Following Francis and Clare

Assisi is celebrated throughout the world as the city of Saints Francis and Clare and the cradle of Franciscan spirituality. As Rome is the political capital and Milan is the economic center, Assisi is considered Italy's spiritual heart. With St. Francis as the patron saint of Italy, countless Catholics come to Assisi every year in search of spirituality and peace. Yet, Assisi is exclusive neither to Italians nor Catholics, and people of all nationalities and creeds have discovered a unique tranquility in the "seraphic city." Recently, walking pilgrimages have exploded in popularity. Known as "Caminos" (its name taken from the famed Way of St. James in Northern Spain), religious and spiritual hiking trails are popping up all over Italy and beyond. Currently, the St. Francis Camino (also known as the Way of St. Francis) traces the footsteps of St. Francis through central Italy from Laverna to Rome passing through Assisi. In the spirit of Camino, this guidebook offers religious pilgrims and spiritual travelers alike the possibility of staying in Assisi and walking in the footsteps of St. Francis and Clare. The routes included are in Assisi, the Spoleto Valley and Mt. Subasio, as well as in Spoleto, Cannara, Laverna, and the Rieti Valley. The guidebook offers practical tips regarding packing and traveling in Italy. Each day's walk includesroute guidance and textual instructions, photographs, and maps. There are daily distances, surface type, duration, level of difficulty, and cumulative altitude gains and losses. To aid in navigation, there are GPX tracks that can be easily installed on a smartphone or a portable GPS device. Yet, this book is also intended to serve as a spiritual, or Franciscan, companion. With a foreword by Fr. Murray Bodo, OFM, each site includes historical background, spiritual highlights, and reflective questions in order to better enter into the spirituality of the places. Walking in the footsteps of St. Francis and Clare is an unparalleled way to connect with their hearts and spirituality. This book brings it to life.