Historic Monasteries of Central Italy April 8-18, 2013

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1 Historic Monasteries of Central Italy April 8-18, 2013 Join Fr. Gregory Kandt and members and friends of the Church of the Incarnation for a unique and inspiring journey to historic monasteries of central Italy. Our pilgrimage takes us to important and significant monastic centers places where visionary men and women forged new practices and traditions that shaped religious life for centuries. The sites we will visit were erected in places that were conducive to reflection and prayer. They are perched high on hillsides or mountaintops overlooking the dramatic Italian countryside from Montecassino in the south (near Naples) to Camaldoli in the north in the region of Tuscany. Our program will balance time for prayer/liturgy with guided visits to sites of important historical, artistic and religious significance. This is a great opportunity to experience parts of Italy often overlooked. We end our program with several days in Rome exploring great monuments there and enjoying the warm hospitality and cuisine of the Romans! Come join us for this memorable and enriching journey! We are all members of a global community that is increasingly interdependent. The future of our world depends on our cultivating a spirit of hospitality, respect, understanding and compassion for one another. Enlightenment comes in many forms, but we believe that there are few life experiences more moving than exploring other cultures, meeting people of diverse backgrounds, and becoming a citizen of the world leading and inspiring respectful and compassionate ways of life.

2 Our Program Monday, April 8 We depart Washington, DC on an overnight flight to Rome. Dinner and breakfast will be served in-flight. Tuesday, April 9 We arrive in Rome. Our tour manager will meet us at the airport in Rome and assist with our transfer via private motorcoach to our hotel in Montecassino. Upon check-in we will have some time to relax, adjust to the new time zone, and freshen up. Later this afternoon we will visit the Abbey and attend Vespers. In the evening we will enjoy a welcome dinner at a local restaurant in Montecassino. Overnight in Montecassino. Wednesday, April 10 Breakfast. Today we will have early morning Mass at Montecassino. Afterward we will travel to Pompeii to visit the archaeological park. We will have time to enjoy a snack/lunch at the cafeteria there. This afternon we will take a drive along some of the scenic coastline of the Sorrento peninsula overlooking the Bay of Naples. We return to Montecassino for dinner at hotel/overnight. Montecassino is one of the early monasteries founded by St. Benedict, the father of Western monasticism. This is the mother monastery for the Benedictines. It was heavily damaged during WW II and later restored. It commands breathtaking views of the countryside and offers a great chance to learn about the monastic side of Christianity. In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried Pompeii in rock and ash. Pompeii was an enclave of wealthy Romans in a beautiful setting overlooking the sea. Volcanic ash preserved Pompeii. Archaeologists have uncovered almost the entire city. Modern visitors can now explore the roads, temples, theatres, taverns, villas, baths and other institutions and monuments. This is one of the most impressive archaeological parks in the world - offering a dramatic window into 1st century Roman life, art and architecture. Thursday, April 11 Breakfast. This morning we travel to the Abbey of Fossanova for a guided visit and Mass. We then continue to Subiaco to visit the monastery of St. Benedict and the monastery of Santa Scholastica. Afterward we travel to Assisi for dinner/overnight. Benedict lived the life of a hermit in the hills around Subiaco in the 6th century and eventually attracted a large group of disciples. He founded 12 communities in the area with a life of prayer and manual labor as central to the life of the monks. Eventually Benedict moved to Monte Cassino, destroyed a temple to Apollo on the site, and founded the monastery that would become the birthplace of Western monasticism. Subiaco is a particularly lovely site and very evocative of the early charism of Benedict and his sister, Scholastica. The Abbey of Fossanova is a beautiful monastery and site, founded by Cistercian monks from France in It is wellpreserved and restored. It was here that St. Thomas Aquinas died in Friday, April 12 Breakfast. This morning we will have Mass at the tomb of St. Francis. We will continue with a guided visit to the Basilica of San Francesco and the Basilica of Santa Chiara. The afternoon is at leisure. Some may want to walk to the hermitage, to San Damiano, to the Castle. Overnight/dinner in Assisi. Assisi is a graceful, serene and enchanting Umbrian hill town built of pink stone and encircled by medieval walls. The basilicas of St. Francis and St. Clare welcome pilgrims at both ends of the city underscoring the spiritual heritage of the two local saints who called for a return to evangelical simplicity. Assisi preserves the spirit of St. Francis and St. Clare and offers an opportunity for personal reflection and prayer in a spiritually rich setting. The Basilica of San Francesco attached to a large Franciscan complex includes three levels. The top level includes breathtaking frescoes by Cimabue and Giotto in an early Gothicstyle nave. The middle level is a cozy and richly decorated

3 liturgical area with beautiful medieval frescoes. The lowest level is a rock-hewn crypt around the tomb of St. Francis. The picturesque convent and chapel of San Damiano in the valley below Assisi was rebuilt by St. Francis and served as the home for St. Clare. It was here that Francis heard the voice of Christ from the cross telling him to rebuild His Church. Later Francis realized this has more significance than simply rebuilding the chapel. Francis inaugurated an important reform of the Church to return to its evangelical roots. Saturday, April 13 Breakfast. Today we will enjoy excursions to Camaldoli and La Verna. We will have Mass at Camaldoli. Depending on time and interest, we will then stop in Cortona or Perugia for free time, or return to Assisi for free time. Dinner/overnight Assisi. Camaldoli is situated in a beautiful forest and valley and is a beautiful monastic site. Higher up in the valley is also the site of the Hermitage of St. Romauld and other monks. In 1213, LaVerna was given to Francis as a retreat "specially favorable for contemplation". Francis withdrew here in 1224 to fast for forty days in preparation for Michelmas, and while praying on the mountainside, he received the stigmata. Sunday, April 14 Breakfast. Today we travel to Rome. En route we will visit Siena, seeing the Cathedral, San Domenico, the Campo and the House of St. Catherine (with Mass here). Overnight in Rome. Siena is the best preserved medieval town of Italy, lying among three hills. This is the birthplace of St. Catherine and many famous early Renaissance artists. The Cathedral in Siena is truly a museum, exhibiting marble panels with intarsia drawings of mythological characters by forty different artists. Narrative scenes of Jesus' life are carved into panels in the pulpit. Frescoes and statues are also found in the Cathedral existing as tools to celebrate Christian spirituality. Monday, April 15 Breakfast. This morning we will have Mass at St. Peter's Basilica (in the crypt). Afterward we will have some free time at St. Peter's and visit the Scavi. The afternoon is free, with our private concierge available to assist participants with options. Overnight in Rome. The largest church in the world and center of Christian pilgrimage for centuries, St. Peter s Basilica is utterly breathtaking in size, beauty and spiritual inspiration. Constantine erected a major basilica over the tomb of St. Peter on this site in the 4th century; in the 1500 s, great Renaissance artists built the current building. Some of the major features include: Michelangelo s Dome, Bernini s Baldachino, Bernini s Chair of Peter, detailed mosaics, and the crypt. The Scavi (recent excavations) under St. Peter s Basilica have revealed a Roman cemetery with sumptuous mausolea and sarcophagi. Through extensive research, archeologists have ascertained that one tomb is that of St. Peter who was martyred in the nearby circus of Nero/Caligula. Visiting this sacred site affords an opportunity to understand the different stages of building associated with it. Tuesday, April 16 Breakfast. This morning we will have Mass at St. Gregory the Great church (near the Colosseum). We then continue with a visit to the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and Mamertime Prison. The afternoon and evening are free. Overnight in Rome. The Flavian amphitheatre built over part of Nero s palace and next to a colossal statue (thus Colosseum) was the largest in the Roman Empire and entertained the Roman populace with gladiator battles, staged wildlife hunts, and other spectacles. Although used as a quarry for the marble to build many medieval and Renaissance churches (including St. Peter s), it is in amazingly good shape and easily evokes the grandeur of Imperial Rome! The Roman Forum began as a gathering place and center of trade for communities of people living on the seven hills surrounding the site in the 8th century BC. The marshy land was drained with an innovative sewer (the Cloaca Maxima) in the 6th and 7th centuries BC and transformed by the Etruscans with temples and other administrative buildings. Following the

4 Etruscans, the Romans continued to transform the site from the Republican era through the end of the Empire. For centuries, the Forum was the symbol of Roman power with its large Senate building, great temples, triumphal arches, and the Rostrum where emperors and orators would speak to the local citizens. Wednesday, April 17 Breakfast. This morning is at leisure. In the afternoon we will visit Our Lady of the Conception of the Capuchins, St. Mary Major and St. Paul Outside the Walls. We will have Mass at St. Paul s. We then continue to the Via Appia Antica for our farewell dinner at Cecilia Metella. Overnight in Rome. Our Lady of the Conception of the Capuchins is a Franciscan church with elaborate bone graves near Piazza Barberini. S. Maria Maggiore is one of the four major basilicas in Rome. It was built in the 5th century in celebration of the Council of Ephesus where Mary was declared Theotokos Mother of God. It includes some of the oldest Christian mosaics in the world, a gold encrusted ceiling (first gold brought from the Americas), and relic of Jesus manger in Bethlehem. St. Paul Outside the Walls is built over the burial site of St. Paul and near the location of his martyrdom. The original basilica burned in a fire in It was rebuilt according to the original 4th century plan, allowing visitors to experience a pristine example of Constantinian-era monumental basilicas. Recent archaeological work has provided greater support to the belief that the sarcophagus under the main altar is that of the Apostle Paul. The church boasts beautiful mosaics and a graceful medieval cloister. Thursday, April 18 Breakfast. After breakfast we transfer to the airport for our return flights to Washington, DC.. Inclusive Features Roundtrip air transportation via regularly scheduled flights between Washington, DC and Rome. Three-star hotel or religious guesthouse accommodations in twin-bedded rooms with private baths as follows: o Montecassino ~ 2 nights o Assisi ~ 3 nights o Rome ~ 4 nights Continental buffet breakfast served daily in the hotels. One welcome dinner with beverages at a local restaurant in Montecassino. One dinner at the hotel in Montecassino. Three dinners at the hotel in Assisi. One farewell dinner with beverages in Rome at Cecilia Metella. Transportation via private deluxe air-conditioned motorcoach with English-speaking assistance. Services of a professional tour manager throughout Italy. Privately guided sightseeing with government-licensed expert local guides as per itinerary. Luggage, porterage, road and local taxes.. Program Prices $ per person based on double occupancy + $ additional to Europe- airline taxes, airport fees, security fees, fuel surcharges (estimate as of proposal date) $ supplement for single room occupancy Please note: Single rooms for single use are limited to 10% of the total number of rooms reserved. Thereafter, double rooms for single use will be secured at a supplemental cost of approximately 150%. Alternatively, if you have selected double occupancy but no roommate is available due to uneven numbers or if your roommate should cancel you will be in a single room and responsible for the single room supplement. Land Only Program Prices: (excludes all air transportation and airport transfers) $ per person based on double occupancy $ supplement for single room occupancy

5 All prices listed are discounted for payment by check. When paying with a credit card you will be charged the standard base price which is 5% higher. Travel Insurance Premiums: $ Deluxe Group Travel Insurance Plan (will provide 100% reimbursement if cancellation is for a covered reason, will provide 0% if reason is not covered.) $ Deluxe Plan with Cancel for Any Reason (will provide 100% reimbursement if cancellation is for a covered reason, will provide 75% if reason is not covered.) The Group Deluxe Insurance plan is optional. If you wish to purchase the plan, the premium must be paid with your initial deposit on the same check. The policy can be found on the Travel Resource Center for your program under the Group Deluxe Insurance Plan link. Illume recommends that you purchase travel insurance to cover the cost of the investment you will make. Travel insurance provides peace of mind and protection against the unexpected. Please read the illume Conditions and Clauses attached to the Program Registration Application to review the charges that will apply in the event that you cancel your program participation. Illume offers several options to travel insurance. To learn more click on the Travel Insurance link provided on the Travel Resource Center for your program: Forward with your $ deposit per person (and insurance premium if applicable) no later than November 1, 2012 to: Rev. Gregory Kandt Church of the Incarnation 1465 Incarnation Dr Charlottesville, VA gregory@incarnationparish.org (434) ex 127 Checks can be made payable to illume. Balance of payment due not later than: January 8, 2013 Note: Any changes to the program will be outlined in the final documents which you will receive one month prior to departure. If changes are made that affect the program price, you will receive an invoice or a credit accordingly. Please contact Rev. Kandt with any questions. Program No The prices are based on availability of services at the time registration material is received; currency exchange rates in effect August 2012, and on 2012 land and air tariffs and are subject to change. All services are provided subject to Illume s Conditions and Clauses. The program prices will be reviewed before the invoices for the final payment are mailed, and will reflect the prices current in Program Registration: Complete the Registration Application.