In the Footsteps of St. Francis
 8
Days / 7 Nights
Day 1: Assisi
Arrival at Fiumicino, meet with your Tour escort. Drive to Assisi, and check
in your reserved hotel. Meet with the Guide for a HD visit, stroll to the Basilica
of St. Francis.
On the way to Assisi's main square, we shall stop at the Chiesa Nuova, built
on the spot of the stable where St. Francis reputedly was born. The church and
the Oratorio of St. Francis occupy the spot of the house where St. Francis was
born. The legend of the stable developed in the Middle Ages in response to the
doctrine of the conformity of life of St. Francis to that of Christ. Brief visit
to the Roman Forum, which lies under a building overlooking the main square,
to the Temple of Minerva, and to the Church that occupies its interior. The
Church of St. Clare to see St. Francis' tunic and a 13th-century painted crucifix.
Dinner & overnight in Assisi.
Day 2: Assisi
After breakfast we will walk to the Rocca, the medieval fortress, a well-preserved
example of medieval military architecture, which looks down from its commanding
position above the town. On our way down to the center of town, we take a pause
in the Duomo, dedicated to San Ruffino, where both Francis and Clare were baptised
later in life as children of God. The convent of San Damiano where St. Clare
settled with the sisters of her order. The bus will meet us near S. Damiano
to take us the 4 kilometers to the Hermitage, where St. Francis retired with
his fellow friars in contemplation and meditation.
On our way to S. Maria degli Angeli, we will stop briefly at the site , where
Francis met a leper and was so overcome by feelings of tender mercy that he
kissed his hand and later went to the leper colony to give money to its members.
After lunch in the town of S. Maria degli Angeli, we will visit the basilica
of the same name. The basilica, built in the 16th century, houses the tiny church
known as the Porziuncola. Return to Assisi. Dinner & overnight in Assisi.
Day 3: Perugia & Cortona
After Breakfast departure to Perugia, where Francis as a young soldier was
imprisoned during a war between Perugia and Assisi. Stroll to Piazza Matteotti
in the area of the prison in which Francis was held. Visit to Piazza 4 Novembre.The
square is graced by a beautiful public fountain of the 13th century. We shall
also visit the beautiful Gothic pubic buildings, in one of which the National
Gallery of Umbria has collected the finest Umbrian medieval and Renaissance
paintings. Lunch in Perugia.
After lunch we proceed to Cortona and the church dedicated to St. Francis by
his disciple Friar Elia, which contains Elia's tomb. Cortona offers us two museums:
The Etruscan Museum, which has a unique piece in the highly carved bronze candelabra,
and the Diocesan Museum, which contains religious works by Luca Signorelli and
Fra Angelico. Outside Cortona we come to the Hermitage of Celle, founded by
Francis in 1211. Drive to Arezzo and check-in at our hotel. Dinner and overnight
in Arezzo.
Day 4 La Verna
All day excursion to the shrine of La Verna, where Francis received the stigmata,
and to the Monastery of Monte Casale, where disciples of St. Francis, under
his guidance, persuaded local bandits to give up their way of life, converting
2 of them to monastic life. Dinner and overnight in Arezzo.
Day 5 Arezzo - Rieti
Visit to the Church of S. Francesco for Piero della Francesca's fresco cycle
of The Legend of the True Cross and a stained glass window that depicts St.
Francis offering roses to Pope Honorius III. Departure for Umbria and the Rieti
area of northern Lazio. Brief stop at the small medieval town of Spello to see
the exquisite Pinturicchio frescoes in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, followed
by a stop at the site between the towns of Cannara and Bevagna, which tradition
has enshrined as the spot where Francis preached to the birds.
After lunch we will stroll through the town of Montefalco, followed by a tour
of the Church of S. Francesco, which has been converted to a museum and contains
a series of frescoes of the 14th and 15th centuries. Drive to Greccio or Rieti
and hotel check-in. Dinner and overnight.
Day 6 Rieti
Francis spent much time in the area around the city of Rieti. Today we will
visit a few of the sites which are important for the role they played in the
life of Francis and the Franciscan Order. These include the hermitages where
the idea of the Franciscan mission first took form, where Francis dictated the
Rule for the Franciscan Order, and where he performed the miracle of turning
water into wine. The tour will culminate in a visit to the hermitage at Greccio,
where Francis in 1223 invented the manger scene using live people and animals.
This manger scene is re-enacted every Christmas Eve and could be included in
tours during the Christmas season. Dinner & overnight in Greccio (or Rieti).
Day 7 Rome
Travel to Rome, check-in at our hotel. Free time for the rest of the day.
Farewell dinner. Christmas Day in St. Peter's square for Christmas season tours.
Dinner and overnight in Rome.
Day 8 Departure
Transfer to Fiumicino airport for departure for home.
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