From Florence to Assisi via Siena

Morning overlooking Florence

On Saturday we made the journey from Florence to Assisi with a stop in Siena.

We began our day with breakfast at the hotel before beginning the trek to Assisi.  Outside of the city of Florence, we stopped at an overlook that offered a breathtaking view of the city. With morning clouds and wisps of fog, it was as picturesque as one imagines Italy to be.

Florence in the morning.
A beautiful sight!

Toreend and Michael

Our fearless spiritual leaders, Fr. Brad and Fr. Matt
with familiar faces from the PPC - Olivia, Stephanie, and John

We arrived in Siena midmorning and began with time at the Basilica of St. Dominic, known due to it being the spiritual hoe of St. Catherine of Siena for most of her life.

The winding, steep, and often challenging walk (at least for those of us who lacked a bit of coordination on the cobblestones), continued as we journeyed to the birthplace of St. Catherine. We were able to see the chapel built in the building that used to house her family and see paintings that illustrated key moments from her life.

A view of the Siena Cathedral from below

We journeyed a bit deeper into her home and we able to see and pray near her room, where a stone sat that served as her pillow.

As we continued walking up the hill to the cathedral, our excellent guide helped us to understand more about this city, its rich cultural traditions, and the famous horse race.

The race is between the 17 neighborhoods of Siena. The neighborhood that won had gone a whole quarter century since winning the title. There were a few raised eyebrows as we laughed about how that is really not that very long by Chicago sports standards.

Basilica of St. Dominic in Siena

Our first stop within the cathedral complex was the beautiful, ornate baptistry. With statues carved by Donatello along with other gifted craftsmen, we were able to spend time reflecting on the power of baptism and, thanks to a beautiful altar piece, the roles Mary plays in our faith.

Exterior of the baptistry of the Cathedral of Siena

We continued to climb in order to reach the square that rests at the entrance of the cathedral where our guide explained a bit more about the building and its story. We continued to the square where the horse race is run before saying goodbye to our guide and enjoying a bit of lunch.

The afternoon gave us just a few free hours. Again small groups wandered off on their own agendas. Many revisited the cathedral so we could enter in and spend some time in reflection and prayer.

Far too soon we had to carefully make our way back down the hill to the Basilica of St. Dominic where we celebrated Mass together.

After a lovely Mass we boarded our bus again and began the trek to Assisi. With the fall hours, dark fell while we were on the road and so we saw St. Maria degli Angeli in the dark, lit as a beacon.

St. Maria degli Angeli, Assisi

Our next stop was the hotel where we were able to settle in before dinner and some time enjoying one another's company.

Stay tuned for our day in Assisi!

Wish you were on pilgrimage with us! We do too! 

Consider joining us on the pilgrimage next summer - all details are found online here.