Monte Cassino, San Giovanni Rotondo, Monte Sant'Angel, Lanciano, Loreto, Assisi, Siena, Rome, Lourdes, Lisieux, Nevers, Paris & Medjugorje
NEW TOUR!
YOUR TRIP INCLUDES: Round-trip air from New York (special Add-on Airfares from all US gateways) ALL AIRPORT TAXES & FUEL SURCHARGES! 21 nights at centrally located first class hotels as follows: (or similar) 3 nights: Hotel Cicerone or Quirinale, Rome, Italy
2 nights: Hotel Gran Paradiso, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
3 nights: Hotel Giotto, Assisi, Italy
7 nights: A Modern home/Inn with private baths, Medjugorje Transfers as per itinerary Breakfast and Dinner daily Wine with dinners Transportation by air-conditioned motor coach Assistance of a professional local Catholic guide(s) Sightseeing and admissions fees as per itinerary Catholic Priest available for Spiritual Direction Mass daily & Spiritual activities Luggage handling (1 piece per person) Flight bag & portfolio of all travel documents
Day 1 - USA - Rome
Depart from New York, JFK or from your hometown for the overnight flight to Italy. Dinner and breakfast will be served on board.
Day 2 - Arrive in Rome Upon arrival in Rome you will be met by your driver and transfer to the hotel where you will meet the rest of your group. Relax and settle into your hotel. Dinner and overnight.
Day 3 - Rome
This morning we depart for a sightseeing tour entitled "Christian Rome" which includes: the Basilica of St. Mary Major, one of the oldest shrines dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, a shrine that contains a relic from the manger of the infant Jesus; the Holy Stairs; the Basilica of St. John the Lateran, former residence of the popes prior to their return to Rome in 1377; St. Paul Outside the Walls, which houses the remains of St. Paul under its main altar; the Appian Way, the oldest road from Roman times; the famous Domino Quo Vadis Chapel; the ancient Baths of Caracalla; Arch of Drusus; Tomb of Celilia Metella; and the catacombs of St. Callixtus where the early Christians hid themselves to escape persecution. We will also enjoy a visit to the Trevi fountain. Dinner in Rome.
Day 4 - Rome (Papal Visit and Vatican Museum tour)
Wake up in Eternal City, one of the greatest centers of Western Civilization and the first truly cosmopolitan city on earth! It is also spiritual capital for all the Catholics around the world. Today is truly a day we will have in our minds for many years to come. This morning we go to Vatican City to attend the weekly Papal Audience or Blessing given by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI (pending papal schedule). Following the audience visit of the Vatican Museums, a group of most impressive edifices with hundreds of galleries filled with art treasures. See awe-inspiring relics and works of art donated throughout centuries as tributes of faith. We'll cover The Tapestry Gallery, The Raphael Rooms and the most overwhelming Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo's Masterpiece, restored mural of the Last Judgment. Later, enter the largest church in Christendom St. Peter's Basilica, built on the site where St. Peter was martyred. Unsurpassed in beauty, a monument to the long history of the Catholic Church, to which pilgrims come from around the world, St. Peter's is the grandest of the world's churches. Marvel Pieta and Bernini's amazing bronze canopy. We will also visit the grave of Pope John Paul II located at the Vatican. Before dinner, we'll have some time at leisure, to explore.
Day 5 - Rome - Monte Cassino - San Giovanni Rotondo
We leave the Eternal City and head south, cross through the Roman countryside with its villas and vineyards, stopping at the Abbey of Monte Cassino, a beautiful town founded by St. Benedict in 529. Continue through the countryside heading east to Padre Pio's town of San Giovanni Rotondo, our base for the following two nights. Dinner and overnight in San Giovanni Rotondo.
Day 6 - San Giovanni Rotondo - Monte Sant'Angel
After celebrating Mass at the tomb of Padre Pio, we tour the sanctuary, see the old church and the crucifix from which he received the stigmata in 1918. You will see the confessional where Padre Pio spent innumerable hours with a multitude of pilgrims, directing them on their journey toward God. Enjoy a breathtaking view of the Cargano Peninsula and a visit to the Grotto of Michael the Archangel. Six different popes, St. Francis and at least four other saints have knelt in prayer at this grotto, seeking the protection of St. Michael. A panoramic view of the ocean and the surrounding countryside awaits you at this most celebrated shrine of early Christianity, a shrine consecrated by St. Michael himself in 490. Return to San Giovanni for dinner and overnight.
Day 7 - San Giovanni Rotondo - Lanciano - Loreto - Assisi
We will have breakfast at our hotel before we embark on a drive up the Adriatic coast to Lanciano where we will see the Eucharistic Miracle and celebrate Mass. We then continue on to the great Marian shrine of Loreto to visit the Holy House of Nazareth and the beautiful Madonna of Loreto. More than 50 popes have made a pilgrimage to the house transported by angels to this hill in central Italy in 1294. Tradition has it that this is the house in which Mary first prayed the Magnificat, in which Jesus grew to manhood, and in which the Holy Family lived. We arrive in Assisi for dinner and overnight in Assisi.
Day 8 - Assisi
Visit the tomb of St. Francis. Explore the quaint hilltop birthplace of St. Francis that still retains something of the atmosphere of the early 1200s, the period when St. Francis began his ministry. Contained within the huge 13th-century Basilica are many of the saint's possessions and a series of frescoes depicting his life. You may kneel before the crucifix from which Jesus spoke to St. Francis, asking him to rebuild His church. It was in St. Mary of the Angels Basilica where St. Francis spent most of his life. Here we visit the Chapel, Portiuncola, the rose bush, and the cave where the saint retired for prayer. Stroll the medieval streets of the compact little town. After stopping at an outdoor cafe with a view of an ancient Roman temple, we go to the Church of St. Clare to see the saint's incorrupt body. The foundress of the Order of Poor Clares followed the teachings of St. Francis by living a life of poverty and humility. We will visit these two saints' tombs before dinner.
Day 9 - Assisi - Siena
This morning we are off to the beautiful town of Siena, the birthplace of Saints Catherine and Bernardine and one of Italy's loveliest medieval cities. Here we will stroll the Piazza Del Campo, one of Italy's finest squares and visit the Cathedral and the Basilica of St. Francis, contain-ing the miraculous consecrated hosts that remained intact since 1730. View he incorrupt head of St. Catherine at the Basilica of St. Dominic. Return to Assisi for dinner and overnight.
Day 10 - Assisi - Lourdes
Early morning depart from Assisi for Rome or Florence Airport. Upon arrival in Lourdes transfer to your hotel. Relax or explore before dinner, followed by a candlelight procession before retiring. Dinner and over-night.
Days 11 & 12 - Lourdes
Today you will have Mass at the Grotto, enjoy a video presentation telling the story of Lourdes, and walk in the footsteps of St. Bernadette. See Boly Mill where St. Bernadette was born and the "Cachot," an abandoned prison where Bernadette's impoverished family lived. Join your prayers with pilgrims from around the world as you pray for the sick, drink water from the miraculous spring or submerge yourself in the healing baths. Experience Christ's love as you walk the life-sized Stations of the Cross overlooking the holy Grotto. Kneel in the chapel built on the very rock of the Grotto, in obedience to the request of the "Immaculate Conception." Evenings are for Blessed Sacrament Proces-sion before dinner. Your role in the universal church will have new meaning as you join the candlelight procession (April through October only) and group rosary.
Day 13 - Lourdes - Paris
After breakfast leave on the flight to Paris. Upon arrival, you will meet your driver and transfer to your hotel in Paris. Enjoy free time to rest, relax and explore before we depart for Mass at the Sacre Coeur. Dinner and overnight in Paris.
Day 14 -Paris
Wake up in Paris and depart for Mass at Shrine of the Miraculous Medal. View the incorrupt body of St. Catherine Labouret whose guardian angel led her to the chapel where the Blessed Virgin displayed a vision of the miraculous medal and, later, the green scapular. The Virgin promised bountiful graces for all who wore these. Our sightseeing tour includes some of the most beautiful and important churches in the world, such as Notre Dame Cathedral and Sacre Coeur, see the Eiffel Tower, L'Arc de Triomphe, drive through the Champs Elysees, and many other sights on this mostly panoramic tour. Return to the hotel for dinner.
Day 15 - Excursion to Rouen & Lisieux
After breakfast we depart for Rouen where on May 30, 1431, Joan of Arc was burnt at Place du Vieux Marche. We will visit the Joan of Arc museum and Rouen church. We continue on to Lisieux, the home of St. Therese whom Pope Pius X called "the greatest saint of modern times." Her extraordinary love for God and service to humanity comes alive as you visit the Basilica of Saint Therese, one of the biggest and most magnificent religious structures built in the 20th-century. During our stay in Lisieux a Mass will be celebrated. We will stop at Les Buissonets, St. Therese's family home. There on display are relics, clothing, and personal objects belonging to the "little flower." Before leaving tour the ancient Cathedral of St. Peter and the Carmelite Convent. We return to Paris for dinner and overnight.
Day 16 - Paris - Medjugorje
Early morning departure from Paris for your flights to Medjugorje. Upon arrival, you'll be greeted by a tour guide and/or driver who will then take you on the 2 1/2 hour drive by private coach to the village of Medjugorje. Once there, you'll be introduced to your host family in whose modern and comfortable house you will be staying for the next seven nights.
Days 17 to 22 - Medjugorje
During your stay in Medjugorje you will have the opportunity to share faith with pilgrims from all over the world. Our local guide will accompany us throughout your stay. Here are some of the activities you'll be sharing with our fellow pilgrims: Each morning at 10:00 am we assemble at St. James Church for the English language Mass (Feast days and Sundays English Mass is at noon). Follow the path up Apparition Hill where the visionaries first encountered Our Lady. Touch and pray before the cross that commemorates the spot where Mary first appeared to the visionaries. Each evening at 5:00 pm or 6:00 pm daylight savings time, we will join the villagers and pilgrims to pray the rosary. The apparition takes place at 5:40 pm or 6:40 daylight savings time, and then stay on for Croatian Mass. Don‟t miss Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Tuesdays and Saturdays and Veneration of the Cross on Fridays in the Church. Each evening during Croatian Mass there is the Blessing of the Sick and blessing of the items you have with you. Our guide will arrange meetings with the visionaries at their own homes, provided that they are in Medjugorje during your trip, and pending their availability. We will have the opportunity to climb Krizevac Mountain, where in 1933 the villagers built a 30' high cross on the anniversary of Jesus' crucifixion. Visit and pray at "Blue Cross," which is a place of great healings and grace near the base of Apparition Hill. We will visit the Community Cenacolo. * This part of your trip in Medjugorje is meant to provide you with time for a personal retreat. As such, your time in Medjugorje is not designed to be a "tour," but rather to provide you with time to pray, reflect, and explore on your own as you feel called. You will have a local Catholic guide to offer you an orientation tour on your first full day in Medjugorje. Your local 206 Tours representative will be available to assist you with any questions throughout your trip.
Day 23 - Medjugorje - USA
After an early breakfast, we leave by motor coach for Dubrovnik Airport (Split or Sarajevo) for return flights home.
Any questions? Call 800-206-TOUR (8687) or Email Us Why travel with 206 Tours? Click here to read letters from our clients
Travel Dates
Land Only (no airfare)
*Air & Land
# of Pilgrims
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Single Supplement/Private Room
$1,599
Land with Inter-European Flights
one-way Lourdes to Rome
(no international airfare or arrival/departure transfers are included)
333 Marcus Blvd 