Via Francigena – on the path of Saint Francis

2025 Anniversary - Rome Walk camino

  

FROM ASSISI TO PIEDILUCO

Our Walk begins in Umbria: these are the first stages of the journey undertaken by Saint Francis to spread his order. Assisi, the city of Saint Francis par excellence, his birthplace where every corner and every square is a sign of his human and spiritual story.

According to tradition, Saint Francis was born here in 1181 in the place where the oratory of San Francesco Piccolino stands today, not far from the New Church built on the site where it is believed his father's house once stood. Here Francis lived his youth and the first conflicts with his father. In the square in front of the Bishop's Palace, Francis publicly renounced his possessions. In the Cathedral of S. Rufino he held his first sermons and met Clare who followed him and then founded the order of the Poor Clares. The Basilica - a magnificent work of medieval architecture and art - preserves the mortal remains of Saint Francis and is the mother church of the Franciscan order. Not far from the historic center, our walk leads to the Eremo delle Carceri, where the saint loved to retreat in prayer, and the church of San Damiano, where Saint Francis felt the call to rebuild the church in ruins in front of the Crucifix of San Damiano and welcomed Clare together with her first companions. Among the woods nearby, there is the famous holm oak under which, according to tradition, Saint Francis loved to preach.

Our walk then continues to Foligno, where Francis arrived in 1205 to sell the fabrics of his family's property and where he returned several times during his preaching work. Important places of Franciscan spirituality are the church dedicated to Saint Francis and the monasteries of Santa Lucia and Santa Caterina founded by the Poor Clares. The walk then continues to Trevi, the Monastery of the Madonna delle Lacrime, Poreta and Spoleto in the heart of Umbria. Spoleto represents one of the most important places in the memory of the saint: it is here that Saint Francis had that dream that upset his plans, it is here that he decided to no longer follow the project of becoming a Knight. In the chapel of the relics of the Cathedral, the autograph letter of Saint Francis to Brother Leo is kept. We continue across the spectacular Ponte delle Torri. Our journey will then cross the Sacred Woods of Monteluco, a place chosen for hermit prayer since the 5th century: here Francis obtained a small church in which to retreat in prayer and solitude. Today we can visit the famous sanctuary dedicated to Saint Francis and Saint Catherine, which houses the small cells of 1218 and the stone that Saint Francis used as a bed. We then reach Ceselli and through the valley of the Nera river, we arrive at Ferentillo: the history of this small town is strongly linked to the Abbey of S. Pietro in Valle located nearby. Passing through Ceselli and Arrone, we will reach the spectacular Marmore Falls. Our journey then continues to Piediluco, with the Church of S. Francesco, built between the end of the 13th century and 1338 in memory of the saint's visit in 1217, since 1999 the church has been a Franciscan sanctuary.

From Piediluco our journey continues towards the Rieti Valley.

FROM PIEDILUCO TO RIETI

The Rieti Valley has always been a territory in which different cultures and civilizations have intertwined. Its history is linked to the Sabine peoples, who made this land the setting for ancient myths and legends. The Romans also left their unmistakable mark here: along the way we will also encounter the remains of the large rustic villas, the heart of agricultural production in ancient times. The work of the monastic orders was fundamental for this area, for economic development and for the protection of cultural heritage.

St. Francis made this territory one of his elective places and since then the splendid plain in the Rieti area has been called the "Holy Valley". Three fundamental events in the life of the saint took place here: he wrote the definitive rule of the order, probably the Canticle of the Creatures, and he desired the creation of the first nativity scene in Christianity.

The most important landmarks on our first stretch of the walk in the Rieti valley are the Convent of Poggio Bustone, the Sacro Speco, and the Santuario della Foresta.

Poggio Bustone is called the “town of good morning” in memory of Saint Francis’ greeting to its inhabitants: “Good morning good people,” he began when he first arrived in the Rieti valley (1208). Here, it is said that Francis – through a vision – was certain of the growth of the Order. In memory of the event, a small chapel stands on the site today. The Convent of Poggio Bustone was founded in 1235. Along a path, our walk reaches the “upper hermitage,” the Sacro Speco, the cave where Saint Francis retreated to pray.

We then continue to the sanctuary of S. Maria della Foresta in Rieti, where F