If you love trekking and walking along the pilgrims’ paths, you probably already know the way of St. Francis: it is a path of religious and naturalistic interest, along which there are several places where Saint Francis of Assisi passed (among these, of course, the four sanctuaries he founded). The route is divided into various “routes”, depending on whether you go to the north or south: sure are some crucial stops between La Verna and Rome, passing through Assisi, the convent of Montecasale, Gubbio and a lot of Tuscan and Umbrian villages.
The part of the way which develops in Valtiberina Toscana, which is what I would like to talk about in this post, is articulated along two paths from La Verna to get to Umbria. The first way pass along the Alpe della Luna ridge (Pieve Santo Stefano – Hermitage of Cerbaiolo – Hermitage of Montecasale – Sansepolcro), while the second develops along the Alpe di Catenaia (Eremo Della Casella – Caprese Michelangelo – Montauto Castle – Cenacolo di Montauto – Anghiari). In total, only in Valtberina, there are 120 km of trails (5 or 6 stages), and it is also possible to make a ring route.
(on the website valtiberinatoscana.it, unfortunately written only in Italian, there are more information). During my last Tuscan weekend (29th June – 1st July 2018) I had the chance to walk a small part of the way, from La Villa (near Sansepolcro) to the Hermitage of Montecasale, thanks to Alessandro (owner of the B&B Alla Battuta). Let’s start with some useful information:
– Duration: 2 hours with normal pace;
– Kilometres travelled: 8 (average distance);
– The whole route: the path I have made is part of the stage from Pieve Santo Stefano to Sansepolcro;
– The difference in height: around 200 meters. I specify it because, for activities of this kind, it is essential to know how to choose what to bring concerning backpack/bags to take;
– Type of route: the trail is almost entirely in the woods, the uphill sections are not too “heavy” (perhaps just a little at the beginning) and are easily passable even by those who are not a trained walker;
– Directions along the route: the official symbol indicating the course is the yellow τ (tau) marked on the trees along the road. Along the path, there are also the CAI indications, so it is mathematically impossible to get lost! With Alessandro we started shortly after 9 am from the B&B, a choice that proved to be perfect for not suffering too much heat: although almost all of the path develops within the forest, there are many of the (small) stretches in the sun and I assure you that in the hottest season it can become a “suffering”. The walk has proved to be quite simple, the difference in altitude does not suffer too much (at least for me it was so), and the lack of the trekking equipment did not represent any problem.
(I was wearing a pair of sneakers and a simple pair of shorts). Along the way, we met a few people, almost all when we arrived in Montecasale, naturally because the pilgrims leave long before 9 o’clock to walk for very long stretches and do not suffer the heat. Interesting the passage for the “Poggio of the bricks“, where there are still the remains of terracotta bricks: here, in fact, there must have been a furnace, and the bricks that are on this portion of land are what remains of it (and keeps alive the memory).
The final stop of our journey is the Hermitage of Montecasale, whose construction dates back to 1192: the Camaldolese built a hermitage with a hospital and hospice, thinking of pilgrims along the road that crossed the Alpe della Luna and then down the Marches side. It was given to Saint Francis in 1213, and the Franciscan friars remained there for about 55 years until 1268 (a small community of hermit followers of Saint Augustine “took over”). Today there are the Capuchin friars, who were given the hermitage by Pope Paul III in 1537 (bubble Exponi vobis). The complex preserves the original layout of the most ancient Franciscan convents, characterised by the combination around a central cloister with sizeable architraved stone pillars and small buildings linked to the religious functions. Inside there is, of course, also the room with the “bed” of San Francesco. If you are looking for further information on the journey, I refer you to the official site of the St. Francis Path.
The chance to spend this weekend in Tuscany gave me to Alessandro, who runs the B&B Alla Battuta with his parents: it is a family-run B&B located in Montagna, a small fraction of Sansepolcro (10 minutes by car). The welcome of Ofelia, Luigi and Alessandro were very warm, and we made friends with their dog Ruby (which is undoubtedly very sociable). The structure has 3 rooms: one also includes a kitchen, located in front of the primary structure; the place where we slept we had the bathroom at the end of the corridor (and no, it did not give me any problem and annoyance even though I’ve always been used to having it in my room).
I immediately discovered that, here, the only mobile operator that has a network is TIM: any other operator has no signal, apart from maybe Vodafone, and I saw it as an advantage for those who want to relax. The structure has wifi, so if you cannot resist at least in the evening you can check emails, but if you are looking for relaxation this is a place where you can go hunting. As for breakfast, it will take care of Ofelia, Luigi and Alessandro to make it ready for a time convenient for you (maybe don’t ask for breakfast at 4 am, perhaps it’s too early even in front of so much availability). From the room, you could not hear a noise, if not those of the animals, and the view of the valley was beautiful. On the B&B official website you can find some more information about its surroundings and on the possible activities to be carried out (and to be able to book).
To eat, if you do not want to move too much, you can arrive in a minute (and a half) on foot to the Ristoro Calisti. We ate there twice, one for lunch and one for dinner: both times the food was delicious, from appetizer to second (wine included); the menu is “fairly” fixed, they will offer you different possibilities to choose from, prices are undoubtedly right (especially taking into account the excellent quality of the food provided). I have not found an official site, but there is a Facebook fanpage (in Italian) to which I refer you to know timetables and information.