 He soon became aware of the hermit life which was re-emerging in the order during that period and so joined a hermitage in Civitella (present Bellegra) where he lived until his death except for a brief period of time in which he was the guardian of a hermitage he founded in Palombara modeled after the one in Civitella.Fra Tommaso followed the model of hermit life that Francis of Assisi had established in that he did not remain enclosed within the hermitage but would instead go out preaching in the small villages throughout the region.He became known for his simple and clear manner of preaching the messages of the Gospel and came to be called dubbed as the "Apostle of the Sublacense".