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Pilgrimage to Assisi: October 2012

In the Footsteps of St. Francis

October 12-20, 2012

Join Dr. James Howell for a pilgrimage to Assisi, the Rieti valley, Tuscany and Rome, as we will reflect and pray while visiting the places where St. Francis walked, talked, served and sang.

Day 1 – Depart:

Overnight flight, arriving in Rome the next morning.

Day 2 – Greccio:

Visit the monastery where Francis created history’s first manger scene, with perhaps the world’s greatest collection of crèches. Views of the beautiful hillsides and valleys of Umbria. Late afternoon arrival in Assisi.

Day 3 – Assisi:

See Francis’s birthplace, the font in the Church where he was baptized, San Damiano where Jesus spoke to Francis, and Santa Chiara, where his friend St. Clare is buried; and finally a visit to the basilica where Francis’s story is told in fresco, and where he is buried.

Day 4 – Assisi:

Visit Francis’s favorite church, Santa Maria degli Angeli, which he rebuilt with his own hands; some reflection time together in one of the Franciscan huts at Rivo Torto (adjacent to the British WW II cemetery); and to the top of Mount Subasio to the breathtaking Eremo delle Carceri.

Day 5 – Tuscany:

We will drive past Lake Trasimeno, where Francis lived on the Isola; then to the lovely Cortona, with its unforgettable Franciscan hermitage, and the climax of La Verna, where Francis prayed and received the holy stigmata.

Day 6 – Environs of Assisi:

In the valley we will stop at Pian d’Arca where Francis preached to the birds; Montefalco, the “balcony” of Umbria; and Spello, the most charming of Italian villages.

Day 7 – Visit Spoleto:

On our way back to Rome we will see Spoleto, a crucial location in Francis’s conversion; we will view a note Francis wrote to Brother Leo, and visit the hilltop hostel where Francis lived for some time (and also the Roman aqueduct and medieval churches of the city).

Day 8 – Rome:

We will see the places Francis frequented: San Francesco in Ripa, with its shrine housing the stone pillow on which he slept; the Lateran, where he visited the pope; and Santa Sabina (with the best of all views over the city of Rome) where he befriended St. Dominic.

Day 9 – Return Home

Dr. Howell has visited and led groups to Assisi many times, and is the author of Conversations with St. Francis.

Tour Cost is $2,995 (Single Occupancy – add $600)

The trip includes:

·        Roundtrip airfare and transportation

·        All taxes and gratuities

·        Accommodation in First class hotels. 5 nights Assisi and 2 nights Rome.

·        Entrances to sights in Rome and Umbria

·        Breakfast buffet daily, 1 lunch and 4 dinners

Click here for tour conditions and a printable registration form. For more information, contact Rebecca Kerley at 704-295-4812 or rebecca@mpumc.org.