From that height, where the eye sweeps in the vastness of superb landscapes, St. The itinerary that he was supposed to follow was winding towards Monte Arcoppe (Montalcoppi), the Foresto to reach the village called Casella (Caprese Michelangelo) from here, via Castello di Montauto, Sansepolcro, Città di Castello, he would have reached Assisi.Īt Casella, he wanted to stop for a ritual. Francis, after receiving the stigmata, left La Verna on the 30 th September 1224. It is easy to get there: take the path that leads from the provincial road of La Verna, a few hundred meters downstream from Beccia, to Poggio di Fognano.Īnd above all, drink a sip of this water, it is definitely worth it! South of the Fonte, in the so-called Macchia del Lupo, there is a rock, whose shape as the remembrance of a foot and the hole of a cane, always attributed to St. Today, almost no one goes along the ancient path and the Fonte, with its little chapel, it is almost always unaided. This water became well known in the 1930s, when Friar Achille used it in the preparation of many of his tonics. Its water, beneficial in diseases, was always sought by the faithful”. On its entrance we can read: “The near Fountain is called San Francesco’s. Over the centuries the reputation of the small source grew and in 1883 a chapel dedicated to St. Many people who went to the Verna stopped here and drank, obtaining prodigious results on fatigue, pain, lack of appetite, fever etc… This water, it was soon discovered, not only took thirst away, but it was useful to cure disease. In every season, the flow of the source is always the same: two drops per second. Since then, this fresh water has quenched many travellers over the centuries. A moment later, the rock began to gush fresh water that quenched the three pilgrims and allowed them to resume the journey to the Verna. He approached a large rock that skirted the path and placed his index finger on it.
Francis descended from the donkey, without losing heart.
“I wish there was at least some water!” The farmer exclaimed, but there was not water. Suddenly the donkey stopped, and the farmer laid down on the ground. It was very hot the donkey and the farmer could not take it anymore. It was summer, St Francis was very weak and got help from a poor farmer to ride his donkey from Sarna to the Verna, passing through the ancient path running along the edge of Stabarsicci and the Fognano hill, between the villages of Dama and Fognano. This hermitage was identified with Verna by Bartolomeo da Pisa. The story goes that St Francis “one day wanted to go to the hermitage, to freely devote himself to contemplation”.