The Shrine of Verna is one of the dearest worship places to the followers and the believers of Saint Francis from Assisi, because it is on the mountain where, according to tradition, the saint got the stigmata in 1224. Before getting there, you walk on a stretch of road overlooking the landscape around the valley. The sanctuary is 1128 metres above sea level and dominates the whole area of Casentino.

It is told that Francis of Assisi, together with the faithful friar Leone, was crossing Montefeltro when he decided to make a little detour to reach a feast in the castle of Saint Leo and thus have the chance to meet people and preach the Gospel. On that occasion there was the meeting with Orlando Catani, the count of Chiusi, who, at the end of the sermon, asked and got a private meeting with that young orator that had impressed him so much. After having met him and having received a positive impression, the count offered the saint the mount of Verna as a gift.
Francis particularly liked this place and took often refuge there to pray and meditate in solitude. In 1224, when he wasn't the head of his order anymore, the saint made his last visit at the mount of Verna. Pleased with having received the recognition from pope Onorio IV, but also tired and sick, he ha retired to that solitary place to pray. It was then that he got the stigmata, around September 14^th.
In the 13^th century the building works for the convent had already started. The small church of Saint Maria degli Angeli, desired by Saint Francis himself, testifies the first group of the whole complex. It was originally made up by wooden huts, but it was then turned into masonry and the church was consecrated. Between 1348 and 1568 the Basilica Maggiore was built, where the terracotta of Andrea della Robbia and several relics are now preserved. In 1604 the Chapel of Birds was built in the place where, according to the legend, many birds gathered to welcome the first visit of Francis on the mountain.
The Sanctuary, articulated on the whole and well preserved, is surrounded by the natural beauties of the mount Verna. In fact, it stands inside a wood of beeches, firs, maples and ashes. Such a variety of plants and trees has kept thanks to the habits of the Franciscans that lived on Verna and used to exploit the soil and the resources around the convent properly. The forest, crossed by trekking and climbing paths, has been included in the National Park of the Mount Falterona, Campigna and the Casentinesi forests since 1994.