Concealed by a lush oak forest that rhythms the countryside of Petrognano and reached on foot via a short and pleasant path, St. Catherine's Spring is a magical place between nature and prodigy.
Also known as Fonte del Latte and Sacra Fonte di Petrognano, the spring dedicated to St. Catherine of Siena and adorned with pools and a votive shrine, has been famous for centuries for its alleged miraculous qualities. As witnessed by the experiences of St. Catherine of Siena, St. Ignatius and women giving birth in the Florentine area, waters with healing and galactogenic properties, i.e., that stimulate milk production, flow from there. It is said that the saint, around 1370, saved herself from severe bronchopneumonia by drinking the spring's water, while St. Ignatius recovered from a fever after ingesting it. The spring also had a beneficial influence on women who had just given birth and hoped to increase milk for their unborn child by drinking from it.
