Festival of the Paths of Saint Francis — Pieve Santo Stefano Stage

The Festival of the Paths of Saint Francis in Pieve Santo Stefano

The Festival of the Paths of Saint Francis is a major travelling event that, over seven weekends between April and May, traverses the Valtiberina following the trails once walked by Saint Francis of Assisi. Promoted by the Progetto Valtiberina Foundation, the festival visits numerous municipalities in the area—including Sansepolcro, Anghiari, Caprese Michelangelo, Citerna, Monterchi, and, naturally, Pieve Santo Stefano, in the Province of Arezzo, Tuscany—as well as symbolic stops in Florence, Arezzo, Perugia, and Assisi.

A day between walking and culture

The Pieve stage follows the festival's established format, alternating morning hikes immersed in nature with afternoon meetings for cultural exploration. It is a way to experience the Valtiberina region not only with your feet, along the paths that climb towards hermitages and woods, but also with your mind, through dialogues on spiritual, ethical, and contemporary themes.

Cerbaiolo, the "Little Verna"

The hiking heart of the Pieve Santo Stefano stage is the walk towards the Cerbaiolo hermitage, a Franciscan site dear to local memory, so much so that an ancient saying goes: "If you have seen La Verna and not Cerbaiolo, you have seen the mother and not the son." The hiking loop, accompanied by volunteers from the Circolo degli Esploratori, starts from the town centre and leads walkers into a rugged and evocative landscape, suspended between the three rivers of the Holy Valley.

Cultural dialogue at the Papini Theatre

The afternoon moves to the Giovanni Papini Municipal Theatre, where the festival proposes meetings on themes of great civil and human importance. The Pieve day thus maintains its dual nature: the physical experience of the walk and shared reflection, in the spirit of hospitality and fraternity that inspires the entire event.

A festival in the sign of Saint Francis

The Festival of the Paths of Saint Francis is much more than a series of events: it is an invitation to rediscover the Valtiberina as a land of spirituality, silence, and community. The 2026 edition is linked to the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis, with a programme that ideally traverses the Saint's life and his message of peace and respect for creation. For Pieve Santo Stefano, a small mountain town also famous for its Diary Archive, it is an opportunity to welcome visitors and walkers on one of the most intense days of the spring calendar.