The 64 hectare Woods of St. Francis with its forest tracts, cultivated fields, walls of pink stone, clearings and olive groves can be reached from the square in front of the Basilica Superiore in Assisi.
Amid hornbeam, juniper, maple and downy oak trees, is the bed of the River Tescio with evidence of a nearby microcosm inhabited by Benedictine nuns in the 13th and 14th centuries: a convent (now home to a FAI information point); the Romanesque Church of Santa Croce; a mill that was operational until the early 20th century (now housing a trattoria); the remains of a hospital that treated the diseased and passing pilgrims; and an ancient 14th-century tower erected to defend an early factory.
Its peak offers an admirable view of the “Third Paradise”, a piece of land art by renowned artist Michelangelo Pistoletto, featuring 121 olive trees arranged in a double row to form three large, tangential circles (of which the central one is the largest), and a 12-metre-high pole to symbolise the union between heaven and earth. The Wood was donated to FAI by Intesa Sanpaolo in 2008.
FAI - Fondo Ambiente Italiano
Via Carlo Foldi 2 - 20135 Milano
Phone: +39 02 46 76 15 393
Email: m.pizzorni@fondoambiente.it
