The Circuit of Chapels is an itinerary that winds around the Abbey of Vallombrosa and invites you to stop at historic chapels and tabernacles. These include the Chapel of the Holy Beech, named after the tree that according to legend gave shelter to the Saint Giovanni Gualberto, the founder of Vallombrosa. Not far away is Paradisino (the Hermitage of the Cells) with a panorama that on clear days includes Florence.
The walking itinerary of the 10 chapels and tabernacles takes about 3 hours (approx. 4.6 km).
We walk past the large water basin beside the Abbey and we follow the paved road (direction Consuma). We come to a short path on our left that leads to the Chapel "del Masso del Diavolo" of the Devil's rock. Going back we reach the parking area of the Abbey and left we find the sign marked Paradisino. We follow the uphill path that leads us onto the San Torello Chapel, the Chapel of St. John Gualbert's rock followed by the Chapel of the Columns and finally the Chapel of the Blessed Migliore.
We arrive at Paradisino and we stop here to admire the splendid view of Vallombrosa, the forest, and the Arno valley. As we follow the paved road downhill where the road bends we find a short stone path on the left. This leads us to the Chapel "del Faggio Santo" of the Holy Beech. Going on along the paved road and downhill we find on the left a non-paved area where a path leads to the Chapel of St. Catherine, and then again along the road to the Chapel of St. Jerome. Now we are again close to the Abbey. If we walk downhill the large road just in front of the Abbey and direction Tosi, we reach the signs to the Chapel of St. John Gualbert's spring. Not far you'll see a tall rock pillar with a cross on its top - the Cross of the plague erected in 1790. A circular path leads us to the St. Sebastian's tabernacle, and then again to the large road to the Abbey. Along this road, we find a large meadow, which is very popular in summer when people seek relief from the heat.
The route is mostly uphill with physical obstacles.
