Each person will make their way to their local airport for the overnight flight(s) to Rome. Meals will be served onboard.

Welcome to Rome, also known as “The Eternal City.” Upon landing at Rome airport, we’ll each claim our baggage and proceed to the Arrivals Hall, where the tour guide and/or driver will greet us. Following check-in at the hotel, enjoy some free time to unpack, relax or explore Rome. The tour escort may suggest places to visit. Later this afternoon, the group will meet in the hotel lobby for a meet and greet with fellow pilgrims and the priest/chaplain for our pilgrimage. We will depart together for Mass, and following Mass, we will enjoy a welcome dinner. After dinner we will have the opportunity to join in a walk to St. Peter’s Square for the Rosary (optional).

After breakfast, depart for a full day tour of Christian Rome. We will start at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, dedicated to our Blessed Mother, which contains a relic from the manger of the infant Jesus. Next, we’ll spend some time at the oldest of the four major basilicas in Rome – the Archbasilica of St. John the Lateran, the seat of the Bishop of Rome. Cross the street to the very steps that led up to the praetorium of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem, which Jesus climbed on His way to trial during his Passion. After free time for lunch, we will visit Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, then tour the Catacombs and the minor Basilica of San Sebastian, one of the seven pilgrim churches of Rome. The last stop of the day is Saint Paul’s Outside the Walls, another of the four major basilicas of Rome. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

Today we will have the opportunity to attend the Papal Audience. We will also visit the Castel Sant’Angelo and Angel Bridge. We will do a walking tour visiting many of the famous places of Rome – highlights include the Piazza Navona, Pantheon, and Tomb of St. Monica. We will finish the tour at the iconic Trevi Fountain. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

Today we tour St. Peter’s Basilica, built on the site where St. Peter the Apostle was martyred. Here you’ll have the opportunity to view Michelangelo’s Pieta sculpture and pray at the tombs of Pope Benedict XVI and St. John Paul II. Next, we will visit the Vatican Museum, where you can see the Tapestry Gallery, Raphael Rooms, and the Sistine Chapel. Following some free time for lunch, we’ll visit two of the iconic churches of Rome – Santa Cecilia and Santa Maria in Trastevere. Return to the hotel for a delicious dinner and overnight in Rome.

Our first destination after a delicious breakfast will be Ostia Antica, one of the best-preserved areas of ancient Rome, the former port of the city, now an archeological site featuring many ruins, mosaics and statues. Following this visit, we will board the bus and enjoy the scenic route to the Abbey of Monte Cassino, the principal monastery of the Benedictine Order, founded by St. Benedict around 530 A.D. Enjoy the afternoon at this spectacular site learning about one of the most important saints in the early church and the founder of Western monasticism. Return to Rome for dinner and overnight.

This morning we will visit the Basilica of St. Peter in Chains, well known in part for housing Michelangelo’s statue of Moses. We will then visit two sites of ancient Rome that are a must for any tour of the city – the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. We will then visit the Tullianum, also known as the Mamertine Prison, where tradition states that both Sts. Peter and Paul were held. Our last stop for the day will be the Basilica of San Clemente, a short walk from the Colosseum, which is one of the most ancient churches in Rome, where there are extensive archeological excavations and where two early church martyrs are venerated – St. Clement and St. Ignatius of Antioch. Enjoy a delicious dinner and overnight at our hotel in Rome.

After breakfast, we leave for Assisi. Our first stop on the way will be Orvieto, a city situated on a cliff in the Umbria region. Orvieto is a city known for its cathedral, considered one of the most architecturally important in Europe, for its Etruscan roots, and for the museums where one finds collections and displays that range over 2,500 years of history. Most importantly, the relic of one of the most famous Eucharistic miracles is housed in the cathedral, where pilgrims may venerate the corporal that is stained with blood from the consecrated Host which began to bleed during a Mass in Bolsena in 1263. Your tour of Orvieto will a very memorable experience and concludes with lunch (included). We’ll depart from Orvieto and travel on to Assisi, hometown of St. Francis and St. Clare, with dinner and overnight at your hotel.

We will spend today on a full day tour of Assisi. Visit the Basilica of St. Francis, where you will see the tomb of St. Francis, and view a series of frescoes depicting his life, along with a few of the saint’s possessions. Continue the tour by walking through this picturesque town, where St. Francis and St. Clare both followed God’s call to rebuild his church. Enjoy some free time – for additional prayer, shopping and lunch. After lunch, board the bus, which will take you outside of the walls of Assisi to the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels. This basilica is made up of two structures, and you will visit both. The first structure is the “Porziuncola” and the second is the “Capella del Transito,” which is the place where St. Francis died. Return to the hotel for dinner and a restful overnight.

This morning, we will depart Assisi for a day trip. Our first stop is Gubbio, a medieval town in central Italy. The cathedral there contains 16th century paintings and a baroque chapel. The city is also famous for its truffles. Leaving Gubbio, we travel to Laverna, an isolated town on Mount Penna, in the center of the Tuscan Appenine mountains. In LaVergne, St. Francis had a vision of a seraph angel. The angel spoke to him and afterwards St. Francis received the marks of the stigmata. We return to Assisi for dinner and overnight.

After an early breakfast and heartfelt farewells, you will leave Assisi for Rome Fiumicino Airport for your return flights home.

*206 Tours Disclaimer:
Occasionally local religious and national holidays, weather, traffic conditions and other events may necessitate changes in the sequence of events or the missing of certain events/places. Though every effort will be made to follow the itinerary, it should be considered as an indication, rather than a contract of events and places to be visited.