Italy – Pax et Bonum

Today, we board our flights to Florence and do our best to get some rest as we anticipate our arrival the following morning.

Upon arrival in Florence, we transfer to our hotel for rest after travel. In the evening, we gather for a sung Mass and a Welcome Dinner as we begin the pilgrimage together.

On our first full day in Italy, we travel to nearby Lucca, long known as the “City of One Hundred Churches.” Our visit includes the Basilica di San Frediano, San Michele in Foro, and the Duomo di San Martino, home to the venerated “Holy Face of Lucca.” The afternoon is spent at leisure, free to wander the medieval streets before returning to Montecatini for the night.

After a short drive into the city, we begin our time in Florence with a private Mass. Our group will then disperse to experience the various optional tours offered below. After some time for lunch, we will have several hours to explore Florence to our own individual tastes before returning to our hotel in Montecatini.

Departing Florence, we make our way to the hilltop town of Cortona. Set on the border of Tuscany and Umbria, Cortona has held a central place in local life for nearly three millennia starting the with Etruscans, then the Romans, and now the Italians. 

We begin with the Stations of the Cross, prayed along the traditional path ascending to the Basilica of St. Margaret of Cortona, honoring the 13th-century penitent whose life of conversion and charity shaped the town’s spiritual identity.

After completing the Stations, we celebrate Mass in the basilica, followed by a peaceful afternoon in Cortona to explore its churches, museums, and winding streets at a personal pace. Later in the afternoon, we travel onward into Umbria, arriving in Assisi for the evening, our home for the next 5 nights.

We begin our day with a guided introduction to Assisi, whose quiet streets, stone piazzas, and hillside sanctuaries preserve the world of St. Francis and St. Clare with remarkable clarity. Our tour includes the Basilica of St. Francis, home to Giotto’s famous fresco cycle, and the Basilica of St. Clare, where the San Damiano Cross is kept. Along the way, we encounter the places where these saints prayed, taught, and formed the early communities that transformed Christian life in the 13th century.

After lunch, those who wish may join an optional visit to San Damiano, the small church where Francis heard the call to “rebuild my Church” and where Clare shaped the early life of the Poor Clares. Set amid olive groves on the lower slope of the mountain, San Damiano offers a quiet space for reflection and a direct connection to the origins of Franciscan spirituality.

The remainder of the afternoon is free to explore Assisi’s cafés, small shops, and hillside viewpoints.

Today we travel through the Umbrian countryside to Norcia, birthplace of Sts. Benedict and Scholastica, whose way of life shaped the spiritual and cultural foundations of the West.

Our visit centers on the Monastery of St. Benedict, where the monks live the Rule in its fullness — ora et labora, prayer and work. We will tour the monastery, celebrate Mass, and learn about the rhythms of monastic life preserved in this ancient valley.

In addition to our time in the church and cloister, we will have the rare opportunity to meet the monastery’s brewmaster and see the monks’ brewing operation, renowned for its exceptional Trappist-style beers. Rooted in centuries-old monastic practice, the brewery is an expression of Benedictine craftsmanship, discipline, and hospitality.

We conclude with time to explore the peaceful town of Norcia — set amid the picturesque Sibylline mountains — before returning to Assisi.

Our pilgrimage continues to Orvieto, a medieval city dramatically perched on a volcanic plateau. Here we visit the Cathedral of Orvieto, home of the 1263 Eucharistic Miracle of Bolsena, in which a consecrated Host bled onto the corporal. The cathedral’s façade and frescoes are among Italy’s greatest artistic achievements, and our guided visit will introduce the beauty and theology expressed in its sacred art.

After Mass and a regional lunch featuring Orvieto Classico wines, the afternoon offers time for personal exploration — walking the narrow medieval lanes, visiting local artisans, or simply taking in the town’s striking views — before returning to Assisi.

After several days filled with travel, sacred sites, and rich encounters, today offers a deliberate pause — a day set apart for quiet, recollection, and deeper spiritual grounding. Under the guidance of Bishop William Waltersheid, we enter into a full retreat shaped by the wisdom of St. Benedict, St. Francis, St. Clare, and the saints of Umbria, allowing the fruits of our pilgrimage thus far to take root.

Throughout the day, pilgrims participate in a structured rhythm of teaching, prayer, silence, and guided reflection, shaped by the themes that united these saints across the centuries: conversion of life, stability of heart, poverty in spirit, joyful penance, and the renewal of the Church through holiness.

The setting of Assisi — with its chapels, hillside paths, and centuries-old places of prayer — offers an atmosphere especially suited to quiet, recollection, and interior renewal.

In the evening, Floriani will perform a special concert hosted by the Basilica of St. Clare! Afterwards, we will enjoy dinner and shared conversation about the graces of the day as we mark our last night in Assisi.

We depart Assisi for Siena, a city whose medieval streets preserve the memory of two great saints: St. Catherine of Siena, Doctor of the Church and reformer, and St. Bernardine, the renowned Franciscan preacher who renewed devotion throughout Italy.

Our visit includes the Basilica and Shrine of St. Catherine, where the saint lived, prayed, and carried out her mission of spiritual and political reconciliation; the magnificent Siena Cathedral; and the sweeping Piazza del Campo, one of Italy’s most famous civic spaces.

In the evening, we return to Florence for a final dinner together, marking the conclusion of our Italian pilgrimage

Today, we bid our fellow pilgrims farewell as we board our flights bound for home.

Bidding farewell to many of our fellow pilgrims, we board our flights to Rennes, France. Upon our arrival, we transfer to our local hotel to enjoy a group dinner before retiring for the evening.

Today, we take a slower pace as we explore Rennes, one of Brittany’s major cities. We start with a visit to the Marché des Lices, France’s second largest market gathering. Featuring a huge variety of everything from produce and flowers to textiles and jewelry can be found in this lively gathering near the city center. Afterwards, we will enjoy a walking tour that includes visits to several of the city’s cathedrals and churches, some of which are over one thousand years old!

Getting an early start, we board a private bus and make our way to Mont Saint Michel. Built on a tidal island, the Abbey and surrounding town can’t help but hold the gaze of visitors of all faiths and creeds. Our group will spend the morning exploring the town before celebrating a noon Mass in the Abbey, with worship music provided by none other than Floriani! The Abbey will be hosting the final day of the regional Via Aeterna music festival to which Floriani and their fellow pilgrims have been invited as special guests. At the conclusion of the festival, our group will return to Rennes to enjoy dinner together, reminiscing on the wonderful pilgrimage we have shared these past two weeks.

Taking our final leave of our fellow pilgrims, we begin the long journey home.