Italians choose to spend vacations in monasteries and convents far from noise and routine of daily life

Rome, Italy, Aug 24, 2007 / 08:18 am

More and more Italians, tired from the routine and noise of the city, are opting to spend their vacations in monasteries and convents that offer them a time of reflection and contact with nature.

Many religious communities—even cloistered convents--have opened their doors to young people and families to join in their daily life of prayer and activities, as well as to listen to their concerns and provide them spiritual guidance.

“In these times in which prayer and reflection go unnoticed,” the Augustinian Sisters of the Monastery of Lecceto, near Siena, offer such an opportunity, said Mother Sofia.  Guests can participate in community prayers and even help out with the monastery’s artisan work.

The Benedictine monks, who are instructed in their rule of life to receive visitors, are taking guests in at their monastery in Subiaco, allowing them to participate in the daily prayers of the community.

The Franciscans at the Sacro Convent of Assisi offer guests the chance to visit the places where St. Francis lived, such as the Church of San Damiano, the Portiuncula chapel, and his tomb at the Basilica of Assisi. 

Reservations at the more than three thousand Italian abbeys, monasteries, and convents can be made at http://www.hospites.it