Home away from home: Hotel Casa Domitilla

Hotel Casa Domitilla was founded by the Congregation of the Brothers of Mercy of Mary Help of Trier, and is open to all guests, both pilgrims and those traveling for business or pleasure. Managed with care and style, the hotel specializes in offering hospitality and assistance to guests planning their stay in the Eternal City.
Enjoy the familiar comfort of Hotel Casa Domitilla. Located near the Appian Way, Hotel Casa Domitilla offers double and single rooms with all comforts to guarantee its guests a functional and pleasant stay. Common areas designed with cutting-edge taste and attention to detail, provide an elegant, reserved and relaxed atmosphere.
The rooms are distinguished by their original detail and the ability to offer guests a haven of relaxation and comfort. The ideal location makes it particularly suitable for a relaxing and enjoyable holiday for the whole family.
Guest rooms come equipped with satellite television, wireless internet access, hair dryers, air conditioning, and mini bar. The Hotel Casa Domitilla also offers 24-hour access to their private chapel, as well as a tranquil flower garden.
The hotel’s restaurant offers both international and traditional Italian cuisine.

Home away from home: Starhotel Tuscany

The Starhotel Tuscany is conveniently located in the modern business area in the north of Florence, near the airport and main highway. A free shuttle service connects the hotel to the very popular historical center. This recently renovated four star Florence hotel respects a classic Tuscan style with a modern accent. The rooms are wide and bright, with light toned furnishings evoking the traditional Tuscan home.
Guest rooms offer air conditioning, wireless internet access, cable television, and mini-bar. The hotel also provides adaptor plugs for foreign guests for the duration of their stay.
The Assaggi restaurant, located within the Starhotel, is illuminated by the natural light from five large picture windows overlooking illustrious greenery. Assaggi offers a wide variety of international cuisine, as well as daily local specialties accompanied by famous Tuscan wines.

photos provided by Starhotels

Home away from home: Villa Pace Park Hotel Bolognese

Villa Pace Park Hotel Bolognese, an ancient villa dated end '800, is located near the city of Venice in the beautiful countryside. The 4 star hotel was recently restored and offers 95 rooms, an outdoor swimming pool and a historical restaurant up to 230 seats. The restaurant has a wide choice of meat and fish with national and typical local products and a card of selected wines. A park surrounds the entire hotel. The guest rooms are all provided with air conditioning, satellite TV, minibar, safe, direct telephone line and modem. WI-FI is available throughout the hotel.

The Diocese of Evansville singers perform at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City on September 28 at 6:45 PM

The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter, commonly known as St. Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. St. Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world, holding 60,000 people. It is regarded as one of the holiest Christian sites. It has been described as "holding a unique position in the Christian world" and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom". In Catholic tradition, the basilica is the burial site of its namesake Saint Peter, who was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and, according to tradition, first Bishop of Rome and therefore first in the line of the papal succession. Tradition and some historical evidence hold that Saint Peter's tomb is directly below the altar of the basilica. For this reason, many Popes have been interred at St Peter's since the Early Christian period. There has been a church on this site since the 4th century. Construction of the present basilica, over the old Constantinian basilica, began on April 18, 1506 and was completed on November 18, 1626. St. Peter's is famous as a place of pilgrimage, for its liturgical functions and for its historical associations. It is associated with the papacy, with the Counter-reformation and with numerous artists, most significantly Michelangelo. As a work of architecture, it is regarded as the greatest building of its age. Contrary to popular misconception, Saint Peter's is not a cathedral, as it is not the seat of a bishop. It is properly termed a papal basilica.

Flight Information - Updated

Dear travelers,
Below you will find the updated flight itinerary from Delta.

Departure from Nashville to Italy

September 21th, 2010
Depart from BNA (Nashville) at 10:45 am and arrive at ATL (Atlanta) at 12:52 am on Delta 1890.
Leave ATL (Atlanta) at 5:00 pm on Delta 180 and arrive next day, September 22nd in VCE (Venice) at 8:50 am.

Return from Italy to Nashville

September 30th, 2010
Depart from FCO (Rome Fiumicino) at 12:30 pm on Delta 241 and arrive same day in ATL (Atlanta) at 5:50 pm.
Leave ATL (Atlanta) on Delta flight 5244 at 8:43 pm and arrive back in BNA (Nashville) at 8:50 pm.

Venue Confirmed: The Diocese of Evansville is going to perform at the Chiesa Santa Maria Goretti in Mestre on September 22

The beautiful gem you see on the picture is the Chiesa Santa Maria Goretti in Mestre. There, the travelers of the Diocese of Evansville will perform on September 22 on their Pilgrimage with Incantato Tours.
In 2010 the parish is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Inside there is a great Formentelli Organ, renewed just a few weeks ago.
Barthelemy Formentelli, born in France, is working and living in Italy. His first teacher for church music and keyboard was Marcel Thomas, Meaux Cathedral Master. When Formentelli was 14 years old, he started learning the Organ Builder Art. At the age of only 20, he restored the Dammarie Les Lys Organ. Today he is well known as a Master of Organ Art and Formentellis masterpieces are to find in many Italian churches.
Mestre is a town in Veneto, northern Italy, a part of the commune of Venice. The city is connected to Venice by a large rail and road bridge, called Ponte della Libertà (Freedom Bridge). Mestre is the largest city in Italy not to have the status of autonomous commune. The picture is from the official website of the church.

Facts about Vatican City

In September the members of the Diocese of Evansville are going to explore Vatican City with Incantato Tours. Here are some facts about this very special little city:

Vatican City, officially the State of the Vatican City, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, the capital city of Italy. It has an area of approximately 44 hectares, and a population of just over 800.
Vatican City is a city-state that came into existence in 1929. It is distinct from the Holy See, which dates back to early Christianity and is the main Episcopal see of 1.147 billion Latin and Eastern Catholic adherents around the globe. Ordinances of Vatican City are published in Italian; official documents of the Holy See are issued mainly in Latin. The two entities even have distinct passports: the Holy See, not being a country, only issues diplomatic and service passports; the state of Vatican City issues normal passports. In both cases the passports issued are very few.
Vatican City is an ecclesiastical or sacerdotal-monarchical state, ruled by the bishop of Rome - the Pope. The highest state functionaries are all Catholic clergymen of various nationalities. It is the sovereign territory of the Holy See (Sancta Sedes) and the location of the Pope's residence, referred to as the Apostolic Palace. The Popes have resided in the area that in 1929 became Vatican City since the return from Avignon in 1377.