Today each person will make their way to their local airport, for the overnight flight(s). Meals will be served on board.

Welcome to Rome, also known as “The Eternal City.” Upon landing at Rome airport, we’ll each claim 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, enjoy a welcome dinner. After dinner we 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. Then we’ll visit the Church of St. Alphonsus which houses the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. 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 lead 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 then 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 in Rome. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

This morning we will start at the Castel Sant’Angelo and Angel Bridge, and then attend the Papal Angelus and Blessing in St. Peter’s Square. After the Angelus we’ll do a walking tour visiting many of the most 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, 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 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 an overnight in Rome.

Our first destination after our delicious breakfast will be the site of Ostia Antica, of the best-preserved cities of Ancient Rome, the former port of the city, now an archaeological site featuring many building ruins, mosaics and statues. Following our visit to Ostia Antica, 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 attend the Papal Audience in St. Peter’s Square or at the Audience Hall. The Audience is celebrated each Wednesday by His Holiness Pope Francis (pending the papal schedule). After the Audience, we will go to 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. Then we visit the Tulliamum, also known as the Mamertine Prison, which is where tradition states that both Sts. Peter and Paul where 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 archaeological 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 in history 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 be a very memorable experience and concludes with lunch (included). We’ll depart from Orvieto and travel onward to Bolsena, the ancient city which is the site of the Eucharistic Miracle that we venerated in Orvieto. In 1263, in the Church of St. Christina, a priest (Fr. Peter of Prague) was saying Holy Mass, and after he spoke the words of Consecration, blood started to seep from the Host onto the corporal cloth. This is the Miracle that inspired the Pope to institute the Solemnity of Corpus Christi the following year, in 1264. After this prayerful and inspiring day, end your journey 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 as the atmosphere has not changed since St. Francis began his ministry, in the early 13th-century. You will start your tour at the St. Francis Basilica, visit his 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. Followed by a visit to the Santuario Della Spogliazione where Blessed Carlo Acutis’ tomb is placed. Carlo is the first millennial to be declared Blessed who 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 followed the teachings of St. Francis very closely by also living a life of poverty and humility. Enjoy some free time on your own – you may take this time for additional prayer, shop in the many gift shops or enjoy a nice lunch. After lunch, you will board the bus, which will take you outside of the walls of Assisi, to the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels. This is where St. Francis spent most of 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 we will depart Assisi for a day trip to Ravenna, a historically important city in Roman times and in the early church.  It was the capital of the western Roman Empire for a time in the 5^th century. Ravenna spent centuries under Byzantine rule, and it has some of the best-preserved sites from that time period. There are eight UNESCO World Heritage sites for early Christian monuments in Ravenna.  The city is also famous for its mosaics. After enjoying your day in Ravenna, transfer to Bologna for dinner and overnight.

After an early breakfast and heartfelt farewells, you will leave your hotel for Bologna airport for 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.