Way of Saint Francis in Tuscany

Identifying colour on map: brown

As mentioned, the starting point of the Way of Saint Francis in Tuscany is Florence’s Basilica di Santa Croce, which was built in 1294 on a convent that had been founded in the 1220s of the same century by a group of Franciscan friars. Francis himself, according to the Franciscan Sources, passed through Florence at least once, in 1217.
The Sanctuary of La Verna, at one end of the route, is located a few kilometres from Chiusi della Verna: it is a tranquil and historic place buried deep in the green National Park of the Casentino Forests.

To reach La Verna from Florence it is possible to follow two different routes, one north and one south, described below, which can also be traveled in a ring route:

Northern Route, passing through the Passo della Consuma
Number of stages: 6
Total distance: 96.3 km
Difficulty: Tourist trail (stage 1) ~ Hiking trail (stages 2 -6)

The northern path takes you to the La Verna Sanctuary via Pontassieve, the Passo della Consuma, Stia, Camaldoli and Badia Prataglia. The itinerary begins by following along the Arno river for long stretches, sometimes veering into gentle hills and fields. Once past Diacceto, a few kilometres after Pontassieve, woodlands are more prevalent, and the route, after Stia, enters the Casentino National Park.
Among the most unmissable attractions is the beautiful parish church San Giovanni a Rèmole in the hamlet of Le Sieci (Pontassieve), dating back to at least the year 955; the spectacular panoramic views from the Passo della Consuma; the Parish church of Santa Maria Assunta and the Museum of Art and Wool in Stia; and the Hermitage of Camaldoli, a monastic complex in the Casentino Forest Park that houses some of Giorgio Vasari's panels.

Three connections to points of great interest are added to the main itinerary, such as Fiesole, whose detour intersects near San Jacopo al Girone and reaches the town of Etruscan origin overlooking Florence passing through Montebeni, while in the Rufina territory it connects to the Madonna dei Fossi locality located on the back of the Consuma mountain, and in Camaldoli, in Casentino, it connects the route to the mystical Sacred Hermitage, then rejoining the main route in Badia Prataglia. Also enriching the Route are two variants immersed in the beautiful Casentino territory, the one for Pratovecchio and Biforco.

Southern Route, through Vallombrosa and Poppi
Number of stages: 6
Total distance: 91 km
Difficulty: Hiking trail (stages 1-4, 6) ~ Tourist trail (stage 5)

The southern way takes walkers out of Florence by hugging the left bank of the Arno river and passing through Rignano sull’Arno, the Abbey of Vallombrosa, Montemignaio, Poppi and Santa Maria del Sasso, just outside of Bibbiena. In part, this route follows the Via Florentia Romana, a centuries-old road that remained important in the Middle Ages both for the number of pilgrims who passed through and for the important commercial exchanges that it facilitated between Florence and the family of the Conti Guidi.

On this path, you come across attractions such as the Spedale del Bigallo, near Bagno a Ripoli, one of many medieval guest houses devoted to welcoming pilgrims and wayfarers, the impressing Vallombrosa Abbey, important religious center that still offers hospitality; the ancient Castel Leone and the Oratory of Santa Maria delle Calle in Montemignaio; and the castle of the Conti Guidi in Poppi.

The southern route is also rich in connections. In the picturesque countryside of Bagno a Ripoli on the outskirts of Florence, the main route offers a variant to the Convento dell'Incontro, founded in the early 18th century at the place where tradition has it that there was a meeting between St. Francis and St. Dominic. Instead, at Passo Croce Vecchia just after Vallombrosa, enter the variant to Bibbiena passing by the Croce del Pratomagno (1592 mslm), a 20-meter-high iron structure designed in 1926 during the celebrations of the seventh centenary of the death of St. Francis by Franciscan Father Luigi da Pietrasanta and Don Francesco Bordoni. It was built by the inhabitants of the villages of Pratomagno, a side of Casentino and Valdarno, as a testimony to the Franciscan value of brotherhood among people. A spectacular detour that rejoins the main route just before the village of Bibbiena and also offers the chance to visit the valuable village of Raggiolo.

A land of nature, spirituality and art, Tuscan Valtiberina boasts immense expanses of woods and green areas that are now parks and nature reserves that can be explored by pilgrims and wayfarers. On the way, there are numerous hermitages and places of faith that keep alive the memory of the passage of Francis, but also characteristic villages that preserve the legacy of top-class artists such as Piero della Francesca and Michelangelo, born in Valtiberina.

From La Verna to Anghiari: east route passing through Pieve Santo Stefano and Sansepolcro
Number of stages: 4
Total length: 64 km
Difficulty: hiking (all stages)
Identification color on the map: red

After reaching the summit of Monte Calvano and its spectacular 360° view, we descend towards Pieve Santo Stefano, the renowned "City of Diaries", which represents the end of the first leg. The second leg, 5.2 km from Pieve Santo Stefano, includes a visit to the Hermitage of Cerbaiolo, an ancient Benedictine monastery donated to St. Francis during one of his pilgrimages, where St. Anthony also found refuge and finished composing his Sermons. The hermitage is built around a 17th-century cloister and consists of a church, sacristy, refectory, chapel and cells.
The second stage, immersed in greenery, crosses the Alpe della Luna Nature Reserve and leads to the Montagna locality. In the next stage, on the road to Sansepolcro, we come across the Hermitage of Montecasale, a place of great importance for having welcomed Francesco in 1213 and remains a remarkable example of poor architecture.

In Sansepolcro, the village in which Piero della Francesca was born, worth a visit is the Civic Museum that preserves some of the painter's great masterpieces and is also home to many churches which boast works by the artists Luca Signorelli, Perugino and Rosso Fiorentino.

The journey then continues towards Anghiari, the splendid medieval village-castle made famous by the "Battle" of the same name painted by Leonardo da Vinci. Here, among other things, we find the Church of the Cross, built right at the point where Francis planted a wooden cross into the ground during one of his return trips from La Verna to Assisi.

In Stage 1 with a starting point at La Verna and arrival at the Hermitage of Cerbaiolo (Pieve Santo Stefano), it is possible to make the variant to Montalone, a small village surrounded by mountains and hills that has retained its original layout, and a low variant at the delightful village of Pieve Santo Stefano.

From La Verna to Anghiari: west route passing through Caprese Michelangelo and Montauto
Number of stages: 2
Total length: 47.40 km
Difficulty: Hiking (all stages)
Identification color on the map: red

While the east route winds along the Alpe della Luna, the west route weaves through the greenery of the Catenaia Alps that separates Valtiberina from Casentino.
About halfway through the first stage, ending in Caprese Michelangelo, the birthplace of Michelangelo Buonarroti, we see the Hermitage of the Casella. Legend says that Francesco, returning to Assisi after receiving the Stigmata, stopped in this location. Shortly thereafter the hermitage was built, with evidence dating back to 1228.
Along the second stage, shortly after passing Ponte alla Piera, the path reaches the Fabbrica della Natura, home to the Visitor and Environmental Education Center of the Monti Rognosi Nature Reserve.
Going further, you will arrive in the surroundings of Monte Acuto and Montauto Castle. Here, Francesco used to stay as a guest of the centuries-old Galbino family. It is said that the saint also stopped in Montauto in 1224, after receiving the stigmata, and on that occasion he gave his old tunic to Count Alberto, now preserved at the Sanctuary of La Verna as a relic. Not far from the castle you can find the Maestà di San Francesco chapel and the Cenacolo di Montauto, a Franciscan convent that dates back to 1500.

From the Hermitage of Cerbaiolo to the Sasso di Simone passing through Badia Tedalda and Sestino
Number of stages: 3
Total length: 47.50 km
Difficulty: Hiking (all stages)
Identification color on the map: orange

The section that crosses the territories of Badia Tedalda and Sestino follows historic connection routes between the Valtiberina and the regions beyond the Apennines, linking to the eastern part of the La Verna-Anghiari stretch that passes from Pieve Santo Stefano along the top of the Passo di Viamaggio. On the way we encounter acres and acres of shady forests and grasslands, rich in wild flora and inhabited by deer, stags and roe deer, as well as birds of prey such as the majestic golden eagle. 
Badia Tedalda, a charming mountain village surrounded by nature, can be considered the capital of the previously mentioned Alpe della Luna Nature Reserve. Not to be missed is the Church of San Michele Arcangelo which preserves five splendid 16th century Robbia terracottas.
In Sestino, the National Antiquarium is worth a visit, in memory of the many legacies of the Roman era in the town and surrounding area, as well as the Church of San Pancrazio. Among the natural beauties, one cannot fail to mention the Ranco Spinoso Wildlife Park and the Sasso di Simone Nature Reserve.

Leaving Badia Tedalda behind, shortly after is the connection to San Leo (official route of the Emilia-Romagna region called the Cammino di San Francesco La Verna - Rimini), which among pleasant landscapes and lively villages such as Palazzi and Colcellalto leads to the border between Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna at San Gianni.

Towards the Way of Francesco in Umbria via Monterchi
Number of stages: 1
Total length: 11.60 km
Difficulty: Tourist
Identification color on the map: green

Between Sansepolcro and Anghiari on the Tuscan-Umbrian border, along Bertine and San Leo, the network of the Way of Francesco in Tuscany is linked to the path that allows you to head towards Assisi to follow the Way of Francesco in Umbria.
After a first entrance into Umbrian territory passing through Citerna, the path returns to Tuscany to cross the village of Monterchi, proudly perched in the hills of the Tiber valley. Here, the Museum of the Madonna del Parto is definitely worth a visit, which preserves a famous fresco by Piero della Francesca.

Number of stages: 3
Total distance: 69.9 km
Difficulty: Hiking trail (all stages)
Identifying colour on map: blue

In this final Tuscan stretch of the Way of Saint Francis, the route proceeds through Arezzo and then passes through important parts of the Valdichiana Aretina, such as Castiglion Fiorentino and Cortona.

Among the many attractions to visit in Arezzo, from Piazza Grande to the Cathedral of Saints Donato and Pietro, the Basilica of San Francesco stands out. Inspired in its simplicity by Franciscan aesthetics, it is home to a cycle of frescoes by Piero della Francesca narrating the Legend of the True Cross.
At the end of the third stage we reach the Parish Church in Sassaia, dedicated to Saints Quirico and Giulitta, dominating the surrounding valley. The building dates back to the eleventh century and is now a hostel for pilgrims.

From the Parish Church, the last stage takes pilgrims to Cortona, passing through the village of Castiglion Fiorentino, dominated by the Cassero and surrounded by almost intact medieval walls, and the majestic Montecchio Vesponi Castle.
Before arriving in Cortona, however, the journey stops at the historic Franciscan Hermitage Le Celle, founded in the thirteenth century by Francis himself. Even today, the Hermitage is a special place located in an inlet of Mount Sant’Egidio, an ideal place to find serenity and peace.

Cortona, the final destination of this itinerary, also boasts several places linked to the life of St. Francis of Assisi, such as the Basilica of Santa Margherita, flanked by a historic Franciscan convent, and the Church of San Francesco.

Pilgrims interested in continuing the journey from Cortona towards Assisi can follow the route of the ancient Via Lauretana.

While for those who want to admire another historical gem, near Castiglion Fiorentino, enter the variant to Mammi, a small village as charming perched on a hill.

For ease, by clicking on the links below it is possible to download zip packages containing the kml tracks of the individual stages of the various sections.

• Florence-La Verna stretch: north direction ~ south direction
• Valtiberina Toscana
  • La Verna-Anghiari stretch: east direction ~ west direction
  • Viamaggio-Badia Tedalda-Sestino-Sasso di Simone section
  • stretch Citerna-Monterchi towards Way of Francesco in Umbria
• Anghiari-Cortona section
• connections with the journey of Francesco Rimini-La Verna
• All variants

More information and useful contacts at laviadifrancescointoscana.it