A Natural Love: Cosimo III's journey to Vallombrosa

E stimò maraviglia non ordinaria l’osservazione fatta da me, in considerare che questi luoghi, così sotterranei di caverne, aperture dentro al vivo di detti massi, che mai vi penetra il sole, tutti puliti, senza vedervi immondizia né segno di ragno alcuno, e cose simili Sua Altezza non tralasciò in tutti questi santi luoghi di pigliare l’indulgenze concesse e confermate da varii pontefici, conforme che il padre raccontava.

 – Cosimo Prie, Manservant of His Highness Cosimo III, Tuesday, 20 July 1665

English translation:

“It is extraordinary to consider these locations – so deep beneath the Earth that the Sun doesn’t reach, untouched, untainted, and absent of all human waste. Not even a spider resides within these caverns. His Highness recognizes the privileges afforded to the visitors of these locations.” 

In 1665, Cosimo III de’Medici, Prince to the Medici dynasty, five years prior to the beginning to his fifty-three-year reign as Grand Duke of Tuscany, was overcome with a desire to wander the winding paths his family’s dynasty had established. As an intern at the Medici Archive Project in Florence, Italy – a non-profit organization dedicated to revitalizing the lives of the Medici family stored in millions of century-old documents – my 18 months of work culminated in my translating this special account of Cosimo III’s journey across Tuscany. Visiting the sacred pilgrimage destinations of Vallombrosa, Alvernia, and Camaldoli, even 400 years ago, Cosimo’s journey is evidence of the effect the natural world had on people’s emotions and states of mind. As he walked in the footsteps of his religious idols, such as San Francesco d’Assisi, Cosimo observed within himself the gradual unfurling of an appreciation for the untouched and untainted natural world. In this instance, when the Prince traces the journey of San Francesco, visiting the caverns the Saint walked through, Cosimo III feels a deep sense of appreciation for his environment. Cosimo’s connection to his natural surroundings and this subsequent state of mind are reminiscent of the concepts of psychogeography and biophilia that I’ve been exploring. His sudden need to explore the region and his appreciation for that escape is evident in his realization of the beauty of the natural world. 

Having worked closely with Cosimo III's journals, I felt a need to explore and better understand the region he visited. In the spring of 2024, I took a road trip with my sister and father to visit Vallombrosa and see for myself. About an hour drive east of the city of Florence, I watched as the environment changed rather suddenly from carefully cultivated cypresses to looming, wild fir forests. On a quiet sunny Saturday morning, we explored the 11th century abbey’s garden and chapel. We hiked to their observatory and peered out over the surrounding landscape’s serenity. The air was crisp and I felt far from Florence, both physically and mentally. Once again, I found a true example of how the natural environment can alter a person’s sense of identity and emotion. My visit to Vallombrosa allowed me to realize what I had previously only imagined from reading Cosimo Prie’s recountings:

Il monasterio si trova essere fabbrica molto bella, situato in un poco di piano fatto dalla natura, in mezzo a monti, pien d’abeti e boschi dilettevoli, facciata maestosa, chiesa assai bella, et appartamenti molto comodi, prato grande avanti la facciata con peschiera da una banda grandissima piena di pesci et acqua abbondante, luogo in vero [c. 318v / c. 4v] che in quella solitudine arreca meraviglia.

– Cosimo Prie, Manservant of His Highness Cosimo III, Saturday, 18 July 1665

English translation: 

“The abbey maintains a beautiful garden, nestled between mountains and situated near charming fir forests. The monastery boasts a majestic facade, a serene chapel, comfortable living quarters, and a large front lawn with a fish pond. This kind of solitude draws forth admiration.

Indeed the serenity of the monastery of Vallombrosa served as a pocket of time, a view into the past. It’s incredibly easy to imagine the appreciation Cosimo III felt during his visit. The eternal allure of the natural world of Vallombrosa and its surrounding areas possessed both Cosimo III in 1665 and me in 2024. It is a spectacular spot in the world and a true sanctuary.