In the ancient beech forests of Monte Fogliano, a 16th-century holy man, Fra Girolamo Gabrielli from Siena instructed his city’s craftsmen to carve a rock-dwelling from an enormous volcanic boulder. Gabrielli was seeking a place to pray and meditate. He resided in the woods for a few years, from 1525 onwards, before the descent of Landsknecht mercenaries from the Germanic regions of Europe onto Rome. This led to the destruction of the city and interrupted his peaceful, solitary life. According to local lore, the Landksnecht abused him and destroyed his dwelling. Gabrielli…
