RADICAL LOVE: In the Footsteps of St Francis
A 10-Day Spiritual Retreat & Journey Through Rome, Assisi & the Sacred Heart of Italy
September 8th to 17th, 2027

Limited to an Intimate Group of ONLY 10 TRAVELERS!

🌟✨Walk where Francis walked. Pray where Francis prayed. Return home differently.✨🌟

There are vacations that give us photographs.

There are journeys that give us memories.

And then there are rare experiences that have the potential to change the way we see our lives.

Radical Love: In the Footsteps of St. Francis is an intimate 10-day spiritual retreat, pilgrimage, and Italian adventure through Rome, Assisi, and the sacred landscapes connected with one of history's most beloved saints.

For nine unforgettable nights, we will step away from the pace and pressures of everyday life and enter a world of ancient churches, medieval villages, mountain sanctuaries, magnificent art, extraordinary food, beautifully elegant wines, contemplative silence, spiritual reflection, and meaningful connection.

But this is not simply a tour of Italy.

And it is not simply a pilgrimage to places where Francis once lived.

This is an invitation to explore the spirituality Francis actually practiced—and ask what it might mean for the way we live today.

Throughout our journey, the teachings of Radical Love will come alive in the very places where Francis lived them.

We will meditate where he prayed.

Walk streets he walked.

Stand in places connected to his moments of courage, surrender, transformation, and awakening.

And together we will explore a simple but profound question:

What might happen if we began living as if love were actually the point? 🕊️🌿✨

YOUR JOURNEY BEGINS IN ROME

3 Nights in the Eternal City

We begin in magnificent Rome—a city where history, spirituality, art, and culture converge.

Walk among the remnants of the Roman Empire.

Experience the grandeur of Vatican City.

Stand beneath Michelangelo's extraordinary work in the Sistine Chapel.

Enter St. Peter's Basilica.

Marvel at centuries of art and architecture.

Explore historic piazzas, beautiful churches, ancient ruins, atmospheric streets, cafés, restaurants, and the unmistakable energy of one of the world's great cities.

But Rome is also part of the Francis story.

More than eight centuries ago, Francis traveled here seeking approval for the radically simple Gospel-centered life he and his brothers had begun living.

Imagine the scene.

A humble friar who possessed almost nothing entering the center of medieval Church power carrying nothing more than faith, conviction, and a vision.

He could not have known how far that vision would travel.

Today, more than 800 years later, millions still know his name.

His example reminds us that:

You do not need wealth, status, or power to change the world.

Sometimes you simply need the courage to live what you believe.

THEN WE ENTER THE WORLD OF FRANCIS

6 Nights in Assisi

There is something extraordinary about Assisi. 

Rising above the olive groves and rolling hills of Umbria, this medieval hilltop city feels as though time has somehow slowed and you have been transported back to medieval times.

Its stone walls.

Its winding cobblestone streets.

Its ancient churches.

Its bells.

Its monasteries.

Its breathtaking views across the Umbrian countryside.

And everywhere—the memory of Francis.

Here, Francis stops being simply a saint in a painting or a figure from history.

You begin walking through his world.

We will explore the sacred places connected with his life and spiritual transformation.

Walk streets Francis knew. 

Visit the places associated with his conversion and ministry.

Enter ancient sanctuaries preserving his legacy.

Pause in spaces where pilgrims have come for centuries seeking peace, guidance, renewal, and connection with God.

And there will be time not merely to see these places— but to experience them.

PRAY WHERE FRANCIS PRAYED

One of the most meaningful parts of our journey will take us into the mountains of Mount Subasio, where Francis and his brothers withdrew from the world for prayer, silence, meditation, and contemplation.

Among the forests, stone caves, and stillness of the mountain, we will have opportunities for our own contemplative practice.

To slow down.

To breathe.

To reflect.

To listen.

In our ordinary lives, we are constantly receiving messages, answering questions, solving problems, completing tasks, and moving toward the next responsibility.

Francis understood something we often forget:

Sometimes we must leave the noise behind before we can hear what our heart is trying to tell us.

JOURNEY TO LA VERNA

We will also travel to the extraordinary mountain sanctuary of La Verna, forever associated with one of the most mysterious and profound events in the life of Francis—the reception of the stigmata.

High in the mountains and surrounded by forest, La Verna possesses an atmosphere of extraordinary stillness.

Here we will explore themes of surrender, transformation, devotion, compassion, and what it means to allow love to change us from the inside out.

There will be time to walk through the forests and hills.

Time to pray & meditate.

Time simply to be quiet & still.

DISCOVER GUBBIO, PERUGIA & THE BEAUTIFUL WORLD OF UMBRIA

Our journey will also bring us into the towns and landscapes surrounding Assisi.

In Gubbio, we enter the setting of one of the most famous stories associated with Francis—the encounter with the wolf.

The story asks a question still relevant eight centuries later:

What becomes possible when we approach what frightens us with compassion instead of hostility?

We will also explore beautiful Perugia and experience the culture, landscape, history, architecture, and traditions of Umbria.

These are not simply destinations on an itinerary.

They become part of the larger spiritual journey.

AND YES… THIS IS ITALY

A spiritual life should not make us less alive. Francis saw creation itself as sacred.

Brother Sun. Sister Moon.

The earth. Animals.

Life itself was something to receive with gratitude.

So we will celebrate.

We will sit around beautiful Italian tables. Taste regional cuisine. Enjoy Italian wine.

Experience a special wine, chocolate, and olive-oil tasting.

Wander picturesque piazzas.

Browse artisan shops.

Enjoy cafés and mouth-watering Italian gelato.

Admire extraordinary art and architecture.

Laugh together.

And experience some of the simple pleasures that make Italy unforgettable.

There will also be opportunities for personal time—to shop, journal, photograph, enjoy a café, wander through Assisi, rest, or simply sit somewhere beautiful and watch the world pass by.

Sometimes the moments we remember most are the ones no itinerary could ever schedule.

***There is a good amount of walking that is involved in this journey.*** 

You will return with photographs. You will return with stories.

You will return with memories of Italy, wonderful meals, beautiful landscapes, sacred sites, laughter, friendships, and unforgettable experiences.

But my hope is that you return with something deeper.

A quieter mind. A more open heart. A renewed spiritual life.

Greater clarity about what matters.

A deeper relationship with the teachings of Francis.

A stronger connection with God and the sacred.

More courage to release what no longer serves you.

More appreciation for simplicity.

More gratitude for life.

And perhaps a renewed commitment to living with greater compassion, joy, courage, and love.

The real pilgrimage doesn't end when we leave Assisi.

It begins when we return home.

This experience is for the person who feels drawn to something deeper.

The spiritual seeker.

The contemplative.

The lover of Italy.

The admirer of St. Francis.

The student of spirituality.

The Christian Pilgrim

The traveler fascinated by art, history, architecture, food, and culture.

The person at a crossroads.

The person who simply needs to step away from ordinary life for a while and remember what matters.

You do not need to be an expert on Francis.

You do not need to be deeply religious.

You simply need curiosity, an open mind, and an open heart.

September 8–17, 2027

For ten extraordinary days…

Italy becomes our classroom.

Assisi becomes our retreat center.

The mountains become our sanctuary.

The streets Francis walked become our pilgrimage path.

And Francis becomes our guide.

Come walk in his footsteps. Not because we are trying to become Francis. But because his life may help us rediscover something within ourselves.

Something simpler.

Something freer.

Something more courageous.

Something more compassionate.

Something more joyful.

Something more alive.

Something closer to Radical Love.

Space will be intentionally limited to 10 GUESTS to preserve the intimate nature of this retreat and pilgrimage.

RADICAL LOVE: In the Footsteps of St. Francis

September 8–17, 2027

Come to Italy. Walk the path. Open your heart. Return home differently.