Tour Dates:
April 25 to May 16, 2025
This pilgrimage is a unique opportunity to visit sites important in the lives of St Francis and St Clare of Assisi. You will visit well-known places in Italy, and travel to other, less-visited sites.
Arrive Venice airport. Depart airport with assistant. Take boat from Venice Airport to Madonna dell’Orto dock. Check into Casa Cardinal Piazza. Rest of day at leisure to relax and acclimatise. Dinner and overnight. Welcome meeting in the chapel.
Breakfast. Today take a private boat transfer from Madonna dell’orto dock to Isola del Deserto. Visit to the monastery where St Francis stayed; San Francesco del Deserto – the visit will be led by the monks. When St Francis arrived here he was greeted by a flock of singing birds ‘his sister birds’ who he asked to stop so he and the brother he was with could hear themselves talking. When he left he had planted his walking stick there which later turned into a pine tree. The tree then withered away in 1701 but a statue of St Francis was made from its trunk and placed in the church. In a corner of the island you can see a small shrine which contains the remains of the tree in the exact spot where he stood. After this visit to Burano (private boat transfer approx. 5 min) for some free time and lunch (at own cost). Continue to Torcello, the island with the mosaics for visit. Return by private boat to Madonna dell’Orto or San Marco. Dinner and overnight at Casa Cardinal Piazza.
Breakfast. Free day to explore Venice at leisure. Dinner on own. Overnight Casa Cardinal Piazza.
Breakfast. Private transfer from Madonna dell’Orto to Tronchetto. Bus transfer to train station. Train from Venice to Florence. Depart Florence train station with bus - panoramic city tour with stop in Ple Michelangelo. Transfer to Sanctuary Firenze for check in. Dinner at leisure. Overnight.
Breakfast. Full day in Florence. Morning tour with local guide. Visit on this day to Uffizi, Duomo and Academia (Michaelangelo’s David). Dinner at leisure. Overnight Sanctuary Firenze.
Breakfast. Full day use of bus for visit La Verna. In Summer 1224, St Francis went to the mountain retreat of La Verna to celebrate the feast of the Assumption of the blessed Virgin Mary and to prepare for St Michaels day by fasting for 40 days. A mountain known as La Verna was given to St Francis as a gift in 1213. A small chapel was built in 1218 which was named Our Lady of the Angels in response to a vision given to St Francis in which the blessed Virgin Mary indicated not only the site where it was to be built, but the dimensions as well. In 1224, St Francis came back to La Verna to pray and fast, this is when he received the Stigmata (wounds of Christ).This 13th century church was built after the apparition of the Virgin to St Francis and houses several relics of the saint; of special interest to pilgrims is the habit worn by St Francis when the stigmata occurred, two years before he died. The chapel is built on the site of St Francis stigmata episode. The friars from the monastery walk in procession from the Church of Santa Maria to the Chapel of the Stigmata twice a day. Continue to Passignano Sul Trasimeno for dinner and overnight.
Breakfast. Depart with bus to Trasimeno Lake. Ferry crossing from Passignano sul Trasimeno to Isola Maggiore for visit. Return to mainland and continue to Assisi. Bus will drop off in Porta Nuova (approx. 5 minute walk). Check into St Anthony’s Guesthouse. Use of meeting room for group briefing – Sala Santa Chiara. Dinner at leisure. Overnight.
Breakfast. Visits arranged by John and Jenny on this day. Guided visit to Basilican San Francisco. Overnight St Anthony’s Guesthouse.
Breakfast. Visits arranged by John and Jenny on this day. Overnight St Anthony’s Guesthouse.
Breakfast. Visits arranged by John and Jenny on this day. Overnight St Anthony’s Guesthouse.
Breakfast. Visits arranged by John and Jenny on this day. Overnight St Anthony’s Guesthouse.
Breakfast. Visits arranged by John and Jenny on this day. Overnight St Anthony’s Guesthouse.
Breakfast. Visits arranged by John and Jenny on this day. Overnight St Anthony’s Guesthouse.
Breakfast. Visits arranged by John and Jenny on this day. Overnight St Anthony’s Guesthouse.
Depart Assisi with bus to Gubbio. Tour the town where St Francis is said to have made peace between the townsfolk and the wolf. Return to Assisi. Overnight St Anthony’s Guesthouse.
Breakfast. Depart Assisi and transfer to Rieti Valley – visit Poggio Bustone sanctuary in the late morning. Lunch in Rieti at own cost. Afternoon visit La Foresta Sanctuary. Dinner and overnight Hotel Serena.
Breakfast. Visit with bus to Fonte Colombo Sanctuary in the morning. Lunch in Rieti at own cost. Afternoon bus to Greccio Sanctuary. Dinner and overnight hotel Serena
Breakfast. Depart with bus to Monasterio San Benedetto Subiaco for guided visit. Free time for lunch in Subiaco. Continue by bus to St John Lateran in Rome. Continue for check in at Domus Internationalis Paulus VI for overnight . Dinner at accommodation. Evening meeting in the chapel. Overnight
Breakfast. Day organised by John and Jenny. Overnight Domus Internationalis Paulus VI
Breakfast. Time at leisure. Overnight Domus Internationalis Paulus VI Evening use of chapel
Breakfast. Day organised by John and Jenny. Overnight Domus Internationalis Paulus VI
Breakfast. Check out.
