A morning of participation and reflection on Monte Titano marked the Spiritual Walk “San Francesco – i passi sul Monte Titano” (St Francis – footsteps on Monte Titano), held on Saturday 8 August as part of celebrations for the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis of Assisi.
The walk set off at 8am from the Church of the Suffrage, in Piazza Mercatale in Borgo Maggiore, before winding through some of the most significant sites in San Marino’s historic centre and surrounding territory.
“The initiative began at 8:00am from the Church of the Suffrage (Piazza Mercatale, Borgo Maggiore) and led participants along an evocative and deeply meaningful route,” reads the statement from the Secretariat of State for Tourism.
Participants climbed the Costa dell’Arnella up to the City, stopping at the Church of Meditation and Silence. The walk then continued towards the Church of St Francis, where a moment of reflection was held with a communal reading of the Canticle of the Creatures.
The group then reached the Basilica of San Marino, before continuing along the route of the Three Towers of San Marino, which also included a visit to the Church of Santa Barbara inside the Guaita Tower. The group returned around 11:30am, bringing the morning to a close.
“The walk was an occasion to bring together spirituality, nature and culture, celebrating the beauty of Creation and the memory of St Francis on Monte Titano,” the organisers noted.
The initiative is part of the programme “San Francesco e la Libertà: 800 anni di Pace, Fraternità e Custodia del Creato” (St Francis and Freedom: 800 Years of Peace, Fraternity and Care for Creation), put together to mark eight centuries since the death of St Francis of Assisi in 1226.
The calendar includes conferences, pilgrimages, concerts and philatelic and numismatic initiatives, aimed at deepening and celebrating the historic bond between the saint and the Republic.
The celebrations, the statement explains, are intended to commemorate “the saint’s passage across Monte Titano and his message of freedom, simplicity and peace — values that remain foundational today.”
The entire programme is supported and patronised by the Secretariat of State for Tourism, which is also focused on promoting spiritual tourism and the network of Franciscan pilgrimage routes.
The goal is to continue “enhancing the network of Franciscan pilgrimage routes, as well as the historical and religious heritage of the Republic of San Marino, investing further in a tourism offer capable of combining spirituality, authenticity and the promotion of the territory, following a path undertaken some time ago to strengthen the Republic’s identity as a destination of quality and meaning.”
The next appointment is set for 29 August, when the walk “Pilgrimage in the Footsteps of San Marino and St Francis” will take place, part of the programme of celebrations for the feast of the Patron Saint.
“Citizens are invited to take part in this moment of sharing and spirituality, intimately linked to the identity-shaping principles and founding values of the history of the Republic of San Marino,” the statement concludes.
