Prince Albert II follows in Princess Grace’s footsteps in Tuscany
Prince Albert II, with the friars from the La Verna sanctuary © Axel Bastello / Prince's Palace
A poignant double tribute.
This weekend, Prince Albert II travelled to Tuscany to visit the sanctuary of La Verna, in the province of Arezzo, and the medieval village of Rondine.
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At La Verna, the Sovereign was accompanied by Anne Eastwood, Monaco’s Ambassador to Italy, Brother Guido Fineschi, Guardian of the sanctuary, and Brother David Gagrcic, the house Vicar.
A place where nature and spirituality meet, and where Saint Francis of Assisi received the stigmata on 17 September 1224. Prince Albert II paid tribute to Italy’s patron saint for the eight-hundredth anniversary of the event.
The Prince’s Palace adds that “Francis of Assisi embodies values that align perfectly with the Sovereign’s commitment to protecting the environment and biodiversity,” as the author of the famous “Canticle of Creatures” was named the patron saint of ecologists by Pope John Paul II in 1979.
But the visit had another, more personal dimension, as Princess Grace and her elder daughter, Princess Caroline, had also made the trip to the La Verna sanctuary during a pilgrimage by Monegasque scouts in the summer of 1968. 42 years to the day after her death, Prince Albert II was able to see the archives of his mother’s visit to Tuscany.
The Sovereign then visited the “Rondine Cittadella della Pace” in the medieval village of Rondine, an organisation dedicated to reducing armed conflict and promoting a culture of peace throughout the world.
The Principality has supported the non-profit’s actions for many years, and last year joined its “Leaders for Peace” appeal to the United Nations. The appeal encourages nations to invest in the training of future world leaders for peace and to educate the younger generations about human rights from school age, says the Prince’s Palace press release.