Castle of Montauto

Built between 1180 and 1190 on the ruins of a pre-existing Lombard tower, the castle took the name of the rather rugged mountain: Monte Acuto. From the top of this summit, 786 m s.l.m., it dominated all the surrounding territories and was practically impregnable. Precisely for defensive reasons the first tower-fortress building was built, which then underwent many transformations over the centuries. In the thirteenth century the castle has hosted several times Francis of Assisi in his pilgrimage to La Verna: the small chapel that still exists was the place of prayer of the young friar and until 1503 has hosted the cassock that he donated to Count Alberto Barbolani during his last trip from La Verna, where he had received the stigmata, to Assisi, where he died in the night between 3 and 4 October 1226. In 1503, during the clashes between Arezzo and the Florentine Republic, the castle was taken with deception from the Florentines and the cassock was brought to Florence where it remained until a few years ago, when it was placed inside the chapel of the relics in the Basilica of the Sanctuary of La Verna. In addition to the beauty of the building, noteworthy is the suggestion that arouses the exceptional panorama that embraces the entire Valtiberina from above.