Looking for the Spirit in Rome

Habemus Papam !

I was in Lucca when, after three false black smoke trials, the 133 cardinals amassed within the Sistine Chapel selected the new Pope.  I was actually having an espresso at the bar where above the espresso machine a television was on.  The barriste were half listening and watching, and they were also making caffe macchiato and caffe al vetro and te verde.   And then, one of the patrons, pointing at the screen, exclaimed in wonder : il fumo bianco !

The white smoke !

Habemus Papam !

And not too much longer, around the world spread : Habemus Papam !

And then

Un americano.

Un americano !

Habemus Papam Americanum ! 

On May 18, Robert Francis Prevost will be sworn in as Pope Leo XIV.   As it has been all week, the weather will be glorious.  And this Chicago-born man will set to his work.

Rome, my home, has always been a city of exceptional contrasts… including pagan and papal.  Many of our travelers come primarily for Roman and Renaissance antiquity, but this year we have seen an increase in travelers who come for reasons that are also spiritual.

Rome during this Jubilee year, which ends in early 2026, is crowded, but some places with special spiritual meaning are surprisingly quiet if visited with the right Insider’s planning.

We have been designing trips with spiritual themes for well over 30 years. Such itineraries benefit from the exceptional care and understanding of Rome that are our trademarks.

Subiaco, where 1500 years ago Saint Benedict of Norcia retreated in prayer and later wrote his Rule, is one favorite destination for our clients : a 90-minute drive from Rome in a landscape of wild and rugged beauty.

At this time of year, the sweet green of spring makes it all the lovelier, but in any season the sanctuary of Sacro Speco is moving and dramatic, and a wonder of artistic interest with two gloriously frescoed churches, interconnected chapels, staircases and caves.

It is not difficult to understand why this location was selected as a place of retreat, reflection, pilgrimage and learning.

When I was last in Assisi, I had dinner at my favorite trattoria, Il Baccanale, and was invited to join a table of delightful multinational visitors.  Over the evening, I got to know them all: there were buddhists, moslems, protestants and catholics, as well as agnostics; they were teachers, ecologists, environmental activists, writers and students. All were in Assisi for a spiritual and academic retreat that focused on the relevance of the uomo universale – a woman or man of the universe, for all times, and for all cultures, who navigated the landscape of the world in peace and fraternity with all creation.

Assisi’s spirituality transcends labeling. The city’s stones glow with a celebrated, golden-pink light, especially at sunrise and sunset : perhaps this contributes to the sense of peace you feel when here. We have an outstanding guide in Assisi; she and I will open many doors for you when you visit.

At the Vatican Museum, the quietest hours to visit are not most likely what you think they are. Even in this Jubilee year, a well-timed visit can make you feel, relatively speaking, as if you have the Sistine Chapel all to yourself.

Santa Maria Maggiore, despite being one of Rome’s four major basilicas, is rarely crowded — or was not until Pope Francis, who visited it 126 during his tenure, elected to be buried there, the first pope with a tomb outside of the Vatican.

With our superb docent-guide you will explore the basilica at the quietest time of the day, and often also visit two nearby off-the-radar personal favorites, medieval Santa Pudenziana and Santa Prassede, not always open but the custodian for us has the keys.

We have other spiritual itineraries to suggest, as interesting for those with a passion for art history as they are for those who appreciate devotional connections: the catacombs of Saint Agnes, churches of Trastevere or those of the Aventine Hill, especially Santa Sabina which was constructed between the years 422 and 432. The columns that separate that church’s nave from the aisles are repurposed from an earlier pagan temple while the selenite (moon stone) windows are unique and allow light to dance through in a way that moves the spirit.

Pace e Bene, said St Frances to his follows. Peace and Be Well !  On any trip I plan for you, I aim to leave your spirit filled with happiness. Surely there is no time to waste.  Shall we start the planning now?

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