Umbria is the heart of Italy, quite literally: it is almost perfectly at the center of the peninsula, nestled as it is between Tuscany, Marche, and Lazio. It is also known as the “garden of Italy,” because of the beauty of its hills and fields, and of the gentle symphony of colors they gift every visitor throughout the year.

But Umbria is also the heart of our national spirituality because it has been home to San Francesco d’Assisi and Santa Chiara, patron saints of our nation, and of San Benedetto da Norcia, who protects – at least for Catholics – the whole of Europe.