YOUR TRIP INCLUDES:
 Round-trip air from New York to Rome, Italy (special Add-on Airfares from all US gateways)
 Airline FUEL SURCHARGES INCLUDED (up to $420)
 10 nights at centrally located first class hotels as follows: (or similar)
             ~ 3 nights:  Hotel Cicerone or Quirinale, Rome
             ~ 2 nights:  Hotel Gran Paradiso, San Giovanni Rotondo
             ~ 3 nights:  Hotel Giotto, Assisi
             ~ 2 nights:  Hotel Mediteraneo, Florence 
 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 - USA - Rome
Depart from New York, JFK or from your hometown for the overnight flight to Rome, Italy. Dinner and breakfast will be served on board.

Day 2 - Arrive Rome
Upon arrival your escort will warmly greet you this morning and welcome you to Italy. Transfer to your hotel and enjoy a free afternoon for rest, relaxation, or exploration.  You tour escort can suggest sights or walks for you to enjoy.

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, The Basilica of the St John in Lateran, is the 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; and the Appian Way -- the oldest road from Roman times--plus the famous Domino Quo Vadis Chapel; see 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 and overnight for your last evening in Rome.

Day 4 - Rome (Papal Audience 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 your own paths, to shop, or just to sit in one of the outside cafes and watch the world go by.

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 Montecassino, a beautiful town founded by St. Benedict in 529. Continue through the countryside heading east to Padre Pios 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’Angelo
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. We will have an opportunity to view his exhumed body (through September 2009). 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 devotions, reflection, and a restful 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.  Continue to Assisi for dinner and overnight.

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 and retiring for the evening.

Day 9 - Assisi - Siena
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, containing the miraculous consecrated hosts that remained intact since 1730. View the incorrupt head of St. Catherine at the Basilica of St. Dominic.   Return to Assisi for dinner and overnight.

Day 10 - Assisi - Florence 
After a brief drive through the beautiful Tuscan countryside, we arrive in Florence. A paradise for art lovers, Florence drew to itself the greatest artists of the Renaissance: Dante, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Donatello and many others. Dinner and overnight.

* Special groups may chose to make a stop or travel via Norcia, Cascia and city of Spoleto.  Cascia including basilica and monastery of St.Rita and St. Francis; Norcia surrounded with town walls includes the St.Benedict's basilica and cathedral of Santa Maria Argentea;  Spoleto to visit the Cathedral and the old town.

Day 11 - Florence (afternoon optional tour to Pisa)
After Mass, we will enjoy guided tour of Florence which includes magnificent Franciscan church of The Holy Cross or Santa Croce with the beautiful facade, church is a burial place of nobles, among which is Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli. Walking tour through Piazza Signoria, pass by Palazzo Vecchio, Uffizi and Ponte Vecchio. Continue through Republic Square to the Santa Maria del Fiore 13th century cathedral.
Free time you may decide to take one of several optional tours including tour to Pisa (additional cost approximately $30.) o shop, find a coffee shop for some good observation of the passers by or continue to explore this art city on your own. Return to our hotel in Florence for dinner and overnight.

Day 12 - Florence - USA
We bid farewell to our new friends and to a pilgrimage which will be in our memories and heart for a long time to come. After breakfast depart from the hotel to Florence Airport for our return flight to the USA.

 

Additional Information & Travel Tips:

What to Know Before You Go to Italy