Читать книгу The Way of St Francis. Via di Francesco: From Florence to Assisi and Rome онлайн

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The Way of St Francis lays Central Italy at your feet and dares you not to love it. When you finally arrive in Rome and are given your completion certificate − your testimonium − your sense of accomplishment will be well-earned, having just completed one of the world’s greatest pilgrimages.

But much more than that, you will have joined the countless pilgrims to Rome from over the centuries who’ve made a special place in their heart for this beautiful land, its deep and rich history, its food and people, and its humble patron saint who walked with you along the way.

Street scene near the train station in Florence

St Francis and the Way of St Francis

The life of St Francis of Assisi

When Pietro and his French wife, Pica, celebrated the birth of their son Francis, in about 1181, they undoubtedly expected him to take up the family’s prosperous cloth business in Assisi. As an adolescent, when Francis was not helping his father he was perfecting his skills as a horseman, archer and warrior – aristocratic proficiencies befitting the upper classes to which his family aspired.