La Verna Sanctuary

Count Orlando Cattani gave Francis this mountain in 1213 after hearing him preach, and Francis used it as a retreat; in September 1224, during a fast, he is said to have received the stigmata here, and the chapel built over the spot is the reason the sanctuary exists. The buildings cling to a limestone cliff at over eleven hundred metres, with a corridor of frescoes linking the churches and a cleft in the rock called the Sasso Spicco where Francis prayed. The churches hold several large glazed terracotta altarpieces by Andrea della Robbia, among the best surviving anywhere. Franciscan friars still live and work here.

What you actually see

• The stigmata chapel - built over the spot recorded in 1224.
• The della Robbia terracottas - large glazed altarpieces in the churches.
• The Sasso Spicco - a cleft in the cliff used as a place of prayer.
• The cliff setting - the complex built onto rock at 1,100 metres.

When to go

May to October; the road can be snowbound in winter. It is a working friary with services through the day and expects quiet. Autumn colour in the forest is strong.

Honest expectations

It is a religious site, not an attraction, and behaviour is expected to match. The approach is steep with limited parking. Photography is restricted inside.

Nearby

Camaldoli lies north; the Casentino forests surround it.