Warm, familiar hospitality, simple yet precise rules, a slow pace that promotes reflection, moments of sharing and of learning, relaxing hours in an oasis of silence and peace. This is Franciscan hospitality, the “core” of an experience of physical and mental well-being and of cultural exchanges between travellers and those who host them; ideally, it brings together 14 Sardinian centres where followers of Saint Francis of Assisi have left traces that cannot be erased. In Gallura, since the early 13th century Franciscans have chosen the landscape of Luogosanto, where, perched among granitic rocks, is the Eremo di San Trano, today a popular pilgrimage site. In the town, the Franciscans built Nostra Signora di Luogosanto, a basilica with a Holy Door privilege, which is home to the queen of Gallura. Visit the sacristy to admire the diocesan museum, with holy items, statues and ex votos, including refined jewels. In their search for isolation, the friars climbed Mount Rasu: you can follow their steps and see the place where Giovanni Parenti, minister of the order after Francis, is likely buried. At Castelsardo, a hamlet perched over the sea, the friar minors of a convent have lived, over 500 years, in the church of Nostra Signora delle Grazie, home to lu Cristu Nieddu, a juniper crucifix that dates back to the 13th century and is blackened by time. At the Meilogu, in Mores, capuchin friars live in the convent of Sant’Antonio, the perfect place to try the Franciscan experience.
