By car or van depending on the number of participants
ENGLISH SPEAKING DRIVER
In this tour we leave large cities to discover small towns of real Italy.
We will drive through medieval villages which are typical of the Italian architecture and landscapes in the UMBRIA region.
Our first stop will be ASSISI, where we will visit places connected to the Patron Saints of ITALY: ST. FRANCIS and ST. CLARE. First stop will be Church San Damian where the story of young Francis Bernardone started.
Saint Damian was the church where St. Francis heard the voice of Jesus who spoke from the cross: “Rebuild my church!” Church that will become the first monastery of the Clarisse and where St. Clare lived until her last days. After visiting Saint Damian we will go to the Basilica of St. Clare to pay homage to the tomb of the saint and also to appreciate some of her relics and objects that used to belong to her during her earthly life.
We will continue with the visit of the fatherly home of Saint Francis in order to see the cell where he was chained by his father Pietro Bernardone and the site chosen by his mother Pica to take the world to the little Francis.
After a walk through the medieval streets of Assisi, we will arrive at the Basilica de St. Francis to pay homage to the tomb of the patron saint of Italy and admire the two basilicas: the superior and the inferior one, built to celebrate the life and glory of brother Francis, buildings decorated with beautiful frescoes by the most famous painters of the period (especially GIOTTO and CIMABUE).
Free time for lunch and shopping.
After lunch we will go to the hermitage of jail (Santuary), on the top of Mount Subasio. This is where St. Francis of Assisi and his followers used to retire for religious contemplation and prayer.
Leaving the hometown of St. Francis and St. Clara we will stop at the first aggregation of the Franciscans, where they received authorization from Pope Innocent III: the Sanctuary of Rivotorto, where the Franciscans officially launched the religious life of the order. Later, we will reach the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, built to protect the remains of the first Franciscan convent “La Porziúncula” which accommodated the first Franciscans and St. Francis until the end of his days (Capilla del Transito).
Return trip to Rome.
ASSISI AND ORVIETO OPTION
If you want to visit also ORVIETO – Orvieto Cathedral which houses the relic of the Eucharistic miracle “CORPUS DOMINE” and the famous chapel of San Brizio with fresh Luca Signorelli “THE LAST JUDGMENT” – we will reduce the time of the visit of Assisi and include the visit of Orvieto.
ASSISI AND PERUGIA OPTION
PERUGIA, capital of the UMBRIA region, features a beautiful historic center, a gate/arch dating back to the II century BC of the Etruscan period, medievales palaces and art.