‘Francis Passed Here’ is a spiritual and cultural journey that traverses the green heart of Italy for about 350 km. It originates on Mount La Verna, where St. Francis received the stigmata, and covers most of its route along the Umbrian valley, ending in Lazio, at Poggio Bustone.
Spoleto is a key junction between two stages: Trevi-Spoleto and Spoleto-Romita di Cesi. The first stretch covers a total length of 18 km of medium difficulty and touches several places related to the life of the Saint, as well as other sites of great artistic and natural interest, such as the Castle of Pissignano and the Clitunno Springs.
Upon reaching the village of San Giacomo, it is worth visiting the parish church containing frescoes by Giovanni Di Pietro, known as Lo Spagna. Once back on the route and after a few kilometers, you arrive at the Church of San Sabino, where St. Francis is said to have had a dream, a decisive turning point in his life.
In Spoleto, in addition to visiting the Cathedral, where the letter from St. Francis to Brother Leo is preserved—one of the two autograph letters of St. Francis that have come down to us—it is recommended to plan a detour to Monteluco, where the Convent of St. Francis is located. According to tradition, it was founded by St. Francis in 1218, and its most characteristic part consists of small, austere cells once used by the Franciscan friars. The structure is surrounded by the Sacred Wood, a place imbued with mysticism as it was already sacred to the Romans and became the site of a vast hermit movement starting in the 5th century, initiated by the arrival of the Syrian monk St. Isaac.
Leaving Spoleto, the path continues towards Romita di Cesi. This time the route will be more challenging: it covers 28 kilometers and the difficulty level increases. Much of the journey is immersed in nature, and it was in this context that St. Francis sketched the Canticle of the Creatures near the hermitage of Romita, which he restored.
For more information, please visit www.diquipassofrancesco.it
