Cannara is a small municipality of about 4,200 inhabitants located at the center of the Umbra Valley, along the left bank of the Topino River. According to tradition, the name "Cannara" derives from the abundance of reed beds-spontaneous vegetation that once grew in the marshy areas of the Topino River and still persists today.

The first settlements, according to historians, date back to around the year 1000, following reclamation works carried out by the Benedictines, whose presence is evidenced by the many abbeys in the surrounding territories.

In the early 1200s it was a fortified castle defended by high walls; it later became a municipality with an urban and territorial identity strong enough to enter into conflict with the expansionist ambitions of nearby Assisi.

Recognizing its inferiority in strength against the city of Saint Francis, the Council decided to submit to Perugia in exchange for protection, becoming a fief of the powerful Baglioni family, who ruled until 1648, the year of the death of Malatesta V, the last descendant of the dynasty.

It later became part of the Papal States until the founding of the Kingdom of Italy.

Cannara was one of the favorite destinations of Saint Francis: here he founded the Third Order, a group of laypeople committed to living according to Franciscan principles; just outside the historic center, in Piandarca, the famous miracle of the "Sermon to the Birds" took place.

Today the first open-air Franciscan sanctuary stands on this site.