St. Francis Way - Rieti

The day started with an uphill climb to the tiny borough of Monteluco, population 27. Located on a limestone mountain at an elevation of 2,559ft (780m), is the Sacred Wood of Monteluco, a forest of evergreen oaks. Within the forest is a 13th Franciscan convent which St Francis lived in for a short period of time in 1218 and is said to have visited often.

Walking across the woods, then through lush forests I reached the other side of the mountain. Descending I came across the ancient abandoned village of Sensati, most of it taken over by vegetation, then down to Ceselli. From Ceselli I hiked through a narrow valley passing several small villages like Macenano and Precetto, then across the River Nera to Ferentillo. Here the valley opened up to a small plane where I followed the river course to Arrone and onwards to Marmore Falls.

The Marmore Falls is a man-made waterfall created by the Romans around 271BC. Its purpose was to divert stagnant waters that fed the wetland in the Rieti Valley as a way to mitigate perceived health risks. It is a three-tier waterfall at 541ft (165m) tall with the longest drop at 279ft (85m) and the tallest in Europe and second tallest in the world.

Leaving the region of Umbria behind, I entered the region of Lazio. I climbed up to Labro (2,067ft/630m), a perfectly preserved village with a castle overlooking Lake Piediluco and travelled through the Reatini mountain range. Continuing the climb I made it to the little chapel of Saint Francis (3,609ft/1100m) and the famous beech-tree that legend says sheltered St Francis during a storm. At 26ft (8m) tall and circumference of 13ft (4m) it has a weeping shape (unlike other beech trees) almost as if embracing Francis to shelter him. Its gnarled and twisting branches seemed to give it a fairytale-like shape. Pilgrims on the Way of St Francis leave offerings at the base of the tree.

Descending again across meadows and woods along the flanks of Mount Rosato, I took a rest at the Sanctuary of Poggio Bustone. Historians of Francis' life indicate that it was here he had a vision where his past sins were forgiven and he prophesised that his mission of peace would begin at this Sanctuary.

The final descent took me into the ancient town of Rieti. Thought to be founded at the beginning of the Iron Age, around 9th-8thC BC, the town was originally occupied by Umbri (Italic people of ancient Umbria), then Aborigines (oldest inhabitants of central Italy) and later by Sabines (central Apennines). The town sits to the south-east of a large plane that once used to be a large lake. It was drained by the ancient Romans leaving only two small lakes behind.

The beautifully preserved town centre has two main piazzas that holds many historical monuments. However, it is the small Piazza San Rufo that holds a unique interest in that it is considered to be the geographic centre of Italy. It is marked by a low circular monument with a map of Italy on top. Besides the monument is the small Church of San Rufo. On its exterior wall is a plaque inscribed in 19 languages "Centre of Italy". Whilst the church on the outside is somewhat plain, the interior is richly decorated in Baroque-style.

Beside a modern bridge, protruding from Velino River was the sunken remains of an old Roman bridge built in 3rdC BC that connected to Via Salaria (Salaria Street) an ancient salt trade route. The bridge was the only crossing of the river and hence was regularly restored and fortified over the centuries. Unfortunately large deforestation in the late 1800s caused the Velino River to swell and flood the area threatening its stability. By the 1920s, engineers planned to dismantle and reuse its components but it proved costly and was demolished. It was replaced by a cement bridge in 1939 which shortly after was bombed by German forces. The current bridge was built in the 1950s.

Just over half a mile away from the bridge on Via Salaria is a tunnel entrance to what is known as "Rieti Underground" where remains of a Roman viaduct can be explored. It was built to transport goods beneath Via Salaria because it was prone to flooding when the river overflowed.



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St. Francis Way - Spoleto

With Mount Subasio everpresent to my left, I arrived at the medieval town of Spello. Beautifully located on a ridge at the southern end of Subasio, the ancient section, wrapped in a fortifying wall, overlooks the valley below and the expanded residential and commercial area of Spello. Each year the festival Infiorate includes the creation of sixty flower carpets for the Corpus Domini feast. These elaborate works of floral art serve as a pathway for the Corpus Domini procession.

Descending into a flat bottom valley, I hiked along country roads to Foligno. The town is an important railway junction in Umbria. The train station, opened in 1866, has been expanded and rebuilt many times either due to earthquakes or bombing raids. During WWII, the town was heavily bombed and destroyed including the railway station. Rebuilding the town is what gives it its current modern feel. There are very little medieval monuments left and no Ancient Roman footprints are left bar the street plan of the centre.

My next stop was the ancient town of Trevi. Located on the lower flank of Mount Serano, the town center sits atop a flat section of a hill whilst the residential area, densely packed, is built on the slope to the west giving uninterrupted views of Umbria as far as 30mi (50km) away. The Museo della Civiltà dell'Ulivo (Olive Museum) tells the history of olive oil making through illustrations showing the process of extracting olive oil, explaining different olive varieties cultivated in Umbria and displays of old equipment used in producing the olive oil. Trevi is well known for the production of extra virgin olive oil and its techniques are not much different than those used by the Etruscan people 2,500 years ago. The cooler hills of Trevi produce smaller olives providing a more concentrated flavour than those from warmer climates.

At the foothills of the Appenine Mountain range, is the ancient city of Spoleto. It has a long history of civil wars and foreign conquests with the likes of Hannibal, Frederick Barbarossa and Napoleon Bonaparte each wanting a piece of it. Razed to the ground by Barbarossa in 1125, then rebuilt, its borders were continuously shifting ownership until 1860 when troops fighting for the unification of Italy reclaimed the city from Bonaparte and enveloped it into the Kingdom of Italy.

Spoleto is rich with ancient and medieval landmarks such as the 13thC aqueduct Ponte delle Torri, a 774ft (236m) long and 262ft (80m) high bridge across a steep ravine connecting Spoleto to the little borough of Monteluco. Made of local limestone the bridge is supported by ten arches and nine piers.

On the north-west end of the bridge up on a hill is the fortified castle, Rocca Albornoziana. It was built in the 14thC by Spanish Cardinal Albornoz - also responsible for rebuilding Rocca Maggiore in Assisi - at the request of the Pope who wanted to re-affirm his authority in the area. The rectangular castle with six towers features two courtyards which were used by the troops in one and administrators and governors in the other. In 1816 the castle was turned into a jailhouse and the many frescoes that adorned the walls were lost. The jail ceased operation in 1982 and a grand renovation project was underway to restore the castle to its original layout and as much of the frescoes as possible. In 2007 it was reopened as a museum.

The Roman amphitheatre built around the middle of the 1stC BC on a large artificial terrace continues to be used today much the same as it was 2,000 years ago. It has the typical semi-circular plan with a diameter of about 230ft (70cm) and features an orchestra pit with seats arranged around it in tiers. Divided into three horizontal sections dictated the seating arrangements. Closest to the pit was for the community's elite, the middle section for the general public and the furthest section for women and children. Once decorated with marble sculptures and reliefs, most of it was destroyed to make way for the Sant'Agata monastery and church in the Middle Ages. Recent findings of two busts are believed to represent Augustus, the first emperor of Rome and Julius Caesar, his adoptive father.

Basilica of San Salvatore, is a church built between 4th-5thC and it is an example of early Christian architecture. It is part of a UNESCO listed group of seven historic buildings constructed by the Germanic tribe of the Lombards referred to as 'Longobards, Places of Power (568-774AD)".

Cathedral of S. Maria Assunta is a Romanesque cathedral built late 12thC on the site of a previous church, after Barbarossa's troops destroyed the town. A manuscript letter by St Francis of Assisi is within its possessions.



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St. Francis Way - Assisi

Travelling across more mountainous terrain, I passed through the small villages of Mengara and Bellugello then had a quick stop in Barcaccia to see the ancient farmhouse St Francis used to rest in. Gently descending amid olive trees and vineyards, I crossed the stone bridge of Tescio River at the foot of Mount Subasio. A steep narrow road brought me to the entrance of Assisi via the San Giacomo Gate and to the St Francis Basilica.

Assisi is a town in Umbria, flanked by Mount Subasio to its west. It is the birthplace of St Francis and Latin poet Propertius (c.50BC). There are two castles and a number of churches that together were designated UNESCO sites in 2000 under the title of "Franciscan Structures of Assisi".

The main church is the Basilica of Saint Francis. A Roman Catholic church it is an important place for Christian pilgrims. Built into the side of a hill, construction began in 1228 and consists of a crypt where the saint was interred and two churches: the Upper Church and the Lower Church. Designed in a combined Romanesque and Gothic style, both churches are decorated with frescoes by painters of the late medieval period. A free-standing bell tower stands to the left of the church.

Besides the basilica is the Friary of St Francis. It was built with pink and white stone from Mount Subasio and has 53 Romanesque arches. Overlooking the valley below, the friary looks like a formidable fortress. Although it was occupied since 1220, the construction took a couple of centuries to complete and you can see the mix of Romanesque and Gothic styles within its walls. Today the friary is a library and art museum.

St Francis is the patron saint of Italy and the founder of the Franciscan order. He is one of the most popular Catholic saints in history. Born in 1181 to a wealthy family, he was initially named Giovanni. This changed when his father, who on business in France, at the time of his birth started calling him Francesco. It stuck and he was renamed. Coincidentally he also had great aptitude for learning French. Francis lived an indulgent life enjoying fine clothes and spending lavishly.

Sometime in 1202 he joined a military expedition and was captured, spending a year as a prisoner and falling ill. This experience forced him to re-evaluate his life and began his spiritual journey. Over the coming years he nursed lepers, begged for stones to repair churches, began preaching repentance and peace, established a set of rules to live by and requested papal approval for his order.

In 1219 as part of the Fifth Crusade, Francis set out for the Holy Land and Egypt to try and convert the Muslim sultan. According to Father Cusato, a specialist in the medieval Franciscan order, the two met "under the sultan's tent and discussed interfaith conflict, war and the search for peace" and seems to have been a transformative experience. Because of this encounter the Franciscan order has had an ongoing presence in the Holy Land to this day.

Upon his return from the Holy Land he continued to refine the rules of his order and established more discipline as requested by the Pope. In 1224 he received the stigmata, marks of Christ's wounds and two years later due to ill health he passed away. Francis was canonised in 1228 and his remains are interred in the Basilica of Saint Francis.

Looming over the town from the hill is Rocca Maggiore, an 800 years old fortress with imposing bastions and battlements. In front of the castle is a piazza with spectacular views of the Spoleto Valley and the town of Assisi. With a natural defensive position above the town, records indicated that fortifications have existed on this site well before the Romans. The earliest structure on this site was a German feudal castle erected in late 12thC, however, following an uprising by the people of Assisi the castle was destroyed. Two centuries later, Cardinal Albornoz rebuilt the castle using the outer walls and some of the fortifications of the ruined castle. Another century later, a twelve sided tower and the curtain wall was added connecting the castle to the town. The castle has been recently renovated functioning as an art and exhibition centre and is open to visitors.

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St. Francis Way - Citta di Castello

Descending into the Tiber Valley under a sunny blue sky, I made my way through the town of Santa Fiora and across flat countryside to Fighille. Arriving in the hamlet of Fighille, I left behind the region of Tuscany and entered Umbria. Fighille was the centre for ceramics for many centuries due to its high quality clay deposits.
 

Continuing on, my trail led past meadows and agricultural farms. I was keeping an eye out for their famous fruit, the tomato. There is nothing more tasty than an Italian grown, ripe tomato, picked straight off the vine. Full of flavour in its ripe red colour, the tomato is a very important part of the Italian cuisine. Do you ever wonder why they are so deeply flavoured? It's simply because they are locally grown and allowed to ripen on the vine as opposed to other parts of the world where they are picked whilst still green in order to facilitate distribution. That has me thinking of a caprese salad, deliciously layered tomato and Italian mozzarella cheese topped with fresh sweet basil and seasoned with salt and olive oil.

Anyway, I hiked up into the medieval village of Citerna. Located at the top of a flat-topped hill and built on a motte with a fortified wall around the centre, the village was a recipient of the "Borghi più Belli d'Italia" (most beautiful village in Italy) award. Much of its beauty is steeped in the stone buildings, the city gates and medieval arcaded passageway along with the uninterrupted views of the meadows and woodlands below.

What goes up must go down and so down the hill I went again, winding around a country road, hiking around the edges of the mountains in the Tiber Valley into Citta di Castello, the largest town in Umbria. Located on the slopes of the Appenine Mountains near the Tiber River, the town was founded by an ancient Umbri circa 3rdC BC. It serves as the main economic centre in the region.

Housed in a Renaissance palace that was converted into a gallery is a vast collection of paintings and arts and considered as one of the main public art galleries in Italy. The gallery documents works from 13th to 20th centuries with a particular focus on the Renaissance period and Raphael's early works. The two facades of the "Standard of the Holiest Trinity" hanging in the gallery are considered as Raphael's first work.

One of the oldest paintings is a gilded 13thC panel with the enthroned Madonna and Child made by an anonymous painter of medieval art. Since he was never identified, he was named Master of Citta di Castello.

The palace itself was built mid-16thC as a wedding gift. Facing the garden the palace was famous throughout Europe for its collection of exotic plants. In 1907 the palace was acquired by a local artist who restored it and donated it five years later to the city to house the Municipal Art Gallery.



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