Borgo Sant’Ercolano - Via di Solaia – Loc. Sant’Ercolano 52041 – Civitella in Val di Chiana

Il territorio

What to visit near Borgo Sant’Ercolano

Among its thriving oak woods there is abundant game, ranging from wild boar to roe deer, to hare, two millennia of protection and intelligent exploitation of the territory have made this enchanting landscape a unique place to relax and recharge your energy!

Set in the harmony of the Tuscan countryside, “Borgo Sant’Ercolano” is located at an altitude of 600 Mt., a privileged situation to admire the beauty of Cortona and the Val Di Chiana!

The central position with respect to Italy makes “Borgo Sant’Ercolano” an excellent starting point for cultural excursions in the most famous art cities of Tuscany and Umbria!

 

  • Arezzo (Km. 20)
  • Florence (Km. 70)
  • Siena (Km. 40)
  • Pisa (Km. 140)
  • Perugia (Km. 80)

CIVITELLA IN VAL DI CHIANA (Km. 15)

The territory, partly hilly and partly flat, is located in the province of Arezzo but also very close to the Sienese territory. Civitella in Val di Chiana is located on the top of a hill at 525 m. above sea level, in a dominant position, offering for this reason striking panoramic views of the Val di Chiana and the Val d’Ambra. Worth noting is the medieval castle already existing in 1048, the walls, the Palazzo Pretorio dated 1300, a beautiful medieval stone cistern, the Church of Santa Maria, dating back to the year 1000, built in Romanesque style in 1252 and renovated after the Second World War and a tabernacle with the effigy of the Madonna with child in majolica, of a clear Robbiana school, dated 1522. Located near Civitella, at the crossing point between the Val di Chiana and the Val d’Ambra on the ancient “Strada dei Mercanti “, the ancient Oratory of the Madonna di Mercatale is relevant. In the hilly part of the territory there are also the hamlets of Oliveto and Ciggiano where the traces of the city walls that surrounded the ancient residential areas are still visible. In the surrounding hills an interesting production of oil and wine has developed!

The ancient medieval town of Civitella in Val di Chiana, during the Second World War, was the scene, together with the hamlets of Cornia and Gebbia, of a tremendous Nazi-Fascist massacre. All the affected territory was set on fire. 176 unarmed civilians died. Not to forget this tragic and painful event that shocked the whole community and changed many aspects of daily life and therefore remind future generations of the errors and horrors of each war, with the hope of spreading a message of peace, the Organizing Committee, in collaboration with the population and the Municipal Administration, it set up a “Sala della Memoria” in the center of Civitella, in Piazza Martiri, inaugurated in 2004, the sixtieth anniversary of the massacre.

In this room are exhibited some finds found on the victims, numerous photographs of the country before and after the destruction, archival documents, historical research, testimonies, judicial investigations, books, videotapes recorded over the years and various war remnants.

The room, which is free to enter, is open to the public on Saturday and Sunday. The Greeting Committee, in greeting all visitors, invites them, in respect of the place, to put their signature and, if deemed appropriate, also their reflections in the appropriate register where, on 7 October 2004, he also signed the President of the Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi visiting the town of Civitella to pay a proper tribute to the victims of the war in the Province of Arezzo.

Civitella val di chiana

MONTE SAN SAVINO (Km. 5)

Located on a hill guarding the Val Di Chiana, it was for centuries disputed for its geographical position, by the Aretini, the Sienese and the Perugini, after being inhabited by the Etruscans and Romans.

Totally destroyed by the Bishop of Arezzo Guido Tarlati, for having given shelter to the Guelphs, he had the walls demolished in 1325! In 1337 Monte San Savino, once again inhabited, passed first under the dominion of Perugia, then under that of Siena and then (1384) again under that of Florence which sent Potestà and Vicars there to administer its justice.

Monte San Savino experienced its heyday in the second half of the 15th and 16th centuries when the noble branch of the Ciocchi-Di Monte family, originally from Florence, flourished in this land.

The medieval atmosphere of Monte San Savino is underlined by the architecture of the Cassero and its imposing tower (14th century). The completely restored building houses the Ceramics Museum.

The central street of Monte San Savino, Corso Sangallo, is flanked by interesting and elegant buildings: the Renaissance Loggia dei Mercanti, attributed to Sansovino (16th century), the Palazzo Comunale with cloister and hanging garden and the characteristic Palazzo Pretorio ( XIV century) with a facade covered with the coats of arms of the ruling Praetorian families. In the center there is also the tower built by the Perugini in the fourteenth century, from whose top you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the Val Di Chiana and Val Di Chio.

Monte San Savino also boasts the beautiful church of Sant’Agostino, of fourteenth century origins which, with the adjoining convent, was renovated by the local architect, Andrea Contucci known as Sansovino, at the beginning of the sixteenth century. Inside there are precious works of art such as the table depicting the Assumption of the Virgin by Giorgio Vasari, placed on the high altar and cycles of frescoes by Spinello Aretino and his school of the fifteenth century. Next to the church you can admire the Baptistery of San Giovanni with a portal designed by Sansovino.

The Romanesque parish church of Santi Egidio e Savino or della Misericordia probably arose at the end of the century, but was repeatedly remodeled until it assumed the baroque lines of the 1700s. Inside, the sepulcher of Fabiano del Monte is visible, whose sculpture is attributed to the local artist Andrea Sansovino. A sacred attraction of Monte San Savino is constituted by the Sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Vertighe, on the homonymous hill, according to a legend of the ‘500, on 7 July 1100 a squad of Angels flew in flight, from the countryside of Asciano on the Colle delle Vertighe di Monte San Savino, a chapel with the image of the Virgin Mary. Monte San Savino, in addition to the most typical Tuscan gastronomy, is famous for its Porchetta. The traditional “Porchetta Festival” is held in the historic center every year, every second Sunday in September and the previous 3 days. In June 2009, Monte San Savino obtained the “Guinness World Record” for the realization of the longest Porchetta in the world with Mt. 44.93. Other folkloristic events are the “Fair of the equine or the warmer with the whistle” (which takes place in November) and the historical re-enactment of the “Allegrezze for the investiture of Baldovino di Monte”, in June. Monte San Savino is also known for its ceramics, which skilled craftsmen forge daily in their workshops, using ancient techniques and handed down from generation to generation.

Among the ancient traditions there is news of the “Palio Savinese”, chivalrous joust played in the past, on August 15th of each year, at least since 1471.

Of particular interest is the historical re-enactment, which takes place every year in the last week of June and which culminates with the big party on Saturday evening. This event recalls the investiture of Count Baldovino di Monte in the year 1550 and takes place with street performances, historical courting and above all with the Palio of the districts, who vie for the victory by challenging each other in four tests throughout the week, the famous games the “Big Ball”, the “Caccia Di Monte”, the “Tiro Alla Fune”, and the gastronomic competition. The first edition of the neighborhood games took place in 2012.

Gargonza (Km. 5)

It is at the center of the most important cultural and tourist itineraries in Tuscany. Gargonza enjoys an exceptional panorama that allows you to admire the contours of the Tuscan landscape. With its houses, the tower, the Romanesque church, the walls, it keeps the size and color of the medieval settlement intact. Due to its strategic position, the history of Gargonza is interwoven with political and military events that arose between Florence, Sirena and Arezzo. Dante Alighieri, a guest of the Umbertini counts, spent the first days of his exile there.

AREZZO (Km. 20)

Arezzo, a city of ancient Etruscan origins, of which examples are preserved such as the Chimera, belonging to the fifth century BC, was then Roman domination (IV-III century). The Archaeological Museum, near the Roman Amphitheater (sec. I-II) is arranged over two floors, consisting of 15 rooms in which you can admire collections of coins, bronzes, statues, remains of Roman floors, Greek and Etruscan vases and the “coral vases” characterized by a relief decoration and a coral pink paint, for which Arezzo was famous in the Roman world.

Once we have visited the Archaeological Museum and the Roman Amphitheater, we can head towards Piazza Guido Monaco and walk the homonymous street in the direction of the Piazza and the Church of San Francesco. The latter, begun in the second half of the thirteenth century by the will of the Franciscans, completed in the late 1300s and enriched in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries with shrines, chapels and paintings, is known above all because it houses the beautiful frescoes of the “Legend of the True Cross ”By Piero della Francesca. The painter, born in Borgo San Sepolcro in all probability in 1415, devoted himself to the realization of this work in the mid-1400s and created the 10 panels that narrate the history of the Cross, currently restored and can be visited by appointment (contact APT). Inside the Church, you can also admire the Guasconi Chapel entirely frescoed by Spinello Aretino towards the end of the 1300s, and the Tarlati Chapel which houses the Annunciation and Saints Girolamo and Francesco di Neri di Bicci, another Annunciation attributed to Luca Signorelli , the marble ciborium (15th century) on the left pillar and the Crucifixion of Spinello on the right wall.

From the Church of San Francesco, we can head right towards Corso Italia to continue our walk uphill, towards the Pieve di Santa Maria. This is how we discover one of the greatest expressions of Romanesque art in Arezzo, of early Christian construction. The first “Pieve” which underwent various changes, dates back to the IX-XI centuries; the reconstruction took place, in fact, in Romanesque forms (three naves, apse, crypt under the presbytery) in the mid-twelfth century. The tower was completed in 1330. The interior of the parish church, with three naves joined to the presbytery by a pseudo-transept, represents a interpenetration of Romanesque forms and Gothic elements (columns, beamed pillars, arches, windows, capitals), as well as to be enriched with newsstands and chapels. In the 5-nave crypt with apse, restored in 1800, the reliquary bust with the skull of San Donato, patron saint of Arezzo, is now kept at the Diocesan Museum.

Not far away is Piazza Grande, made famous by many commercials but above all by the traditional Giostra del Saracino, it is adapted on an inclined plane. The north side of the square is occupied by the Vasari Logge, (painter, architect, historian and writer born in Arezzo in 1511), built in the late Renaissance; the east and south sides are closed by medieval houses and palaces including Palazzo Lippoli and Palazzo Còfani. The west side is occupied by the beautiful apse of the Pieve, by the Palazzo del Tribunale and by that of the Fraternita dei Laici. Going to the left through the Vasari Lodges and continuing uphill, we see on the left the Palazzo Pretorio (13th-14th centuries), today the seat of the Municipal Library and the birthplace of Francesco Petrarca, seat of the Academy of Letters, Arts and Sciences, to reach the Cathedral of Arezzo.

Before visiting it, we can stop in the walk of the Prato and continue up to the Medici Fortress which represents the fulcrum of the restructuring of the walls of Arezzo, which took place starting from 1505. In fact, in the Renaissance period the need arose to redesign the Fortress that assumed the star shape just to allow greater defense of the city; the drawing was made by Antonio da Sangallo “the Elder” in the years 1538-60.

The Cathedral was built starting from 1277 on the area of ​​an early Christian church dedicated to San Pietro martire and its construction lasted until 1510. Its interior takes place in three naves and houses works of great value; in the right nave there are various seventeenth-century altars, funeral monuments and frescoes. In the left nave, you can admire the masterpiece of Maddalena by Piero della Francesca (c. 1459), the choir designed by Vasari in 1535 and the organ of the Cortonese Luca Boni, a seventeenth-century altar and a fresco by Luigi Ademollo (1800). We also meet the Chapel of the Madonna del Conforto, which began after a prodigious episode occurred on February 15, 1796 following an earthquake that struck Arezzo, in which the Madonna was seen crying (the inhabitants of Arezzo are very devoted to the Madonna del Conforto), and the Baptistery chapel.

Before leaving the upper part of the city, it is advisable to go down Via Sassoverde to the Church of San Domenico, an example of linear Gothic of the thirteenth century with an asymmetrical sail bell tower, where there is an admirable Crucifix of Cimabue. Cimabue (1240-1302), painted the Arezzo Crucifix in his youth (ca. 1260) before working in Florence and Assisi. The Crucifix is ​​distinguished by the decision of the forms: Christ, in the spasm of death, overcoming the position of the body still of the Byzantine type, seems to contract, curve and stiffen in the tension of the last breath; the Virgin and John the Evangelist seem to bend over and participate in the drama of Christ.

We cannot consider Arezzo’s visit finished without having visited the Renaissance Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, 5 minutes from the city, built in sandstone between 1435 and 1445 to replace the existing oratory. The facade is almost completely covered by the loggia, an artistic jewel, the work of Benedetto da Maiano, built in the years 1478-82. Inside we see a large marble altar built by Andrea della Robbia in the early 1500s and the image of the Madonna della Misericordia frescoed by Parri di Spinello (1432-31).

CORTONA (Km. 25)

It was one of the 12 cities of the Etruscan Confederation, and its primitive cyclopean walls can still be seen today with imposing sections just modified by medieval walls. Except for some beautiful Renaissance Palaces, the prevalent character of Cortonesi buildings is Medieval and contributes to giving the narrow and steep streets a very suggestive aspect. Given the elevated position (600 m. Above sea level) from every point of Cortona you can enjoy a wonderful view that embraces the whole Val di Chiana.
In the Museum of the Etruscan Academy, among the many works of each period, the following emerge: the Etruscan “Chandelier” called Cortona, one of the most celebrated bronzes of antiquity; and the “Musa Polimnia”, an encaustic painting from the Roman era, of extraordinary beauty. In the Diocesan Museum, in addition to works by Luca Signorelli, the great Renaissance painter native of Cortona, there is one of the most beautiful “Annunciations” by Fra Angelico. Remarkable are the medieval churches of San Francesco and San Domenico, the medieval Casali palace with Renaissance facade, the Renaissance churches of Santa Maria Nuova and San Niccolò, where works of art of great value are kept. Outside the city there is the Etruscan tomb called “Tanella di Pitagora” (2nd century BC) in the locality of Cannaia; Etruscan tombs in the Hypogeum of the century. VI and VII BC in Sodo; in Metelliano the Romanesque Church of Sant ’Angelo; and at Calcinaio the beautiful sixteenth-century temple of Santa Maria delle Grazie. The Celle convent, founded by San Francesco, is one of the most suggestive places in the area. Severini’s “Via Crucis” (20th century) follows the mystical ramp that connects the inhabited center to the overlying Sanctuary of Santa Margherita, which is in turn dominated by the mighty structure of the Girifalco fortress.

OTHER VERY INTERESTING GOALS

Lucignano (Km. 15)

Piccolo Borgo della Toscana, represents one of the most extraordinary examples of Medieval town planning, for its elliptical shape with concentric road rings, it has survived intact over the centuries. The happy geographical location of Lucignano, in a dominant position over the Val di Chiana has made it strategically important since ancient times, then marking its history as a castle disputed between the neighboring territories. At the center of the Borgo is the Church of San Francesco, built starting from 1248 with a typically Franciscan architectural facade, in “Granaio”, inside which there are numerous frescoes from the end of the 14th century. The civic museum is located inside of the Town Hall, it also conserves two plates by Signorelli and it is also possible to admire the well-known Golden Tree (or Albero di Lucignano), an imposing reliquary which symbolically depicts the cross of Christ.

Assisi (Km. 95)

Assisi with its narrow and winding streets, its squares and the many ancient residences, has kept the imprint of the medieval age which here joins the Franciscan memories. In fact, Saint Francis was born and carried out in Assisi. The most famous monuments of the city are religious ones. The Basilica of San Francesco, made up of two superimposed churches, of which the Lower one (the oldest), was started in 1228, frescoed by Cimabue, Giotto, Pietro Lorenzetti. The Upper Church of the 14th century is decorated with a cycle of 28 frescoes, almost all attributed to Giotto, depicting the life of the saint. The Cathedral in which Federico II of Sweden was baptized in 1197, was erected in the 8th century on Roman ruins. The church of Santa Chiara, where there is also the Crucifix which spoke to San Francesco, frescoed by Giotto.

San Sepolcro (Km. 45)

Established towards the end of the century. X around an oratory erected to house some relics brought from Palestine, from the Holy Sepulcher; the Borgo was a free municipality in the century. XIII. The ancient, roughly rectangular walls still surround the center of the city. The Cathedral preserves the Romanesque-Gothic facade (in stone, with three portals and a large rose window) and the spire bell tower. Inside, a fresco of Batolomeo della Gatta, the “Crucifixion”. The church of San Francesco has a 1258 facade, open from a Gothic portal and a rose window, the interior is Baroque, the church is flanked by the cloister (13th-14th centuries) and the chapter house (13th century). The Town Hall preserves inside the famous fresco by Piero della Francesca, the “Resurrection” and houses the Pinacoteca, among other valuable works we remember, always by Piero della Francesca, the “Polittico della Misericordia”.

San Gimignano (Km. 50)

Overlooking a typical landscape characterized by olive groves and vineyards, San Gimignano was already famous in the Middle Ages for the production of fine wines. Built in a place already inhabited in Etruscan times, towards the end of the century. XII, he proclaimed himself a free commune. The inhabited area is distributed over three well-defined heights; The highest part of San Gimignano is occupied by the Rocca, a little further down, the old citadel, dating back to the 13th century, closed within a city wall, further down the 14th century part, also surrounded by walls. During the Municipal period Palazzo del Podestà (with a large access arch, and the high Torre Rognosa), and Palazzo del Popolo, containing valuable frescoes of the time and flanked by Torre Grossa, were built on Piazza del Duomo. In the Pinacoteca di San Gimignano (located in the Palazzo Comunale) among the most interesting paintings we remember the “Madonna in glory between Saints Gregorio and Benedetto”, by Pinturicchio.

Montepulciano (Km. 30)

The splendid town, which for its artistic and architectural vestiges has been called the “Pearl of the ‘500”, preserves its beauty intact. Going up the steep villages, the visitor will discover beautiful palaces and churches where the greatest architects of the Renaissance transfused their incomparable art. To see the splendid Piazza Grande, with the Cathedral with an incomplete facade and the Palazzo Comunale; all around Renaissance palaces.
In the valley below the village, in an unforgettable panorama, the elegant bulk of the Temple of San Biagio stands out.

Montalcino (Km. 40)

Montalcino is located on a hill at mt. 564 above sea level, enclosed between the valleys of the rivers Orcia, Arbia, Asso and Ombrone, rich in forests of holm oaks, chestnuts, oaks and strawberry trees. Since the Bronze Age, Etruscans and Romans have taken turns on this “mount of holm oaks”. Due to its strategic position, Montalcino has always been at the center of clashes between neighboring territories. Until towards the mid 16th century, after Siena had surrendered to the Medici, over four hundred families of Sienese exiles took refuge in the free Commune of Montalcino and under the guidance of Marshal Piero Strozzi they gave birth to the “Republic of Siena in Montalcino” , acquiring laws and civic systems similar to nearby Siena. Between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries there was a period of particular economic recovery, due above all to the large number of artisans who worked within the city, and together agriculture flourished, which up to now has given prestige to this part of Tuscany; Even today, in fact, the landscape is dominated by rows of vines from which high quality wines are appreciated and appreciated all over the world. Among these, a place of honor is occupied by the now famous “Brunello di Montalcino”.

Pienza (Km. 35)

Originally “Castello di Corsignano”, Pienza took its current name in honor of Pope Pius II Piccolomini, who undertook, in the second half of the 15th century, the restructuring with which the utopian image of the ideal city was tended to materialize. The whole village is a small jewel to be seen, but in particular it is necessary to linger in the Cathedral, which collects works by Giovanni di Paolo, Matteo di Giovanni del Vecchietta, by Sano di Pietro; there is also a marble altar attributed to Rossellino, the architect who was commissioned by Pope Pius II to redesign the city.
Adjacent to the Duomo is the Diocesan Museum, where it is possible to admire works from the Sodoma and Sano di Pietro schools, Flemish tapestries from the 15th and 16th centuries. A few meters away is the beautiful Palazzo Piccolomini, built on a design by Bronzino and of Beccafumi. Downstream of the town the enchanting landscape of the “Val d ‘Orcia Artistic and Cultural Park” develops, with badlands, undulating fields and the famous cretaceous cliffs.

Trequanda (Km. 30)

In one of the most intact areas of the province of Siena is the medieval village of Trequanda. The village developed around a 1200s Castle, of which the imposing crenellated cylindrical tower remains today. Trequanda lies on top of a hill, immersed in a natural environment made of woods and neat cultivation of vineyards and olive trees.
The historic center stands around an airy and sunny square where the splendid Romanesque church dedicated to Saints Peter and Andrew, founded in the thirteenth century, has a facade with ashlars of white and dark stone, reaching a rather rare chromatic effect in this area. Inside there is an Ascension in fresco by Sodoma and a triptych by Giovanni di Paolo.

Chianciano Terme (Km. 40)

Certainly one of the most famous and important spa resorts in Italy; however, always to the waters, the presence of a significant human settlement that would have constituted a large Etruscan-Roman center is probably linked. Important evidence in this regard is the discovery of a monumental thermal complex being excavated in the central location “Mezzomiglio”. Many other finds from the Etruscan and Roman periods, some of which have recently been discovered, are visible in the “Delle Acque” Archaeological Museum. Medieval Chianciano contains the small treasures of Romanesque and Renaissance art: some of these can be admired in the Museum of Sacred Art at the Palazzo dell’Arcipretura.

Bagno Vignoni (Km. 40)

The characteristic that makes this medieval village something unique in the world is its water square, in which the old houses are mirrored. From the large tank, the hot vapors released by the thermal waters create visual effects with an unusual charm that are different according to the seasons. It is from there, from the large tub in the 16th century that Santa Caterina from Siena and Lorenzo de ‘Medici, known as the Magnificent, took a bath that one can admire one of the most suggestive panoramas of the area. The rivulet that still emerges from the huge swimming pool, before going to kiss the Orcia river, once fed the complex system of mills, the remains of which form an archaeological park from which opens an absolutely spectacular view of the valley. Entering Bagno Vignoni means climbing over the wall of time, immersing yourself in a reality out of time.

Chiusi (Km. 45)

Already very important in the Etruscan era, Chiusi experienced its heyday at the time of the legendary King, Porsenna. Very important finds, the result of archaeological excavations that continue successfully even today, are visible at the “National Etruscan Archaeological Museum”. In front of this there is the Cathedral, already existing in the XII century and transformed in 1585; adjacent to the building, the “Cathedral Museum” was established in the 1930s, which houses important finds including precious illuminated missals.
In the area have also been brought to light interesting Etruscan tombs such as that of the Pilgrim, the Monkey, the Lion, and that of the Pania. In these places it is also possible to admire the Catacombs of the Christian era, of Santa Mustiola and of Santa Caterina. In addition to the Catacombs, the so-called “labyrinth of Porsenna” can be visited, consisting of an intricate system of underground tunnels, which leads to the Cistern dating back to the 1st century AD.

Cetona (Km. 50)

Located on the slopes of the mountain of the same name, Cetona preserves the characteristic structure of the Medieval settlements with the alleys and narrow streets winding spiral in the Borgo to culminate in the Rocca. To visit the prehistoric settlement of Belvedere, 40,000 years old. The Civic Museum for the Prehistory of Monte Cetona is interesting, with finds ranging from the Paleolithic to the end of the Bronze Age. In the Church of San Michele Arcangelo (founded in 1155) it is possible to admire some frescoes of the Sienese school and other attributes to Cola Petruccioli; a cycle of frescoes by Pinturicchio is instead preserved in the Church of the Holy Trinity.

Castiglion del Lago (Km. 40)

Located in a promontory – peninsula of Etruscan origin, around the 7th century AD. constituted a formidable defense of the Byzantine Duchy of Perugia. Castiglione was then contested by Arezzo, Cortona, and Perugia, which definitively subdued it. In 1617 Castiglione was elevated to a Duchy until 1648, when the Castiglionese territory was subjected to the Apostolic Chamber. The Rocca del Leone was built in 1247, on a probable project by Friar Elia Coppi, pentagonal in shape with four corner towers and the triangular section keep. The Palazzo della Corgna is part of the ancient Baglioni houses and the existing walls. The proximity between the Palace and the Rocca, connected by a suggestive walkway, gives the whole a typically Feudal character. Of considerable importance is the extensive pictorial decoration of the interior, starting with the interventions by Niccolò Circignani called “Il Pomarancio” which began in 1574.

Camaldoli (Km. 50)

Immersed in the Casentinesi forests, it offers the possibility of relaxing walks surrounded by nature, in a place full of spirituality. In fact, in Camaldoli there is the first convent of the Camaldolesi order (founded in the XI century by San Romualdo). The monastery was above all in the humanistic period, an important center of culture. It housed a famous Academy sponsored by Lorenzo the Magnificent and Leon Battista Alberti. Higher in m. 1104, the Hermitage of Camaldoli rises, the first seat of the order itself, which still retains the original layout with separate cells.

La Verna (Km. 40)

A place rich in spirituality and peace, here is the famous Franciscan Convent, dating back to the century. XIII. In 1213 Count Orlando Gaetani donated the Mount to San Francesco d’Assisi, who went there with some companions to dwell in a cave: here, on September 17, 1224, he would receive the Stigmata. In 1216 Orlando built the small church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, subsequently modified, in the second half of the century there was the Cappella delle Stimmate and in the Secc. XIV and XV the Chiesa Maggiore, with one nave. The three churches preserve precious terracottas by Andrea della Robbia, including an “Adoration of the Child” and an “Annunciation”.