Make your way to your local airport, where you will board your overnight flight(s)

Upon arrival, collect your luggage from baggage claims and proceed to the Arrivals Hall, where you will be met by a tour guide and/or driver and transferred to your hotel. Later, your guide will tell you about St. Paul and Christianity in the Maltese Islands. You will attend Mass at a local church before dinner at your hotel.

After breakfast at your hotel, depart for a full-day guided excursion to the Three Cities of Vittoriosa, Cospicua, and Senglea, where in 1530 the Knights of St. John settled on the east coast in the creeks of Grand Harbor. Next, see the Miraculous Statue of Jesus Christ the Redeemer in the Oratory of the Basilica, dedicated to the birth of the Virgin Mary in Senglea. Later, take a typical harbor boat tour from Vittoriosa across the Grand Harbor to Valletta and see its waterfront. You will also see St. John’s Co-Cathedral and Museum in Valletta. Visit the oratory, which houses the famous Caravaggio paintings. Enjoy dinner and a restful overnight.

After breakfast at your hotel, depart for a full day’s guided excursion to Gozo, a sister island of Malta. Here you’ll visit the Mellieha Sanctuary of Our Lady, a Marian Shrine. Pope John Paul II blessed the Sanctuary during his visit to Malta in 1990. The Sanctuary enjoys a picturesque view of the Valley of Our Lady, Mellieha Bay, Comino, and Gozo. Later, see Munxar Parish Church, a Baroque-style building dedicated to St. Paul, the Gozo Cathedral of the Assumption, and St. George’s Basilica, known as the golden church of the “marble Basilica” of Gozo. The relics of St. Clement rest in the Baroque altar in the side chapel of St. Lazarus, one of eleven side chapels within the Basilica. Next, visit the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta’Pinu, Malta’s most important pilgrimage site. The narrow rooms on either side of the altar are full of testimonies of the locals’ belief in the intercession of Our Lady. Lastly, return by ferry to Malta, and enjoy dinner and an overnight at your hotel.

After breakfast at your hotel, begin another full day of guided tours. See St. Paul’s Bay by boat, the Church of the Assumption of our Lady, St. Paul’s Cathedral and Museum in Mdina, the medieval walled city, the Bastions, St. Paul’s Catacombs, and St. Paul’s Grotto. St. Paul’s Grotto is said to be the place where St. Paul took refuge and prayed for three months while trying to convert the Maltese to Christianity following his shipwreck around 60 A.D. Pope John Paul II prayed in the grotto during his visit in 1990. Return to Malta for dinner and your last overnight.

Today you will transfer to the airport for your flight to Rome, also known as “The Eternal City”. Upon landing at Rome airport, claim your baggage and proceed to the arrival hall, where your tour guide and/or driver will greet you. Following check-in at the hotel, enjoy some free time to unpack, relax, or explore Rome on your own. Your tour escort may suggest places to visit. Later this afternoon, your group will meet in the hotel lobby for a meet and greet with fellow pilgrims and your priest. You will depart together for Mass. Following Mass, you will enjoy a welcome dinner, and then you will have the opportunity to walk to St. Peter’s Square for the Rosary (optional).

This morning, we will attend the Papal Audience in St. Peter’s Square or at the Audience Hall. The Audience is celebrated each Wednesday by His Holiness, the Pope (pending the papal schedule). (During the month of July 2025, Papal Audiences are cancelled while the Holy Father resides in Castel Gandolfo. For tours occurring during this time, the Audience will be replaced with an excursion to Castel Gandolfo with the itinerary below: Upon arrival in Castel Gandolfo, we will visit Piazza della Libertà. Here, we will take a moment to admire the impressive facade of the Papal Palace, the Pope’s summer residence. Our visit continues with an exploration of the Papal Palace itself, including the Vatican Observatory and the breathtaking Barberini Gardens, which offer panoramic views of Lake Albano.) Next, we will visit the Trevi Fountain area for some free time and lunch (on your own). This afternoon, visit the oldest of the four major Basilicas in Rome, the Archbasilica of St. John the Lateran, the cathedral church and 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. The Holy Stairs were brought to Rome in the 4th Century by St. Helen. Our final stop for the day will be at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, dedicated to Our Blessed Mother, where we will celebrate Holy Mass. Dinner and overnight.

Today, we will 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, pray at the tombs of Pope Benedict XVI and St. John Paul II. Next, you will visit the Vatican Museum, where you can see the Tapestry Gallery, Raphael Rooms, and Sistine Chapel. After lunch, continue down the Appian Way, one of the earliest roads built in ancient Rome, to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls and the Catacombs. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

Following breakfast, you will board your bus to enjoy the scenic route to Montecassino. Passing through the Roman countryside that is known for its villas and vineyards. During the bus ride, your tour escort will share interesting information regarding the spiritual, historical, and cultural aspects of Italy. Montecassino, the principal monastery of the Benedictine Order, was founded by Saint Benedict around 530 A.D. Following the tour, you will have the opportunity to visit the gift shop before boarding the bus to continue toward San Giovanni Rotondo, the hometown of St. Padre Pio. Upon arrival in San Giovanni Rotondo, you will check in, enjoy dinner in a restaurant, and overnight.

After breakfast, you will visit the Old Church. After Mass, you will tour the Sanctuary, where you will view the crucifix in front of which St. Pio received the stigmata. Visit the confessional from where St. Pio spent an innumerable number of hours listening to confessions. Next, you will board the bus and travel along the beautiful Gargano Peninsula to the Grotto of St. Michael the Archangel, a shrine consecrated by St. Michael. At this grotto, St. Michael appeared to a Bishop to assure him that his diocese would not be destroyed as he had feared. Following the visit to the grotto, enjoy free time. On the way back to San Giovanni Rotondo, view breathtaking views of the ocean and the surrounding countryside. Upon arrival, you will have time for devotion and reflection. Dinner and an overnight in San Giovanni Rotondo.
*Candlelight Procession – Between May and October, attend the weekly Candlelight Procession at the Sanctuary of St. Pio after dinner, at 9:00 PM. These processions are lit by candlelight and are guided by the Most Holy Rosary. Following this prayerful experience, you will return to your hotel for a restful overnight.

After breakfast, we will leave for Assisi. On the way, we will stop in Lanciano for a private Mass at the Convent/Church of Saint Francis, built on top of the antique Church of St. Longinus, the site of a Eucharistic Miracle that occurred in the 8th century. At the time of the miracle, there was a Basilian monk who struggled with the belief in the Real Presence in the Eucharist. During the time of Mass, the monk, with doubt in his voice, said the words of consecration, and the bread and wine transformed into physical flesh and blood. Leave for the Marian Shrine of Loreto to visit the Holy House of Nazareth and the beautiful Madonna of Loreto. Tradition holds 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, before it was transported several times by angels to its current location. End the day in Assisi, hometown of St. Francis and St. Clare, with dinner and overnight at your hotel.

As you visit the birthplace of St. Francis, you will become captivated by the atmosphere, which has remained essentially unchanged since St. Francis began his ministry in the early 13th century. You will start your tour at the Basilica of St. Francis. Visit the tomb of St. Francis and have the opportunity to view a series of frescoes depicting his life, along with a few of the Saint’s possessions. You will also have the chance to pray at the tomb of St. Carlo Acutis at Santuario Della Spogliazione. Carlo is the first millennial to have been declared a Saint. He loved the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. From there, you will continue on a walking tour through this picturesque town, including the birthplace of St. Francis, and end with a tour of the Church that honors St. Clare, the foundress of the Poor Clare Sisters. This Saint closely followed the teachings of St. Francis, as she also lived a life of poverty and humility. Enjoy some free time on your own. You may take time for additional prayer, shopping in the many gift shops, or to enjoy a nice lunch. After lunch, you will board the bus, which will take you outside the walls of Assisi, to the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels. This is where St. Francis spent most of his life. This Basilica is made up of two structures, both of which you will visit. The first structure is the “Porziuncola”, which is where St. Francis founded his order of the Friar Minor (Franciscans). The second is the “Capella del Transito”, which is the place of St. Francis’ death. During your time here, you will have the opportunity to visit the beautiful Rose Garden, where St. Francis and other friars lived, as well as the cave where the Saint retired to pray. Return to the hotel for dinner and an overnight.

This morning, you will ride through the beautiful Umbrian mountains to Orvieto. This incredible town sits on a volcanic high rock formation. Here, we will visit one of the most beautiful and most renowned Cathedrals in Italy. Due to its strategic location, Orvieto’s Christian history officially began in 1004. However, the city was built over preexisting Etruscan-era cave tunnels dating back 2,500 years, which some historians believe Christians used to celebrate Mass when Christianity was forbidden. Return to Assisi for dinner and an overnight stay.

*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.