The Way of Saint Francis crosses the Valdichiana like a discreet line, made of white gravel roads, woods, small towns and places of prayer. Walking it means following the traces of a presence that here belongs not only to religious history, but also to the landscape and to the memory of its communities.
Towards Cortona, between valley and hill
The route touches Castiglion Fiorentino and climbs towards Cortona, the last major Tuscan stage before continuing towards Umbria. Along the way the breath and the light change: the agricultural plain gives way to the slopes of the mountain, to Franciscan churches and to viewpoints from which the Valdichiana appears in its entirety.
Le Celle, the most secluded heart of the journey
The stop at Le Celle di San Francesco is the most intimate moment. The hermitage, set into the rock and crossed by the sound of water, conveys the deeper meaning of the walk: not the conquest of a destination, but the chance to slow down. Even those who walk only part of the itinerary carry away the same sense of essentiality.