Fifteen Feet from the Pope: Dispatches from a Sabbatical in Rome

In early 2013, Luanne Zurlo decided to take an extended break from years of intense, travel-heavy work that had left her exhausted. Three months later during a brief vacation in Rome, Zurlo felt a pull like never before. It became obvious to her that she needed to spend more time in Rome—specifically to study theology at the Angelicum, a Pontifical University. Some six months later, a unique journey began as Zurlo returned to Italy to fulfill her dream.

In her travel journal compiled in the...