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La Verna

July 25, 2003

Dear Friends and Family,

Today we went on a religious pilgrimage. While we may not normally be sufficiently inspired to consider such an activity, visits to the Sanctuary of La Verna shift one away from simple tourism.

We left our farm home after breakfast. Our host said the shortest way to La Verna would start with a three or four kilometer trek on the gravel road in front of the farm. That's easy for him to say because he drives a truck with lots of clearance between the gravel and the mechanical parts of his vehicle. We don't, so we opted for the long way around and hoped he was right, that most of the subsequent roadway was "black" (= hard surfaced)

From the Arno Valley, we turned and climbed east through one or two more darling towns. But our goal was the very top of the mountains. Off the main road, the Sanctuary entrance was a long, shaded driveway ("black" thankfully) through a forest. This was the start of the change from normal activity to the quiet of a sanctuary.

The driveway led to an ubiquitous parking lot and from there it was still a five- or ten-minute walk through even thicker forest. By design or by happenstance, the walk further removed us pilgrims from the outside world. By the time we entered the complex, we had a feeling different from just another visit to a medieval walled community.

La Verna has been a religious retreat since the early 13th Century. The place was given to Francis of Assisi by the Count of Chiusi, Orlando Catani, in 1213 after the Count was particularly moved by Francis' message of a return to simplicity in religion. For the next decade, Francis himself would spend part of the year in quiet meditation in caves and huts on the mountaintop. After his death, his followers continued to visit La Verna and, over the centuries, an extensive complex was built.

Almost 800 years later, St. Francis would probably still recognize the place, despite the later basilica, chapels, grottos, residences, and pilgrimage facilities. Franciscan priests still host religious travelers and quietly insist on a contemplative atmosphere. While we visited, there were a series of ceremonies in various small chapels and each one could have been being repeated for these hundreds of years.

After a couple hours we left refreshed, not a religious refreshment exactly, but reminded that life in these Italian hills, despite parking lots and postcards, can still be as timeless as the hills themselves.

Take care and visit an old, quiet place.

John and Marianne

Walking out to the grotto and chapels at the end of the ridge, the pilgrims (and tourists) can follow the life of St. Francis.

Francis of Assisi stayed in this small cave to meditate, sometimes for days at a time. He slept on a flat rock that has been almost completely removed by visitors, a small piece at a time.

In addition to the large Basilca and a couple of good sized chapels, there are two or three of these very small chapels for meditation.

At the end of the ridge, at a place appropriately called The Precipice, the view is spectacular. Followers of Francis apparently spent time on the original small ledges here, thinking.

The chapels and churches have several pieces by della Robbia. These have been some of Marianne's favorite art pieces, maybe because the girls' school she went to many years ago was decorated with them.

Another della Robbia.

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	Walking out to the grotto and chapels at the end of the ridge, the pilgrims (and tourists) can follow the life of St. Francis.		Francis of Assisi stayed in this small cave to meditate, sometimes for days at a time. He slept on a flat rock that has been almost completely removed by visitors, a small piece at a time.
In addition to the large Basilca and a couple of good sized chapels, there are two or three of these very small chapels for meditation.		At the end of the ridge, at a place appropriately called The Precipice, the view is spectacular. Followers of Francis apparently spent time on the original small ledges here, thinking.
	The chapels and churches have several pieces by della Robbia. These have been some of Marianne's favorite art pieces, maybe because the girls' school she went to many years ago was decorated with them.		Another della Robbia.