Spem in alium Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Hi pham!I am travelling to Rome and Montreal in June/July for research - can anyone recommend anything I should definitely do/see in my free time? I'm in Rome for three weeks and am staying fairly centrally in the city (at one of my congregation's houses; actually, the place our Mother Foundress lived and died, which is amazing). I will definitely plan to visit St Peter's and a few art museums and libraries in Rome, and am open to travelling around Italy (my dream is to go to Assisi). In Montreal I'll be staying at the Oratory of St Joseph, so I have that covered, but do have a few days free while I'm there so would like to make the most of it. I'm only there for two weeks though, so may be limited in how far I can travel and how much I can do. (And yes, I know it will be hot weather. I would have preferred to travel at a cooler time, but going earlier will give me progress in a number of areas. It's well and truly winter in Aus right now, so I'm preparing myself as much as I can for the extreme of summer.) Many thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhuturePriest Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Visit the Cathedral of Notre Dame. That's really the most important thing to do in Montreal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truthfinder Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 There's two big churches in Montreal - Notre Dame Reine du Monde and Notre Dame basilica (not far from the city hall). Be warned that the latter is absolutely stunning but there will be someone wanting an entry fee. Plan your visit for Mass time in the back chapel, and you'll be directed there. You don't have to pay if you're there to pray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luigi Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 (edited) If you have a free day in Rome, you should be able to get to Assisi and back as a day trip, although it would make a fairly long day. Be forewarned, Assisi is built on a hill - an extremely long and pretty steep hill. The best way to approach it is from the top down. In other words, find a tour company or a bus line that will run you TO Assisi; then take the city bus all the way to the top of the town - it's not expensive; then walk DOWN. Stop at the Basilica of St. Clare, then make your way down to the Basilica of St. Francis. Depending on the month and the day, St. Francis' basilica can be quite crowded.The fewer people, the better to see Giotto's frescoes of scenes from the life of Francis. If you can work it out that you go to Assisi overnight, prefer to go to the morning Mass in the basement of St. Francis' basilica; it's not crowded, it simple and beautiful, with a couple of dozen Franciscans from all over the world. Edited June 5, 2015 by Luigi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spem in alium Posted June 6, 2015 Author Share Posted June 6, 2015 Visit the Cathedral of Notre Dame. That's really the most important thing to do in Montreal. There's two big churches in Montreal - Notre Dame Reine du Monde and Notre Dame basilica (not far from the city hall). Be warned that the latter is absolutely stunning but there will be someone wanting an entry fee. Plan your visit for Mass time in the back chapel, and you'll be directed there. You don't have to pay if you're there to pray. I'd love to visit these places. I believe I have some free days in Montreal, so would love to see something other than just my research. A Canadian friend of mine also recommended the smoked meat and the bagels. If you have a free day in Rome, you should be able to get to Assisi and back as a day trip, although it would make a fairly long day. Be forewarned, Assisi is built on a hill - an extremely long and pretty steep hill. The best way to approach it is from the top down. In other words, find a tour company or a bus line that will run you TO Assisi; then take the city bus all the way to the top of the town - it's not expensive; then walk DOWN. Stop at the Basilica of St. Clare, then make your way down to the Basilica of St. Francis. Depending on the month and the day, St. Francis' basilica can be quite crowded.The fewer people, the better to see Giotto's frescoes of scenes from the life of Francis. If you can work it out that you go to Assisi overnight, prefer to go to the morning Mass in the basement of St. Francis' basilica; it's not crowded, it simple and beautiful, with a couple of dozen Franciscans from all over the world. That is what I'm keeping in mind - the fact it will need to be at least a day trip. I'm not entirely sure I would be able to do it, simply based on how much work I will have, but it is a dream. Definites are visiting St Peter's, San Pietro in Vincoli (which I'll be staying around 15 minutes' walk from), and Foro Romano (I need to visit a church there, but it's only open an hour a week -- for Mass -- so I'll need to time it right). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 Have a good bagel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spem in alium Posted June 21, 2015 Author Share Posted June 21, 2015 Have a good bagel. This is one of my missions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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