THE ROMAN WAY
For the whole medieval period up until the 14th century, anyone travelling from the central and eastern Alpine areas to Rome knew that the shortest and easiest route was that of the ‘Alpe di Serra’.
This road was known as ‘Romestrasse’ in Baviera, ‘Via Romea’ in the Po Valley, ‘Via Major’ in medieval documents from Arezzo and Camaldoli and ‘Via Romea of the Alpe di Serra’ or ‘Via di Stade’ to scholars. It could also be defined as the ‘Via degli Escerciti’ (armies) or ‘Via degli Svevi’ as it has certainly seen the passage of emperors, kings and armies, in greater numbers than those of the pilgrims, in transit between Germany and Rome.
In Germany and England there are existing documents and maps dating from the 13th century which describe and illustrate this ancient road, which also passes through Casentino, and at that time was considered one of the main arteries of communication between Europe, Rome and Jerusalem.
The main direction of the Roman way in Italy is that which from Brennero crossed Veneto and Romagna and arrived at Forli. From Bagno di Romagna the pilgrims crossed the Appenines through the Pass of Serra, going from the little village of Corezzo towards Frassineta and arriving at Casa Santicchio. From there they continued on to Pezza, descending to Banzena, Campi … Subbiano, down to Arezzo city where they joined the Via Francigena at Acquapendente. There were other branches of the same road which lead to Rome, one going towards Florence and another going towards Gubbio.
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IL SANCTUARY OF VERNA IN TUSCANY - THE MOUNTAIN OF SAINT FRANCIS
La Verna, the holy mountain where in 1224 Saint Francis received the Stigmatas. At that moment in La Verna it existed a small church built by the Saint of Assisi and by his followers: Santa Maria degli Angeli (‘Saint Mary of the Angels’).
A few years after the miraculous event, the Lords Guidi, lords of the Casentino, let build in La Verna another small church in the exact point where Saint Francis had received the Stigmatas: the present Cappella delle Stimmate (‘Chapel of the Stigmatas’).
They were the first buildings of a suggesting religious complex that quickly developed for the large number of pilgrims that approached here. In the XV century it was built a convent able to lodge a large number of friars; between the XV and XVI century it was built the present great basilica of La Verna that was enriched with the marvellous works by Andrea della Robbia.
In the centuries La Verna has had a growing of fame. Today, every year, hundreds of thousand of people and pilgrims coming from every part of the world climb this Holy Mountain. The great call remains Saint Francis, but the tourists come here also for the beauty of this place in east Tuscany, for the spectacularity of its panoramas, for its art, for the suggesting nature surrounding it.
