Caprese Michelangelo is a little centre of tourism placed on a hogsback of the
Appennines, a 653 m above sea level, surrounded by an area of outstanding
natural beauty, typical of the high Tiber, valley. The meadowlands and sweet-
chestnut woods are ideal for walking, riding or just relaxing. Caprese
Michelangelo, however, is not just an attractive place: it is here that nature
and history fuse into an integral part of great art. For it was here, in the
house of his father, the Podesta /Squire), that Michelangelo Buonarroti was born
in 1475 and in the tiny Church of San Giovanni that he was baptised. The village
was by then under the dominion of Florence, but its origins go back a long way:
the ancient cultures of Liguria, Umbria and Etruria all existed here, and there
are also traces of Roman times in the via Ariminensis. Reliable historians
maintain that Totila, King of the Goths, died here in 552 AD. There are
historical documents from the era of Lombard rule which refer to the pluteus
discovered during restoration work on the Church of San Cristoforo. In the
Buonarroti house and gardens is a collection of modern sculpture and casts of
the great artists work.
During recent years
Caprese Michelangelo has organised annual seminars for the
study of the Art of Fresco. In the surrounding woodlands are wild strawberries,
blackberries, mushrooms, and above all, sweet chestnuts which give rise to the
Chestnut Festival in October. In the mountains nearby you can visit many
charming places and also follow the ridges of the "Alpe di Catenaia" where St.
Francis walked from Monte Casale to La Verna. It is on this track that the
Ermitage of Casella was founded in memory of the saint's last fare well to La
Vera. Also nearby are churches of great historical interest: the ancient Abbey
of Tifi, the church of San Cristoforo at Monna and the Pieve di San
Cassiano.
At
Caprese Michelangelo there is tourist accommodation available in hotels, farm
holiday, farmhouse, residence self-catering accommodation, b&b, rooms for rent,
holiday homes, camp sites and tourist villages.
