Tuscan Art, History, Culture & Wine Tour

An 8-day tour focussing on the lives, works and legacies of the 13th century poet, mystic and friar, Saint Francis of Assisi, and the Early Renaissance artist and polymath, Piero della Francesca.

(Plus brief encounters with Michelangelo, Vasari, Giotto, Cimabue, Della Robbia, Dante, Salvator Rosa and Petrarch, among others).

Accommodation is in the 800-year-old farmhouse called Casalino, situated in the Casentino National Park, on the forested slopes of Monte Penna. This is the mountain retreat of Saint Francis of Assisi (San Francesco) and the site of the Franciscan Sanctuary called La Verna, a pilgrimage destination for lovers of natural beauty, history and spirituality.

The Casentino valley is a part of Tuscany that is rarely visited by tourists as it is a 'dog leg' back into the Appenini mountains where the Arno river curls back on itself behind the Pratomagno massif that separates the valley from 'Chianti-shire', and the main tourist route from Florence to San Gimignano to Siena and Rome. Casalino lies in the Valle Santa, the Sacred Valley, within the Casentino.

Casalino

Casalino dates back 800 years to the times when Saint Frances wandered these forests. Since then up until the 1960s it was inhabited by contadini (peasant-farmers). Although it retains much of its ancient charm, it has benefitted over the last couple of decades from modern developments such as solar-powered electricity, a couple of flushing toilets and a hot shower (and bath). Even a fridge. However, if everyone leaves the lights on, the power will go off. If you want a hot shower, you need to give the woodburner another 20 minutes to reheat the boiler. There is no TV and very little internet. It's best to bring a head torch just in case, should you enjoy reading in bed. (There are plenty of books.) Likewise you should be prepared to dry your hair the old-fashioned way with a towel in front of the fire, or in the early morning sun. Having said all that, along with the log fires, we have candles, guitars, and plenty of good cheer and goodwill.

Casalino is one of a small minority of disappearing properties which still retain a great sense of their previous existence as inter-generational homesteads - the vast majority have either been 'done up' to the point of being unrecognisable or, conversely, fallen into such disrepair as to be out of reach. As a family, we feel incredibly fortunate to be her current guardians.

While the week includes many visits to important and well-known local sites and great artists' works, as well as off-beat vineyards and restaurants, we have built in quality time to absorb the peace and harmony of Casalino and the surroundings.

Casalino lies on the long-distance trekking and pilgrimage route called the Via Francesco (Way of Saint Francis) from Florence to La Verna to Assisi and Rome. It is also on the 500-kilometre Alta Via dei Parchi, which runs along the Appenini mountain ridge from Emilia-Romagna to Le Marche, and the 100-kilometre Sentiero delle Foreste Sacre, which connects the ancient forests of the Park.

Day 1. Sunday.

Meet in Perugia - airport, train station, or elsewhere by arrangement.

If you need help arriving in Perugia from eg. Rome, please let us know.

Morning: Visit the Galleria Nazionale dell' Umbria for Piero della Francesca's Polyptych of Perugia, among others.

Lunch in Assisi - a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Afternoon: Visit the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Travel to Casalino.

2 hrs driving / 130 kms

Polyptych of Perugia by Piero della Francesca

Day 2. Monday.

Day hike from Casalino through the Sacred Forest to the monastery at La Verna. The route follows the Sentiero del Bosco delle Fate (The Way of the Fairy Wood).

Lunch at La Verna.

Evening fire and frolics at Casalino.

Approx. 5 kms each way.