Celebrities don't get much bigger than Francis of Assisi.

Popular in life, thanks to his charismatic personalities, Francis Legend continues to this day

800 years after his death with people of all faiths.

Italy's patron saint had a short but impactful life and left an enduring legacy with his

message of love, humility and compassion.

We're going to find out why he's so important to Italians on episode 308 of the Untold Italy

podcast.

Ciao at all and benvenuti to Untold Italy, the travel podcast where you go to the towns and villages, mountains and lakes, hills and coastlines of Bella Italia.

Each week your host, Katie Clark, takes you on a journey in search of magical landscapes, history, culture, wine, gelato, and of course, a whole lot of pasta. If you're dreaming

of Italy and planning future adventures there, you've come to the right place.

Benvenuti, welcome friends. Today's episode is a little different as we're going to get to know one of the most important figures in Italian history, and that's St. Francis of Assisi.

Even if you are not Catholic or like me, you don't practice any religion, there is so much to admire

about this man from Central Italy who lived over 800 years ago. From wealthy beginnings,

St. Francis' life changed course and he embraced a life of poverty and simplicity,

in solidarity with the poor and marginalized. I'm Katie, the founder of Untold Italy, and we're a modern travel company

that hosts intimate small group journeys across regional Italy. We also assist independent

travellers with one-to-one trip planning services, and our travel app is full of curated

recommendations for the whole of Italy, from the top of the boot to the toe.

Now, every week on this podcast, we love to talk with locals, fellow travellers and experts

so that you can get a deeper insight into Italy and its culture and people.

And we want to help you focus on the experiences that matter to you.

Today, we're chatting with Sarah Marano, an important member of our Untold Italy team,

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