YOUR TRIP INCLUDES: Round-trip air from New York to Italy (special Add-on Airfares from all US gateways) ALL AIRPORT TAXES & FUEL SURCHARGES! 13 nights at centrally located first class hotels as follows: (or similar)
~ 2 nights: Hotel Biri, Padua, Italy 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
Sample Day-by-Day Itinerary: Day 1 - Depart USA Make your way to your hometown airport where you will board your overnight flight(s) to Europe. Dinner and breakfast will be served on board.
Day 2 - Lourdes Upon arrival in Europe you will connect with your flight to Toulouse, Pau or Lourdes airport. Upon arrival you will find your luggage and exit the baggage claim into the arrivals hall where you will be greeted by a tour guide and/or driver. You will be escorted to the vehicle which will then take you on your scenic drive to Lourdes. Upon arrival you will check in to your hotel and relax or explore before dinner. Following dinner you may choose to participate in the candlelight procession before retiring for the evening.
Days 3 & 4 - Lourdes
During the next two days in Lourdes you will have time to pray with your fellow pilgrims from around the world.
During your trip you will have an opportunity to: Attend Mass at the Grotto, watch 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 those of 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 lifesized 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 free for option-al Blessed Sacrament Procession before dinner. Your role in the universal church will have new meaning as you join the candlelight procession and group rosary (candlelight procession & group rosary only occur April- October).
Day 5 - Lourdes - Paris After an early breakfast we make our way to Lourdes or Pau Airport for our short flight to Paris. Upon arrival, you will be greeted by our tour guide and brought to your transportation. You will have free time for lunch and then depart for our tour of Paris. We will begin with holy Mass at the 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. Next we depart on our sightseeing tour which includes the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Eiffel Tower, L'Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Elysees and the Louvre. Enjoy other sights on this mostly panoramic tour. We enjoy a lovely dinner before returning to our hotel for a restful overnight.
Day 6 - Excursion to Lisieux, St. Terese the Little Flower
After breakfast, we depart for Lisieux where we will enjoy a tour of 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. While in Lisiuex we will celebrate 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 on to Paris for dinner and overnight.
* For those who which to skip the day trip to Lisieux you may choose to stay in Paris to shop, explore or relax!
Day 7 - Excursion to Nevers, the body of St. Bernadette After breakfast, we depart for Nevers by way of the picturesque Loire Valley. After taking the veil in 1867, St. Bernadette lived for 12 years as a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Nevers. At least three times during her short lifetime, she received the last Sacraments. In addition to asthma, she was gradually struck by other illnesses, among them was tu-berculosis of the lung and a tubercular tumor in her right knee. St. Berna-dette eventually died at the age of 35. See St. Bernadette's incorrupt body at the convent of St. Gildard, miraculously preserved since her death in 1879. We return to Paris for dinner and overnight.
* For those who which to skip the day trip to Nevers you may choose to stay in Paris to shop, explore or relax!
Day 8 - Paris - Rome
After breakfast, we transfer to Paris Airport for our short flight to Rome. Upon arrival in Rome Airport you will find your luggage and exit the bag-gage claim into the arrivals hall where you will be greeted by your tour escort and/or driver. After a warm welcome to Italy, you will be escorted to your transportation to your hotel. Enjoy a free afternoon for rest, relaxation, or exploration. Your tour escort can suggest sights or walks for you to enjoy.
Day 9 - Christian Rome
This morning we awake in the Eternal City, one of the centers of Western civilization! After a filling breakfast we depart on our sightseeing tour which will offer insight into the most significant Catholic sites in Rome. We will have an opportunity to see the Basilica of St. Mary Major, one of the oldest shrines dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, which contains a relic from the manger of the infant Jesus. We will see the Holy Stairs and visit the Basilica of St. John the Lateran, which was the residence of the popes prior to returning to Rome in 1377. We also explore St. Paul Outside the Walls, which houses the remains of St. Paul under its main altar. We will see the Appian Way, the oldest road from Roman times, as well as the famous Domino Quo Vadis Chapel, the ancient Baths of Caracalla, Arch of Drusus and the Tomb of Celilia Metella. Our day ends with a special visit to one of the catacombs, such as St. Callixtus, where the early Christians hid themselves to escape persecution for their devout faith. Time permit-ting we will also visit the Trevi Fountain to take part in the tradition of throwing 3 coins into the fountain in hopes of returning to Rome. After a day filled with faith and beauty we enjoy a tasty dinner before retiring for the night.
Day 10 - Rome (Papal Audience and Vatican Museum Tour)
After an early breakfast we depart for Vatican City, the spiritual capital for all Catholics around the world. Vatican City is it's own city-state nestle within Rome, and it even has it's own currency and postage! Today is truly a day which will live in our hearts for many years to come. We make our way to St. Peter's Basilica where we will attend the Papal Audience given by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI (pending papal schedule). Following the audience we will visit the Vatican Museums, an astonishing series of galleries which contain the most impressive spiritual and art treasures. You will see awe-inspiring relics and works of art donated throughout centuries as tributes of faith. We will visit the Tapestry Gallery, the Raphael Rooms and the breathtaking Sistine Chapel where we will see Michelangelo's masterpiece the Last Judgment. We continue our exploration of the Vatican as we enter the largest church in Christendom - St. Peter's Basilica. Built on the site where St. Peter was martyred. St. Peter's is unsurpassed in beauty; a monument to the long history of the Catholic Church, to which pilgrims from around the world flock. You will have time to marvel at the Pieta and Bernini's amazing bronze canopy. We will also visit the tomb of Pope John Paul II located in the Vatican. After a day exploring the home of our Catholic faith, we gather together to dine and reminisce about our day with our fellow pilgrims. We return to our hotel to settle in for a restful sleep on our last night in Rome.
Day 11 - Rome - Florence
We feast on a fulfilling breakfast before we depart for Florence. A true paradise for culture and art lovers, Florence drew to itself the greatest artists of the Renaissance: Dante, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Donatello and many others. You will have a free afternoon to stroll the streets of this beautiful city. Enjoy some of the best shopping in Italy, visit a museum, or just relax in a café in the Piazza della Signoria. We gather for dinner to share the stories of our afternoon.
Day 12 - Florence
After enjoying breakfast and a delicious cappuccino, we depart on our guided tour of Florence. We begin with the magnificent Franciscan church of Santa Croce with it's intricate façade, the church is a burial place of nobles, among which is Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli. As we walk through Piazza Signoria, we pass by Palazzo Vecchio, Uffizi, the Ponte Vecchio and Piazza della Repubblica. We arrive at the Santa Maria del Fiore, a 13th-century cathedral, and the site of Brunelleschi's Duomo, as well as Giotto's Bell Tower. Enjoy free time before dinner to explore Santa Maria del Fiore.
Day 13 - Florence - Padua
After breakfast, we depart for Padua, where St. Anthony, patron saint of lost things is honored. We celebrate Mass at the Basilica built in his honor. Following Mass, begin our sightseeing tour including one of the oldest universi-ties in Italy, the Tomb of St. Anthony and we have an opportunity to see sev-eral of his relics. We will pass by Pratto Della Valle, and see the Basilica of Santa Giustina. We arrive at our hotel in time for dinner and a restful overnight.
Day 14 - Full day excursion to Venice
After breakfast depart for nearby Venice, the iconic city where the streets are paved with water! We will enjoy a tour and visit of some of the greatest sights you will ever see: St. Mark's Square, The Golden Basilica of San Marco, the Bridge of Sighs, and we will even have an extraordinary visit of Dodges' Palace. After the tour you will have free time to explore Venice on own, shop and perhaps take an gondola ride. Don't forget to enjoy a cappuccino and gelato at one of the cafes in St. Mark's Square, a must do for any visit to Venice. We return to Padua in time for our dinner and our final night in Italy!
Day 15 - Venice - USA
After breakfast depart from the hotel to Venice Airport for our flights home to the USA.
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Travel Dates
Land Only (no airfare)
*Air & Land
# of Pilgrims
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