Top 5 Caves ピエーヴェサントステファノでの

A nasty crevice in the rock, wet and cold.

The name of this place is linked to the local tradition of using caves for food preservation. The rocks and the shade of the forest help to isolate the cavities from the outside, maintaining a constant low temperature. It was also common to fill the caves with snow during the winter to increase their cooling power during the warmer months. Even today it is possible to appreciate the difference in temperature between the outside and the inside, especially during the summer.

173rd excursion and 2nd time in Chiusi della Verna | double ring to the Sanctuary of La Verna and Monte Penna ══════════════════ 👇 here is the video in 4K 👇 https://youtu.be/U1nO_QpZuQg?si=CGt6YMxEL0ZQf5YR ══════════════════ In the late 1980s, David Badii, a young Franciscan novice, resided in the Sanctuary of La Verna and often retreated to the Monumental Forest to pray. On an evening when he did not return to the convent, the brothers began to worry and feared the worst. Unfortunately, their fears proved to be well founded when the young friar was found dead in the woods. A large boulder, forming a cavity presumably used by the friar for prayer, is now known as Fra' David's Cave. This place can be reached on foot from the Sanctuary and still houses the young friar's sandals today, together with a plaque commemorating his life. adapted from https://tuscanyplanet.com/santuario-della-verna/

The exact translation of the rock cave is: “The Ice Box” and that’s exactly how it feels when you get closer. In the past, people used such caves to store food.

The so-called "Sasso Spicco" (Outstanding Rock) is one of the places where St. Francis liked to pray during his visits to La Verna. The legends say that God revealed to Francis that this strange fissure arose at the hour when Jesus Christ died on Golgotha, as the Evangelist reports, and the rocks split. (Matt 27:14).

There are several chapels along the 78 meter long corridor from the basilica to the Chapel of the Stigmata, which is called Corridoio delle stimmate (“Corridor of the Stigmata”). The corridor was built so that the daily procession to the Chapel of the Stigmata could be carried out in any weather. In the middle of the aisle is the so-called “Bed of St. Francis”, a damp and cold grotto (Letto di S. Francesco). St. Francis rested on a smooth surface covered by an iron grille.

place of prayer of the saint, used in his first visits to La Verna

Old icebox still working. The effect is obviously more recognizable in the summer months.