The history of the Cantico emerges from the stories of the elderly, all united by a common thread: 500 years of history, of life, of passions… There are over 500 circles of the trunks of the centuries-old olive trees that surround us, planted by the friars who laid the first stones of the small monastery, in this privileged space, overlooking the lake, full of energy, near an ancient and evocative source of water that still feeds it today. It is from this spiritual community that the history known to us of this ancient place begins, where the Etruscan findings testify to its vitality since much more distant times, when Mount Penna, which the Cantico dominates austerely, was one of the points of passage on the road between Chiusi and Perugia, 2 of the most illustrious cities of the kingdom of the “Mystical People”.
Purchased in 1800 by the noble Pentini family, a noble family, cited several times in heraldic studies, who, at the end of the 19th century, enlarged the old abandoned monastery, in its current size of a rural village, with the characteristic L shape that makes it unique and singular, compared to the typical shapes of Umbrian-Tuscan farmhouses. For the Pentini family, the place represented a point of rest and recreation, of great hunting trips and dinners with friends, “the favorite place” as the last heir Gianfrancesco, an esteemed doctor and optical surgeon, loved to call it. At their service were numerous families of farmers and sharecroppers who saw, within the walls of the old farmhouse, the birth of their children and made its lands fertile.
Francesco and Monia, the current owners, when they arrived for the first time in June 1999, in the now abandoned ruin for over 50 years, rode their motorbikes along the road in the middle of the woods, now almost closed by the lush vegetation. They were deeply impressed, in addition to the beautiful position, by the unique atmosphere of this place, which combines the austerity of the stone forms with an intact natural environment in a harmony of colors, smells and sound sensations. It seemed like listening, in the rustling of the wind among the olive trees, witnesses of so much history, to the voices of the first monastic community and then of the Pentini and their farmers.
This deep contact, this “call” of the place in search of a new soul, this “love at first sight”, quickly turned into a life choice. Still young engaged and busy with the work of consultants at an international level, in their free time they were always looking for magical places, where they could experience moments as a couple to remember. The purchase of that property, with the enthusiasm and recklessness of the young couple in love, pursued a double dream: that of creating a special place, where lovers could experience a moment of romance and relaxation, and that of changing their lives. It was the place for their future as a couple and family, a choice of Love.
The spirituality of the founding friars has reconnected with the Love of Monia and Francesco who have become the new soul, awaited for 50 years, of this magical place. The ancient village has come back to life with the birth of the Cantico della Natura whose name is not accidental. Cantico means “spiritual sound” a word taken from St. Francis, a saint very dear to us Umbrians. On July 3, 2003, corresponding to the birth of their first daughter Aurora (then followed the following year by Alessandro) the arrival of the first guests: a timeless place transformed into a charming Ecoresort. From that day, every year Monia and Francesco have added a new piece to the village, in a logic of constant growth. From a lifestyle choice it has become a family story where the founding values of Nature, Territory, Well-being and Love remain the elements that still make it a unique place today.
