As we have a reputation for enjoying the good things in life and never taking ourselves too seriously, you might think that Tuscany is not a very spiritual place. Well, you'd be very wrong. As much as we like to be contrarian, our roots are firmly into tradition and religion. Aside from the many beautiful churches, there are many places in our region that are perfect for prayer and meditation. Few are as popular as arguably the most famous monastery, home to a certain Saint Francis. In order to prepare for Easter, this week What's Up Tuscany will bring you to a remote mountain in Casentino, the place where the patron saint of italy received the Stigmata, the sanctuary of La Verna. If you listen to the entire episode you will learn how this mountain was donated more than 8 centuries ago by a pious nobleman and how it became a very popular pilgrimage spot. We'll walk together through the many interesting spots in this remote monastery while exploring a remarkable art treasure that, until a few years ago, was hidden in an underground vault. We'll also talk about how the monks used the pandemic to embrace technology and help many more people in their moment of need. In the last part, I'll tell you everything there is to know about the most fascinating walk you can do around here, a 10 day trek that will bring you to Assisi, the home of Saint Francis. A definitely interesting way to explore this remarkable part of Italy and pay homage to the pilgrims of the Middle Ages. Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/larno.it Twitter: @arno_it / @WhatsupTuscany LINKS TO SOURCES (ITALIAN ONLY) https://www.abbazie.com/laverna/storia_it.html https://www.sanfrancescopatronoditalia.it/notizie/francescanesimo/la-verna-le-stimmate-di-francesco-tra-storia-e-attualit%C3%A0-50684#accept https://www.tuscanypeople.com/la-verna-santuario-della-verna/ https://apiediilmondo.it/le-tappe-della-via-di-francesco-la-verna-assisi-a-piedi/ https://www.casentinopiu.it/i-tesori-del-casentino-alla-verna-un-crocifisso-ligneo-attribuito-a-della-robbia/ BACKGROUND MUSIC Pipe Choir - Bom Bom Breakthrough (Instrumental) Pipe Choir - Followers (Instrumental) Pipe Choir - The Opening Closing Profound Beats - Lo-fi Wayne John Bradley - Summercycle (Instrumental) Pipe Choir - Almost Time (Instrumental) Wayne John Bradley - Blues Rock Original Instrumental All released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/pipe-choir-bom-bom-breakthrough-creative-commons-instrumental https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/pipechoir-followers-instrumental https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/p-c-iii-the-opening-closinginstrumentalcreative-commons https://soundcloud.com/profoundbeats/profound-beats-lo-fi-free-download https://soundcloud.com/ayneohnradley/summercycle-original-indie-style-instrumental-creative-commons https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/pipe-choir-almost-time-instrumental-creative-commons https://soundcloud.com/ayneohnradley/blues-rock-original-instrumentalcreative-commons http://www.pipechoir.com/