejoins the path to Assisi (in green) in Umbria
- the Anghiari-Cortona section (in blue)
The final stages of the journey by Francesco Rimini-La Verna are added to these sections, entering Tuscany from Balze and Pennabilli, in Emilia Romagna.