WayItinerary

Duration: two nights, three days.

Way of transport: by car

Itinerary: Poppi, Camaldoli, Porciano, Romena, Sanctuary of La Verna

 

 

DAY 1 – POPPI AND CAMALDOLI

We'll arrive in Poppi and visit the old town. Our attention will be drawn by the Guidi Counts Castle, a "prototype" for Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. Thanks to continuous restoration over the centuries, the castle has been excellently preserved. Dante was a guest of the Guidi counts for almost a year, in 1310, and while staying here, he wrote Canto XXXIII of the Inferno. Once inside, no visit is complete without seeing the Rilliana Library, which contains a wealth of incunabula and manuscripts, and the Campaldino Battle Museum, with a scale model depicting the formation of the Guelphs on one side and the Ghibellines on the other. In his Divine Comedy, Dante tells the story of Bonconte da Montefeltro, who died in battle (Purgatorio, Canto V). Once we leave the castle, we'll take the roads that lead us to the centre of the town, embellished with ancient porticoes. Must-see: the San Fedele Abbey (11th Century) with an important Giotto crucifix. Don't forget to purchase some of the local products in the extensive commercial network.

 

 

 

We'll then drive 15 km by car and reach the Camaldoli Benedictine Monastery, founded by Saint Romuald in 1027. This famous complex lies at the foot of the Apennine chain dividing Romagna and Tuscany, in the heart of the Casentino Forests National Park. From here, we can go hiking, along the many paths that run through the beech and fir forest. More information on these paths can also be found at the Monastery.

 

The Monastery also includes a guest-house, a large chapter house, an apothecary or galenic laboratory, where monks would work the spices and medicinal plants to treat the sick in the old "hospital". The current pharmacy, with fine walnut furniture, dates back to 1543. Inside, you can purchase herbal products made by the monks of the hermitage. In the Baroque style church, you'll find works by Vasari.

 

The Hermitage is not too far away, founded by Ambrogio Traversari shortly after the Monastery was founded, to welcome monks who wished to leave communal life to live in solitude in the heart of the forest. In the Divine Comedy, the Hermitage is mentioned in the Purgatorio as a place near the source of the Archiano river. Inside the Hermitage, you can see the cell of Saint Romuald, the holy founder of the monastic community of Camaldoli, also mentioned by Dante (Qui e' Maccario, qui e' Romualdo,/qui son li frati miei che dentro ai chiostri/fermar li piedi e tenner lo cor saldo, Paradiso, Canto XXII).

 

We recommend a trip back to Poppi and stopping in one of the many farm holiday homes in the area to enjoy a good night's sleep.

 

 

 

 

DAY 2 – PORCIANO AND ROMENA

We'll devote our second day to the Casentino and its castles. We'll head up to Porciano, the old residence of the Guidi counts of Porciano who, according to tradition, welcomed Dante. It seems that Dante wrote his famous letter to the Florentines (Epistle VI) from this castle. In the letter, Dante accuses the people of Florence of being traitors to true liberty and justice, and advises them not to resist Henry VII, the only one, in his opinion, with the ability to balance the temporal power of the Church.

 

In the 60s, a captain of the US Army, George Specht, restored the castle now run by his daughter Martha. Inside we'll find: a charming ethnographic museum and a hall dedicated to Dante where readings of his writings take place.

 

 

 

We'll then head over to Romena, to visit the ruins of the Castle of the Guidi counts of Romena, mentioned by Dante in the story on the events of Master Adam, the forger of florins (Inferno, Canto XXX).

 

Two kilometres away, we'll enjoy the silence of the Romena Abbey, a Romanesque building built in the 12th century with a wide apse decorated with columns. We'll take a closer look at the magnificent capitals with carved geometric and plant decorations. The Abbey is surrounded by pristine lawns and cypresses characteristic of the Tuscan landscape. Recommended for meditation. We'll head back to Poppi for the night.

 

 

 

 

DAY 3 – SANCTUARY OF LA VERNA

On the third day, we'll drive over to the Sanctuary of La Verna (29 km). La Verna, the "harsh rock" between the Tevere and the Arno rivers, is mentioned in the Paradiso, Canto XI (v. 106 – 108), an homage to Saint Francis who received his stigmata here, the "final seal" he carried for two years before his death. But what was in La Verna in 1300? The Saint of Assisi had been there some 75-80 years before, and he and his followers had built a small church there, the current Saint Mary of the Angels, but certainly not in its current form and structure. There was certainly some cells for shelter of the friars, there was the Chapel of the Stigmata which the Guidi Counts had built around 1280 in devotion to Saint Francis. La Verna, in the form we know today, with the large friary and great basilica, was built in the 15th and 16th centuries. In the Corridor of the Stigmata, there are a series of frescoes depicting the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. Immersed in the special atmosphere of the rocky "tooth" overlooking the Apennine ridge, you can get lost in meditation and retrace the extraordinary life of Saint Francis.