According to popular belief, the precipice at Sanctuario della Verna is where St. Francis was tempted by the devil, clinging to the sides of the rock face as Lucifer tried to cast him down to his death. St. Francis had gone there many times seeking a place of solitude and meditation. On what would be his final visit, after having abandoned the guidance of his order and embarking on a personal journey of intimacy with God, Francis spent many days in prayer. He asked that he might experience a moment of the love and pain that Jesus felt at his crucifixion. On the 14th of September, 1224 his prayers were heard. Christ appeared to St. Francis, bestowing the wounds of the crucifixion to his body, the first recorded case of stigmata.

A small chapel stands on the spot, a place of pilgrimage for believers from the world over. The chapel is part of a larger complex that includes a hermitage, a friary, a basilica, a large guest house, and numerous small prayer chapels, many containing relics of St. Francis. Surrounded by an immense forest with a series of natural caves covered in green moss, many of which are open for prayer, Sanctuary of La Verna is the Yellowstone National Park of Catholicism. The awesome beauty of nature offered up as proof of the greatness of God, attracting thousands of visitors each year.

It is only one of hundreds of convents, monasteries and other places of pilgrimage throughout Italy continuing the Christian tradition of offering shelter to all those who seek it. Whether your motivations are spiritual or practical, the doors of the Roman Catholic Church in Italy are generally open wide to guests. Many, dating back several centuries and occupying prime real estate in cities like Rome, Florence and Venice have been updated for the Jubilee Year. They are also very practical: the price of staying in a monastery compared to hotels in comparable locations will make you a believer: waterfront Venice for $32 a night; breath-taking countryside convents for $7 a night; ancient churches carved into mountainsides, $25 per person, including sumptuous meals prepared with fresh ingredients from organic gardens.

At times, though not always, you may be sacrificing certain amenities (no mini-bar, no spacious double bed or bell hop). You may even have to part with your mate at night. But the rewards for doing so usually prove to be more than adequate compensation.

To be honest, I was unprepared for how religious Italy still is. "Catholicism," one man told me, pinching the skin on his hand, "is part of the fabric of who we are. It is in our blood. You cannot separate the two." A Catholic schoolboy and college student who had left his faith behind, I felt uneasy returning to this environment. But, sitting alone quietly in a chapel at Sanctuary of La Verna, I felt an overpowering sense of nostalgia. The smell of candles, the incense, the stone and stillness in the air are, as the man said, part of the fabric of who I am. No sooner did I realize that, than I found myself at mass, receiving communion for the first time in over ten years.

Secular Tourism

Sanctuary of La Verna was my last stop on a two week tour of Italy. The week before, I had been in Venice with my Jewish girlfriend, staying at Domus Cavanis, a guest house operated by the Padri Cavanis order. Except for the large crucifix in one hallway, there's little to tell visitors that Domus Cavanis is a monastery, and it's typical. Most convents and monasteries in major Italian cities keep religion in the background, if it's visible at all. My girlfriend and I were allowed to share a room (no questions asked) with a double bed and cable television. There were no curfews, though many monasteries and convents do require you to return about midnight, and often require separation of sexes unless you're married. Conveniently located just around the corner from the Peggy Guggenheim museum, our Domus room was simple, yet comfortable, and at $85 for adouble room, less than half the price of the 3-star hotel across the street, which had no vacancy.

Next we moved to Instituto Artigianelli, a gorgeous monastery built by the Priests of Charity in 1726, on the banks of the TK!! canal. We were given a large room that serves as a dormitory during the school year, with several single beds entirely to ourselves, for about $65 a night. What we saved on accommodation, we splurged on dinners, shopping and wine. The church's position on alcohol seems to be quite liberal in Italy, as many cloisters are famous for their wine, grappa and liqueurs--most religious guest houses, including one as sacred as Sanctuary of La Verna, are stocked with full bars and even sell cigarettes.