the saint rested on the bare ground. To protect the ground from those who would remove it, a grid was placed there. Chapel of the Stigmata At the end of the Corridor of the Stigmata, are several small rooms. On the right is the Chapel Loddi, with the access to the hermitage. Ahead is the Chapel of the Cross. To the left with the Oratory of St. Anthony, the chapel of St. Bonaventure and St. Sebastian, while on the left the chapel of the Madonna della Scala. At the end is the chapel of the Stigmata, the heart of the sanctuary. It was built around 1263, a nave, covered by a cross vault. On the floor, is marked by a plaque would be the place where the miracle of the stigmata. Above the door is a round of the workshop of Andrea della Robbia and workshop with students of the Madonna and Child blessing, of 1480-1485. On the back wall, is placed a monumental arched blade, always glazed earthenware, depicting the Crucifixion, among angels, with the foot of the Madonna, St. John St. Francis and St. Jerome mourners, followed in 1481 by Andrea della Robbia. This marks the spot where Francis of Assisi is said to have received the first stigmata in Christian history, in 1224. Forest Monumental de La Verna The Forest Monumental de La Verna has been preserved by the Franciscan Friars. They have sought to maintain harmony between man and nature. The forest is a Spruce-Beech forest. Some specimens of up to in height and diameters up to . In the northwest area is the beech forest. The Forest has an extraordinary wealth of plant and the presence of a large wildlife. There are deer, fallow deer, roe deer and wild boar, with their natural predator, the wolf. Bird species are varied with the inclusion of eagle, owl and peregrine falcon. See also Alwernia Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona e Campigna National Park References Mountains of Italy Chiusi della Verna Tourist attractions in Tuscany Churches in the province of Arezzo