The Complete Pilgrim Guide to Italy: Land of Saints and Sanctuaries, Miracles and Mystics

Italy is one of the most popular pilgrimage destinations in the world. No other country features as many basilicas, cathedrals, miracles, martyrs, saints, incorruptibles, stigmatics, and Marian sanctuaries. From Papal Rome to Franciscan Assisi, from St. Anthony of Padua to Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo, from Our Lady of Loreto to the Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano, it is impossible to visit Italy and not appreciate the richness of the country’s long Christian history.The Complete Pilgrim Guide to Italyis the most comprehensive guide in the English language to date that explores Italy’s rich religious heritage. Written by veteran pilgrimage guide Bret Thoman, this guidebook is chock-full of information. It brings to life every major pilgrimage site in Italy, as well as many lesser-known ones.Drawing on his two-decade career leading and organizing pilgrimages and thirteen years living in Italy, this book is thorough. It begins with a long section on Rome, the “Head of the World” and seat of the Catholic Church. The rest of the book traverses the peninsula, exploring the rest of the country’s religious sites. A significant amount of space is dedicated to the saints, and Italy has the giants: Francis and Clare, Padre Pio, Anthony of Padua, Augustine and Ambrose, Benedict and Scholastica, Maria Goretti, Rita of Cascia, and Gemma Gargani, as well as future saints like Luisa Piccareta and Don Dolindo, to name a few. Other sections are dedicated to Eucharistic miracles, apparition sites, Catholic history, and more.Each chapter begins with a photograph, continues with a thorough overview of the historical and religious background of the saint or site, and concludes with practical information to plan your visit. The book is divided into three sections: Central, Southern, and Northern, which are subdivided into the country’s twenty regions. Pilgrimage sites are presented in chapters, beginning with the region’s capital city or most important pilgrimage site. In this way, readers can use the main city as a hub for visit