Traveling with the Saints in Italy: Contemporary Pilgrimages on Ancient Paths [Paperback]

Lucinda Vardey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2005

Pilgrimages have long been a vital part of Italy's heritage. Yet visiting its sacred sites seems an overwhelming challenge for the modern traveler: what to see, where to go, how much time to spend in each place?

In her new book, Lucinda Vardey provides solutions and guidance. In recognizing the genius of many of Italy's well-known--and some lesser-known--saints, she offers ten pilgrimages (to all parts of the country), for one or two days or a week, in a unique format of biography of early masters such as St. Benedict, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Catherine of Siena and more contemporary teachers, Blessed Pope John 23rd and St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio). After learning of the life of each saint, there is a summary of their spiritual teaching, a pilgrim prayer and suggestions for intention, itinerary, maps and detailed directions to the prime places to visit in that person's life (many documented for the first time). Also provided are sidebars on religious art and artists and a four-day retreat in Rome.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lucinda Vardey is a teacher, retreat guide and writer of spiritual subjects, with a special emphasis on the interface between eastern and western teachings and feminine spirituality. Born in England, she now lives in Canada with her husband, John Dalla Costa, and in Italy where they run a retreat house in Tuscany. She is the editor of God in All Worlds: An Anthology of Contemporary Spiritual Writing, The Flowering of the Soul: A Book of Prayers by Women, and compiler of the New York Times bestseller, Mother Teresa's Simple Path.

She lives part of the year in Tuscany and has led Italian pilgrimages for over six years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: HiddenSpring (July 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587680246
• ISBN-13: 978-1587680243
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #227,886 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A travel guide to Catholic Italy, January 30, 2007

By 

M. R. Estante "book reader" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Traveling with the Saints in Italy: Contemporary Pilgrimages on Ancient Paths (Paperback)

Probably the best collection of visiting the places of the Saints in Italy. When you don't just want to go to Rome for the Fashion but for the Divine, this is one book you want on your travel logs. Lucinda Vardey is a deeply spiritual Catholic whose intimacy with prayer has inspired a wonderful vocation as a teacher. If you can find a way to go to Italy with Lucinda's company ... DO IT! Your heart and soul will never regret it!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good Information On The Sites, Not Very Good Directions On How To Get There, May 19, 2010

By 

B. Zarsky "zmanofaustin" (Austin TX) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Traveling with the Saints in Italy: Contemporary Pilgrimages on Ancient Paths (Paperback)

I enjoyed the book, the information that it provides about the, the different sites you can visit. The pilgrimages, however, left much to be desired. When in Rome, my friend and I decided to follow the multi-day pilgrimage and started having problems after the first stop, the Colosseum. The directions to the next stop, the Mamertine Prison, where "Walk toward the Forum from the Colosseum to the sixteenth-century church San Giuseppe dei Felegnami". Question is, where from the Colosseum, exactly where in the Forum? Is it inside or outside of the Forum? I speak some Italian so I asked a police officer, as well as a English speaking tour guide, and neither of them knew of the church or where I could find it. Ends up the Church is on the other side of the Forum from the Colosseum. How you're supposed to get there by walking toward the Forum, I still don't know.

Overall it's a nice book for information about an area and the saints associated with it. Good for reading about the lives of the saints and the impact that they had on the Church and the area, but it leaves a lot to be desired as a guide book. It needs much better maps, preferably detailed maps, of where the different stops are as well as better directions on how to get there. If you want to do that work yourself before going, it's got some nice places that you may not have known about, much less known about visiting, which is nice. As a guide for a pilgrimage, it leaves a lot to be desired. I wish I had known that before I went to Italy, hopefully you can learn from my mistake.

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, February 6, 2011

By 

Bookworm70 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Traveling with the Saints in Italy: Contemporary Pilgrimages on Ancient Paths (Paperback)

At first glance of this title, it looks impressive "Travelling With The Saints in Italy".
Actually, the title does not reflect the contents of the book. Only twelve saints are
covered in 400 pages. Missing from the list are Saint Nicholas of Bari, Saint Lucy of
Venice, Saint Agatha of Sicily etc. Rather disappointing.