We travel by air from London to Rome, where there will be a coach transfer to Rieti. Rieti is the capital of this province of the Rome region and its history dates back to pre-Roman times. The historical centre is very pleasant with a Romanesque cathedral. It was to Rieti that the Popes fled to on several occasions during the Middle Ages when uprisings flared up in Rome. St. Francis came to Rieti, summoned by Cardinal Ugolino (who later as Pope Gregory IX canonised him) and where doctors sought to treat his illnesses. Check into our hotel in Rieti for a four-night stay. Dinner will be in our hotel on each evening of our pilgrimage.

After breakfast we leave Rieti and cross the valley, climbing up to the sanctuary of Greccio. After returning from the Middle East, St. Francis was more convinced than ever of the need to communicate to everyone the personal connection that we can all have with Jesus Christ and so he asked permission of Pope Honorius to celebrate the vigil Mass of Christmas in a very special way. In a cave on the hillside Francis brought live animals to create what is now popularly called the first nativity scene but the real intention was to convey the greatness of God sending us His only Son. Mass will be celebrated in the new church and there will be a tour of the grotto, the communal areas of Francis’ community and the later buildings added fifty years later.
There will be time for lunch in the pretty village of Greccio and then we will continue by coach to Fonte Colombo, often titled ‘the Franciscan Sinai’. Fonte Colombo poignantly records one of the most painful periods towards the end of Francis’ life, not only on account of his physical sickness but because of the internal disagreements over its structure that were beginning within the Franciscan movement. It was here that more than one unsuccessful attempt was made to operate on his eyes and where he also had to agree to compromise his ideals in the drawing up of the third version of the rule of his order.

We start today with a visit to the sanctuary of Poggio Bustone, which is again situated high above the valley in a scenic position and is associated with the central Christian teaching of forgiveness. Although Francis’ devotion to and love of Christ never wavered, he experienced times of struggle and difficulty with his faith and this is clearly demonstrated at Poggio Bustone, where early on in his ministry he wrestled with the basic fear that he was a sinful man who could not expect God to forgive him continuously. However, it was in this place that he received the consolation that God’s love was extended infinitely to each and every one of us. Mass will be celebrated here and then we continue to the small but picturesque lake of Piediluco, where after time for lunch we can see one of the first churches dedicated to St. Francis. On the return journey to Rieti we stop at the sanctuary of Santa Maria della Foresta, where at the time of Francis there was a small chapel dedicated to San Fabiano and where he stayed with the priest for some rest. However, crowds soon flocked to see and hear St. Francis and the priest became worried at the thought of his vineyards being trodden under foot! Francis, reading the mind of the priest, assured him that he would be well rewarded if he allowed him to stay and preach and naturally there was a bumper crop of grapes that year. A short tour will show us the original chapel that Francis would have known and the area he would have lived in but what we also see here is a living example of the work of Francis, as Santa Maria della Foresta is now run by a group of the Mondo X lay community which seeks to help those recovering from drug abuse, alcoholism, depression and other modern ills.

Driving North from Rieti we pass through some spectacular scenery before reaching the city of Spoleto where first of all we go up to the sanctuary of Monteluco, which had been the site of a very early hermitage founded in the 5th century by Isaac of Antioch. St. Francis must have also spotted the benefits for meditation in this cool and shady spot where he located yet another site which would be perfect for seclusion from the world below and offer the opportunity to work for ever closer union with Christ. Monteluco presents us with a more authentic picture than many of the sanctuaries, and it has retained its very simple form, where the church is prominent and the rest is insignificant and overpowered by the beauty of the natural surroundings. In the afternoon there will be time to discover the beautiful city of Spoleto, where Francis, as a young man abandoned his quest for knighthood and glory in battle. Through a dream Francis received God’s message that the fighting intended for him was of a different nature entirely and so he returned to Assisi. Spoleto’s ancient past speaks out loud and clear as one walks through its streets and passes a great Roman arch, Roman house, medieval palaces and one of the finest Romanesque churches in Umbria and of course a splendid cathedral. In the diocesan museum there is also a Franciscan treasure, a letter from St. Francis to Brother Leo, one of the few surviving examples of his handwriting.

After breakfast we transfer to the airport and check in for the return flight to London.