La Verna and Camaldoli: two mountains of the spirit
On one cliff, Francis of Assisi received the stigmata. In the forest across the valley, hermit monks have managed the trees for a thousand years. The Casentino holds both in walking distance.
The mountain was given to Francis in 1213 as a place to pray. Tradition holds that here, in September 1224, he received the stigmata, the first recorded case in Christian history. The sanctuary grown around the spot is austere by Franciscan design, its treasure the luminous glazed terracottas of Andrea della Robbia, blue and white against gray stone. The daily procession to the Chapel of the Stigmata, the cliff-edge corridor and the beech woods pressing on the walls give the place a gravity that reaches visitors of any belief.
Camaldoli: the monks who kept the forest
Across the valley, St Romuald founded Camaldoli around 1012 on a double model that still functions: the monastery lower down for community life, the Sacred Hermitage higher up for solitude, each hermit in a small house with a garden. The Camaldolese wrote one of Europe’s earliest forestry codes and planted and tended these firs for centuries, the national park that now protects the Casentino forests is, in a real sense, their thousand-year garden. The old pharmacy sells the balms and tonics the monks still make.
La Verna · photo Gunnar Bach Pedersen · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons
Practical
Both sites are free to enter and about 40 minutes apart by car, an easy loop from Arezzo (an hour) or a satisfying detour between Florence and Assisi, pilgrims walk this route. Drivers can trace it in a day. Autumn is spectacular, when the beech forests turn and the mist works in the sanctuary’s favor. Dress for a working religious house, and check Mass times if you want the processions rather than the crowds.
Plan the rest of your Italy trip
The essentials, compared and booked with the official sellers. Same price for you. We may earn a commission.
Tuscany How do you want to travel?
Tours & experiencesGYG · Viator
Top things to do in Tuscany, compared across sellers
