tour 7
All Italian Shrines
11  days

PADUA, SIENA, ASSISI, CASCIA, LORETO, LANCIANO, SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO & ROME

Day 1  USA - Milan
Depart from Boston or JFK Airport, New York for the overnight flight to Milan. Dinner and breakfast are served on board.

Day 2  Milan - Verona - Padua
After an early morning arrival at Milan's Malpensa Airport, we will take a short tour of Milan. Then we're off to Padua via Verona, the setting for Romeo and Juliet. Afternoon arrival in Padua, though known in Padua he was born in Lisbon, Portugal, St Anthony is patron saint of lost things. Celebrate Mass at the Basilica built in his honor. Associated with many miracles, St Anthony was so renowned for his preaching that in the Basilica are preserved his tongue and vocal cords, which were discovered, incorrupt, although the rest of his body had decayed after death. See the magnificent bronze statues of the great sculptor, Donatello. Dinner and overnight.

Day 3  Padua - Siena - Assisi
Depart after breakfast for Siena, the birthplace of Saints Catherine and Bernardine and Italy's loveliest medieval city. Here we will stroll the Piazza del Campo, one of Italy's finest squares, celebrate Mass at the Cathedral, and visit the Basilica of St Francis, containing the miraculous consecrated hosts which have remained intact since 1730. View the incorrupt head of St Catherine, the mystical bride of Christ, at St Dominic's Basilica. Later we drive through the Umbria region to the pilgrimage center of Assisi, where St Francis tended the poor and sick and founded the Franciscan order. Travel by motor coach to Assisi for dinner and overnight.

Day 4  Assisi
After breakfast we celebrate Mass at the tomb of St Francis. Explore the quaint hilltop birthplace of St Francis which 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 5  Assisi - Cascia - Loreto
We leave for Cascia to see the Eucharistic Miracle and the Sanctuary of Saint Rita, the saint of the impossible. A married woman, mother, widow, nun, mystic, stigmatist, and a saint with an incorruptible body, beloved St Rita played many roles in her life. In the Basilica you will see such relics as the crucifix from which she received the stigmata. View the blood-stained pages of the breviary which cradled the miraculous host, leaving a perfect outline of Christ's face. Next we follow the lush Adriatic coast 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. Mass at the Shrine in Loreto, then transfer for dinner and overnight in Loreto.

Day 6  Loreto - Lanciano - San Giovanni Rotondo
 After breakfast, we motor south along the Adriatic Sea to Lanciano. Here we see the 8th-century Eucharistic Miracle in the little Church of Lagontial. After expressing doubts about Christ's true presence in the consecrated host, a monk found himself holding a host that had changed into flesh and wine that had changed into blood. This afternoon we leave for San Giovanni Rotondo for dinner and overnight.

Day 7  San Giovanni Rotondo - Monte Sant'Angelo
After celebrating Mass at the tomb of Padre Pio, we tour the sanctuary led by one of the fathers who knew Padre Pio personally. We will 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 devotions, reflection, and a restful overnight.

Day 8  San Giovanni Rotondo - Monte Cassino - Rome
Today we head west to Rome with a stop in Monte Cassino, the Benedictine Monastery founded in 529. Arrive in Rome, the Eternal City, in time for dinner.

Day 9 & 10 Rome
After breakfast we begin our day with Mass at St Peter's Basilica, the largest church in the world, 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 Basilica is the grandest of the world's churches. View such historical treasures as a piece of the True Cross, the lance that pierced Christ's side, numerous papal tombs, Michelangelo's restored fresco of The Last Judgment on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel, his Pieta, and the four mighty piers supporting the magnificent dome. In the afternoon take time to visit the Vatican Garden, Library and Museum to see awe-inspiring relics and works of art donated throughout the centuries as tributes of faith. In the afternoon we will drive past the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and then explore St Paul Outside the Walls, a church which houses the remains of St Paul under its main altar and which has many relics on display including the chains that once bound the apostle while a prisoner in Rome. We will also visit the Church of St Peter in Chains to see Michelangelo's incomparable statue of Moses. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

Day 11  Rome - USA
Depart from Rome for our return flight to the USA. We fondly say, Arrivederci Roma!


YOUR TRIP INCLUDES:
Round-trip flight from Boston or New York or hometown to Italy
9 nights at 3 and 4-star hotels:
1 night: Hotel Biri, Padua
2 nights: Hotel Giotto, Assisi
1 night: Hotel Loreto, Loreto
2 nights: Hotel Parco della Rose, San Giovanni Rotondo
3 nights: Hotel Michelangelo, Rome
Breakfast and dinner daily
Transportation by air-conditioned motor coach
Guided tours and admission fees
Hotel taxes and service charges
Papal Audience
Mass daily
All baggage handling
Flight bag and portfolio of travel documents