Sergio_Souza
I am Brazilian and devote of Santa Rita since all my life.This year, during my vacation in Italy I had the blessed opportunity to visit Santa Rita's cathedral.It's quite hard to reach traveling from Rome by bus, but it's totally possible to visit in one day.I stood in front of Santa Rita's body for almost one hour just saying thanks for the opportunity to be there and thank her for my life.i do recommend for those who are devotes of Santa Rita"s to visit her Cathedral and the wonderful small but beautiful and pleasant city of Cascia.
fugue27
Visiting this religious site is a a good experience you will see St. Rita's incorrupt body. The dried vine that she watered and suddenly grew out of obedience and the thornless roses.
lilymass
Visiting St. Rita's basilica was one of the most amazing experiences. Cascia itself is such a cute and charming little town, and the church was even more beautiful and serene. St. Rita is one of my favorite Saints, and it was amazing to see her shrine. Once in a lifetime experience!
361vickys
we took the bus which leaves from Rome Tiburtina station at 7:30 am. We reached Cascia at 10:30 am.The basilica is located on a beautiful hill. What a calm an serene place! We attended the Mass and enjoyed it, even though it was in Italian. It was an amazing day...I can't explain it ...This feeling of inner peace, the peace of mind.
GilbertJawhar
The trip to cascia was great - u have to take a bus from rome to santa rita. no food up to ypur expectations in nearby restaurants,
Jeszmond
A peaceful and serene place - a must for those who want to undergo a pilgrimage to the shrine at Cascia.
GlenysC116
The Basilica is amazing with its coloured dome and wonderful frescoes, mosaic and marble pillars. It is worth visiting the Monastery of Santa Rita which is next to the Basilica. We were given a description and the history of the Monastery and Santa Rita's life before entering the building. it was an amazing experience. Check the tour times in advance.
GillianE374
Really nice place to visit. Easy to go by car. We rented a car which is really cheap fron Sicily by car from rental cars .com. No gimmicks and extra charges. Recommended. Easy to find. About 2.5 hrs drive from rome. Nice views on your way. Do not miss it.
jamal-R
I have visited this holly place with my wife Rita. we know a lot about Saint Rita's life and miracles and we pray here prayers frequently. but being there is something else....you feel the greatness of humbleness and faith...closer to God. Cascia is a small village in a very nice area in Italy and it is almost far from everything. beautiful mountains and valleys. the basilica and the old Monastery are adjacent and located at the top of this hill. expect a lot of walking upwards. there are electrical escalators that makes it much easier to go up... which I suggest that you use it when going up but don't use it in your way down (unless you have personal reasons) in order to enjoy the place and pass through the village and experience the genuine experience, mingle with the villagers and shop souvenirs and buy local food from those beautiful humble small shops.we visited on a Sunday and were lucky to enjoy some kind of parade done my the youth of the village with drums and other instruments walking behind a big nice picture for Virgin as a tradition of glorifying the Virgin.you have to check the site to make sure you are there on time for the Monastery tour (it is free) that is done several times a day as per schedule (in Italian). the Basilica is huge and open all day where you can see Saint Rita kept there. don't miss to visit the Basilica inferiori that I s located below the new basilica where you can find another nun Maria Teresa Fasce kept there (looks as if sleeping same like saint Rita). to the left of the entrance to this church there is a small room where you can find the Eucharist, the place is so calm not crowded and perfect for prayer and meditation and opening your heart to God.Saint Rita visit is a great spiritual experience that one can have... I have visited lots of shrines and holy places in various parts of the world, the only place, in my opinion, one can have a similar experience is Saint Charbel's Hermitage in Annaya Village in Lebanon.
Rita2313
I always had a dream to come and visit St. Rita of Cascia and see her room and shrine. Such an amazing experience ...
bitardona
it is really touching to see the body of santa rita! this what makes this place so special. u can see also the grape tree that santa rita has cultivated, u see also the engagement ring of the santa. moreover, the town is wonderful, all green so peaceful. when u go to the basilica dont forget to visit tge parental house of tge saint. its 10 min from basilica
TONIREINE
during our stay for two days in Assisi we were planning to visit Cascia. we try to get the train to spoleto and then the public tarnsportation bus from spoleto to cascia to visit santa rita . but after many search and as it was in winter time we could not find a good connection to acheive this trip. as we find that we must come very early and leave cascia very late with a lot of adventure during our trip final we find that it is the only way to get acar but we ddi not have our international driving license so we took a taxi for 150 euro . i think it was the only way to make .from our hotel in assisi to ste rita basilic in cascia 1h20 . we arrive at 2h45 thebasilic was open but the sanctuaire and every thing else souvenir shops cafe ... closed. the openong time was at 16h . so we visite
WandaMaria
As soon as we booked our vacation to Italy, going to the Basilica of St. Rita of Cascia was a definite plan on my "to do" list. I was not disappointed.It takes time and patience to get to the shrine if you are relying on public transportation, as we did. We took a train from Rome to Spoleto, then connected on a bus which transported us to Cascia. This is a 3 hour trip, so be sure to plan ahead if you are going to visit.The shrine is located at the very top of a mountain. Once the bus drops you off, you can either take a shuttle or walk up the winding road to the top, where the shrine is located. As it was raining quite heavily on the day we visited, we took the shuttle.This was an amazing experience for us. I can't explain it - but there is a sense of tranquility and peace that you feel as you step on the grounds. Inside the church, the incorrupt body of St. Rita is on display in a glass tomb. The nuns who care for the saint leave several different prayer cards featuring St. Rita out for those who visit and would like to pray to the saint. They also disburse blessed rose petals that were grown from the stick that St. Rita planted when she was a sister at the shrine. There is no charge for the cards or rose petals, but you always have the option of leaving a cash donation at a drop box in the church located near where the cards are placed.The church itself contains beautiful artwork on the walls and ceilings, many of St. Rita. It was absolutely gorgeous.After we left the church, we shopped at the shrine's gift shop which sells many hundreds of souvenirs of St. Rita. Many, I have never seen before. If you plan on shopping here, be sure to bring cash, as they do not accept credit cards.My only regret is that we didn't stay long enough because we had to catch the bus back to town. (There is only one bus that leaves in the afternoon. If you miss it, plan on staying the night.) The next time I visit Italy, I will plan to stay in Cascia for a couple of days in order to spend more time at the shrine and see everything I missed.If you are a Catholic, or fond of St. Rita, be sure to include this in your travel plans when visiting Italy. There is nothing quite like this. I can't wait to return there on my next visit to Italy.
Romanowski
What a wonderful place of reflection and prayer--a quiet hill town in Umbria, well worth the bus rides to get there from Rome!!!
Demooon
I went in August 2012 with my wife and son. Its such an amazing experience to see the body of Saint Rita, the basilica, and the monetary.You can also walk in the town of Cascia and see all the small restaurants and the souvenir shops.Just make sure to know the hours of the monastery. Its usually a self guided tour every 2 hours.And to top things, you can go to rocaporena where Saint Rita used to live.Rocaporena is a 10 minute drive in car. You can actualy see and go in her house and the best part is a very high mountain where the Saint used to go up and pray.you can go up to that mountain and visit a small church on top.The church is built around a rock where she used to pray. People usually throw flowers and prayers on it.I recommend the trip to everyone. Such a wonderful experience.