As the cradle of Catholicism, Italy has always been a destination for those who have made their faith a way of life. It is a land of pilgrimage - one of the foremost in the world - and is home to countless places of devotion and worship: San Giovanni Rotondo, the town where St. Padre Pio lived; Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis and St. Clare; Monte Sant'Angelo, home to the oldest shrine in western Europe dedicated to the Archangel Michael; and in addition the numerous Eucharistic Miracles that have taken place over the centuries, relics of which can be found in Lanciano, Cascia and Orvieto, to name but a few . The ultimate destination however, for religious pilgrimages is undoubtedly Rome, the heart of Christianity and seat of the Catholic Church.