Upper Tiber Valley – unspoiled countryside, picturesque towns

A description of the Anghiari region in one of the many Tuscany travel guides figures that the town and its surroundings must have looked more or less the same in the days of Francis of Assisi, when he found the crag of Monte Penna with its birch tree crown near La Verna. He chose a niche between two rock fragments and built his hermitage... According to the guidebook, the winding path to the spot takes visitors through birch and pine tree woods, leads them higher and higher up to where the air feels considerably cooler, as if it wanted to take them on a pilgrimage to the Middle Ages.  The description paints a very authentic picture of the unspoiled Tiber Valley countryside. In fact, many pilgrims visit the spots on their way along St. Francis’ Walk. La Verna is an idyllic spot and a popular power place. The Franciscan sanctuary was built on the spot where St. Francis is said to have received the stigmata of Christ in 1224.

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The neighbouring historic towns of Sansepolcro, Citerna, Monterchi, Città di Castello, or Caprese Michelangelo (the birth town of the great artists) invite visitors to enjoy a truly authentic Etruscan experience.