Program 710: Saints of Italy; Pilgrim Trails; Holy Bones

On the Easter edition of Travel with Rick Steves, we get to know some of the patron saints of Italy, where there are many favorites.

Author Tim Egan tells us how walking a medieval pilgrim route from Canterbury to Rome gave him time to think about the religion he was brought up with.

And author Peter Manseau examines the role of religious relics, and why seeing them in person has been a goal for millions of people over the centuries.

• Anna Piperato, tour guide based in Siena, Italy
• New York Times columnist Tim Egan, author of "A Pilgrimage to Eternity" (Viking)
• Peter Manseau, author of "Rag and Bone: A Journey Among the World's Holy Dead" (Henry Holt & Co.)

• Siena's Saint Catherine is the patron saint of Italy and of Europe.
• Padre Pio is known for his claim of having signs of the stigmata on his body.
• Art historian Anna Piperato leads tours of Siena in Tuscany.
• "A Pilgrimage to Eternity" by Tim Egan details his journey from Canterbury to Rome along the ancient Via Francigena pilgrim trail.
• The Via Francigena has a website to help with planning and detours along the 3000-km pilgrim route from Canterbury to Rome.
• An American traveler from Michigan posts photos from the crypt of Santa Lucia Filippini in Montefiascone, Italy, on her Flicker account.
• Peter Manseau is a curator at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
• Peter examines the role of religious relics in his book "Rag and Bone."
• The Maria Stein Shrine of the Holy Relics is located midway between Dayton, Ohio, and Fort Wayne, Indiana.

• "When I visited my cousin in Mattinata recently, he remarked that every town has a shrine to Padre Pio. This is certainly true for southern Italy. What I found remarkable is that the towns of the Gorgano Peninsula are virtually undiscovered by non-Italian tourists unless they are pilgrims to the San Giovanni Rotondo (Padre Pio's church). But even then they miss one of the most beautiful, untouched, authentically Italian places of Italy, the Gorgano Penninsula." (Debra in Paxton, Massachusetts)
• "With all of the available technology today, are the churches in possession of these relics interested in authenticating them, or at least discovering if they come from their appropriate era, or would they rather not know after all of these years?" (William in Miami)
• Discussion of protocol when viewing religious relics. (Katie in Victoria, British Columbia)
• "I'm Catholic and have visited churches containing relics important in my own faith. But one of my favorite 'religious' experiences was visiting the mosque at Eyüp in Istanbul." (Nicole in Dallas)

• Modern Mandolin Quartet, "Canzonetta (Mendelsohn)," Modern Mandolin Quartet / Windham Hill
• Bela Fleck, Chris Thile, "Keyboard Sonata in C Major, K.159 (Mozart)" Creating the Perfect Atmosphere (sampler) / Sony Classics
• The Consort of Musicke, Anthony Rooley cond., "Alti canti d'amor, tenero arciero (Monteverdi)," Essential Renaissance, disc 2 (collection) / EMI Classics
• Fra Armando Pierucci, organist at the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, "Variations on a Theme of the 4th Mode of 'Alleluia,’" De Profundis: The Art of Dying: A Cantata by Father Armando Pierucci / Pilgrims Star
• Oni Wytars Ensemble, "De la Crudel Monte de Cristo (Laudario di Cortona, ms. 91-Biblioteca Comunale di Cortona)," From Byzantium to Andalusia / Naxos
• * Oscar Peterson, "Easter Parade," The Song is You: The Best of the Verve Songbooks / Universal Music Mexico
• Ryuichi Sakamoto, piano, Carlos Nuñez, "Shining Boy and Little Randy (endroll)," Carlos Nuñez: Discover, disc 2 / Sony Music (France)
• Baltimore Consort, "Mulberry Garden," A Trip To Killburn / Dorian
• Music from Aston Magna, "Andanta and variations," A Decade of Excellence (sampler) / Harmonia Mundi
• Boston Camerata, Frances Conover Fitch, organ, "Tiento de mano derecha y al medio o dos tiples," Nueva España / Erato
• Michael Deep, "Those Eyes," Panorama - disc 2 (collection) / Higher Octave
• * Paul Speer, "Spanish Steps," Oculus / Rainstorm Records (paulspeer.com)
• Haunted By Waters, "Like the Dust," Portraits in Sound vol 1: A Collection of World Music (collection) / World Domination Recordings
• John Doan, "Bransles de Village," The Renaissance Album (collection) / Windham Hill
• Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood, conductor, "'Menuet' from Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor, BWV 1067 (J. S. Bach)," Editions de L'Oiseau-Lyre: The Original Sound (sampler) / L'Oiseau-Lyre
• Boston Camerata, Joel Cohen, dir., "Cum Audisset Joannes," Nueva España / Erato
• Manickam Yogeswaran, "Free Sri Lanka," Peace for Paradise  / beatscience
• Avalon String Quartet, "Namasté: Incarnation of the Divine," Avalon String Quartet / Albany Records

* Indicates filler music used during internal breaks on the broadcast

• There are several references to Pope Francis in the segment B interview.
• At 30:11, Tim Egan says 200 million people a year, worldwide, make some sort of pilgrimage.  He then describes the enthusiastic reception he found in Italy.
• Tim Egan notes at 32:29 that climate change is having a dramatic impact on Europe, and describes the 100-degree temperatures he faced in May "two years ago when much of Europe was on fire."
• Caller William, at 46:42, says he was in Paris "last week" and viewed the Crown of Thorns relic on display.  He adds that Chartres Cathedral has a lot of scaffolding up, which spoiled the visit for him.
• Rick updates the books Peter Manseau has written since his "Rag and Bone" interview in the two segment C resets.
• At 55:30, Rick refers to recent trends to unite the interests of religion with the government in Turkey.  Peter adds that there is a recent increase in Christian historical sites in Turkey that also attract Muslim visitors.