Trekking Trip the Franciscan Path (April)

An unmissable trekking opportunity for those who wish to experience direct contact with nature. Officina Natura will lead you to discover the Franciscan Path, from the Tiber Valley to the Casentino Forests, for a week of travel within a magical territory.

A unique experience in which the spiritual and material dimensions coexist and are renewed together.

We will enter a magical area, full of waterfalls, woods and plateaus, inhabited by wolves, eagles and deer.
A territory worked by man who built hermitages and small villages here, living on agriculture and livestock, giving life to a thousand-year-old culture that blends history and legend.

Route details by days:

• Route: San Sepolcro - The Mountain,
• Route length: 11.3 km
• Total altitude difference: 682 m.
• Duration of the route: 6h 40'
• Difficulty: E

Itinerary:

• Departure from the town of S. Sepolcro. The first part of our journey will see us cross the classic rural landscape, characterized by rolling hills and cultivated fields, which leave room for strips of oak scrub.
• As we advance the scenery will become wilder, surprising us with streams, waterfalls and lush woods.
• Once we reach the hermitage of silence, we will rediscover the pleasure of quenching our thirst from natural sources of pure and fresh water.
• The itinerary continues among the plateaus, in front of the Alpe della Luna, historical places from which we will discover the splendid panoramas and be able to perceive the history of a civilization now distant from us.
• Continuing surrounded by this atmosphere we will arrive in La Montagna, a typical village out of time, where a hot meal and a comfortable bed await us.

Route: Mountain - Pieve St. Stefano
Route length: 21.4 km
Duration of the route: 8h 30'
Total altitude difference: 593 m.
Difficulty: E

This itinerary continues immersed in the high hills of the Tiber Valley, the valley to the west and the Alpe mountains to the east. In this stretch it passes through places that are still mysterious, such as the Poggio del Tesoro and the Palazzone. You will encounter true works of art of rural architecture, immense farmhouses from the early Middle Ages, which still remain standing today and which have never been an integral part of the landscape and local culture. The last part of the route descends into the valley inside the oak and hornbeam forest, passing through the Cerbaiolo hermitage to reach Pieve Santo Stefano where we will spend the second night.

Route: Pieve Santo Stefano – Caprese Michelangelo
Length ofroute: 14 km
Total altitude difference: 634m.
Duration of the route: 5h 30
Difficulty: E

This route will take us to the end of the Tiber Valley to enter the Casentinesi Forests. After the first stretch where the difference in altitude is concentrated, the road will be an alternation of gentle ups and downs, between unlikely fords and cultivated fields, to arrive at the town of Caprese Michelangelo. Here too there is no shortage of legends that blend with history. After visiting the splendid village we will set off again to reach the inn where we will eat and sleep.


Route: Caprese Michelangelo-Chiusi di La Verna -La Verna

Route length:6.7 km
Total altitude difference: 303 m.
Duration of the route: 3h
Difficulty: E

The last part of our tours will take us into the magical world of the Casentino forests, where smells, colors and noises change compared to before. We finally reach the hermitage of La Verna, the last architectural work we will encounter. This sanctuary built on the rock was, and still is, a destination for pilgrims from all over the world. Just by looking at him in silence, you can perceive his story without anyone explaining it to you. A fairy-tale atmosphere will keep us company until the bus arrives that will take us back to S. Sepolcro.


Last day, from Chiusi la Verna we will take public transport that will take us back to S. Sepolcro. So final greetings.


Costs: to bring with you €120
Coati for guide and organization: €100 to be paid in advance.
Insurance cost with F.I E and Officina Natura membership €23 The detailed technical sheet with what to bring and appointment times will be sent only to those directly interested.