Make your way to your local airport, where you will board your overnight flight(s). Meals will be served on board.

Upon landing at Florence airport, claim your baggage and proceed to the Arrivals 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 Florence on your own. You will notice immediately that it is the land for art lovers. Some of the most world-renowned artists are from Florence such as Dante, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Donatello, and many others. For the remainder of the afternoon, you will have the opportunity to explore the streets of Florence at leisure. In the evening gather for dinner, followed by an overnight.

In Florence, your day begins with breakfast, followed by a guided tour. The tour starts at the Church of the Holy Cross, the Santa Croce, where many nobles are buried, such as Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli. Continue to walk by Piazza Signorina, Palazzo Vecchio, Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio, and Republic Square to the Santa Maria del Fiore. This Cathedral is an iconic piece of architecture of the city of Florence. It was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi in the 13th century. Next, a visit to L’Accademia, the well-known art gallery. At this gallery, you will have the opportunity to view the work from artists such as Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Pontormo, and the ever famous sculpture by Michelangelo, David. This afternoon you will have time to explore Florence on your own. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Following breakfast at your hotel, board the motorcoach for your transfer to Padua. This Northern Italian city honors the “Patron Saint of Lost Things and Causes”, St. Anthony. You will begin a sightseeing tour of the city, including a view of one of the oldest Universities in Italy, the University of Padua, as well as the Basilica of Santa Giustina, the “Patron Saint of Padua.” The tour will conclude at the Basilica of St. Anthony, where you will have the opportunity to visit his tomb. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Today, you will have early breakfast and then board your bus to depart to the magical city of Venice. After Mass, enjoy a tour of the “city paved with water!” Your walking tour includes a visit to St. Mark’s Square, the largest square in the city and the site of many government buildings; the Golden Basilica of San Marco, known for the great mosaics that depict the Old and New Testament of the Bible; the Bridge of Sigh, a bridge that will bring eternal love to those who drift below it. You will also have the chance to view the Doges’ Palace (Duke’s Palace), which served as the seat of the Government for the Republic of Venice for centuries. Return to Padua for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, depart towards Verona. Upon arrival tour this medieval old town built between the meandering Adige river. Its famous for being the setting of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” A 14th-century residence with a tiny balcony overlooking a courtyard is said be “Juliet’s House.” Walk on Piazza delle Erbe, the town’s forum in Roman times, which is home to a produce market and the Torre dei Lamberti bell tower, started in 1172. San Zeno Basilica has a fresco-filled interior and medieval bronze doors depicting biblical stories. Verona Cathedral, built mainly in the 12th-century, contains “The Assumption of the Virgin,” a 16th-century painting by Titian. Along the Adige River, the Museo di Castelvecchio, in a 14th-century fortified castle, houses paintings, sculptures and military weapons from the Middle Ages. The Ponte Pietra is a Roman-era stone bridge. After lunch we continue onto the city of Milan for dinner and a restful overnight.

Following breakfast, we will embark on a sightseeing journey with a local guide in Milan. We will pray for the intercession of St. Ambrose and St. Charles Borromeo as we visit the sites of their tombs (the Basilica of St. Ambrogio and the spectacular Milan Cathedral, respectively). The Milan Cathedral boasts being the largest cathedral in all of Italy. The duomo houses incredible relics, including a nail from the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. St. Helena originally sent it to her son Constantine, who had it made into a bridle for his horse. The nail came into St. Ambrose’s possession at the end of the fourth century, and is now raised and lowered on a unique platform to be venerated. After free time for lunch, we will venture to north of Pavia to admire the magnificent church and large monastery of Carthusian Certosa di Pavia. Pavia itself then awaits us to explore its famous covered bridge over Ticino river, the Towers of Pavia historical center, and one of the most famous churches built by a Lombard king in Pavia: San Pietro in Ciel d’Oro. The largest tomb of the three located in San Pietro in Ciel d’Oro contains the remains of St. Augustine of Hippo! We will have time to appreciate this site and venerate the remains of this great doctor of the Church. We will return to our hotel in Milan for dinner and an overnight stay.

This morning we will traverse the countryside around Milan to visit the shrine and tomb of St. Gianna Beretta Molla at Mesero. St. Gianna (1922-1962) lived a heroic yet simple life as a pediatrician, wife, and mother of four. She served the poor as well as her patients wholeheartedly, while attending to her children as if they were each Jesus as a child. When given the option to terminate her fourth pregnancy due to a severe complication, she opted for the surgery that would preserve the life of her daughter. St. Gianna ended up passing away a week after her cesarean section, and her daughter is still alive today. We will go to Magenta in Ponte Nuovo to see the house where Giannna was born, the Basilica di San Martino where she was baptized, and the chapel of Madonna del Buon Consiglio where she often prayed and where her children were baptized. There is free time for lunch before we move on to Castelnuovo Don Bosco, the birthplace of St. John Bosco. St. John Bosco (1815-1888), also known as Don Bosco, was a priest and educator of disadvantaged youth. He founded the Salesians in Turin under the patronage of St. Francis de Sales with the mission of educating children with love rather than punishment. One of his students was St. Dominic Savio, of whom St. John Bosco wrote the biography that helped get him canonized. After commemorating the beautiful lives of these two Italian saints, we will travel to Turin for dinner and our first overnight stay in the city of the shroud.

This morning we will wake up in the city of Turin, capital of the Piedmont region and home of the famous Shroud of Turin. This relic appears to bear the image of our crucified Lord. Years and years of research attest to its authenticity, and millions believe it to be the linen burial cloth on which Christ’s face was miraculously permanently imprinted. The shroud has a fascinating history and has sparked countless deep conversions throughout the world. Although the shroud is not on display, we will visit where it is kept: the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Here we will venerate the buried body of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, which was found incorrupt when transferred to this cathedral in 1981. This young, fun-loving, athletic man died at the age of 24 leaving behind many people who loved him. He cared for the poor, hiked, laughed often, and prayed devoutly. Frassati was a strong catholic with a simple life for all of us to emulate. We will then move on to the Sanctuary of Maria Ausiliatrice, (the Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians) completed in 1868. This church was originally part of a home for impoverished boys founded by Saint John Bosco. For this reason the saint is buried here along with the relics of St. Dominic Savio and other saints. Lastly we will visit the Corpus Domini Basilica, the site of the 15th century Eucharistic miracle. French soldiers looted the main church, and the montrance containing the Blessed Sacrament was put in a bag and loaded on a mule. The mule stumbled as they were leaving and the monstrance with our Lord rose above the surrounding houses, arousing wonder in all of the witnesses. The bishop, people, and clergy prayed “stay with us, Lord.” The montrance fell leaving the host free and shining, and the bishop lifted up a chalice into which the host came down and rested. A railing in the basilica sets off the place where this miraculous event took place in 1453. This afternoon you will have free time for some shopping before gathering at the hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.

Today we will journey to Oropa, one of the oldest Marian shrines in the world. The shrine was founded by St. Eusebius of Vercilli in the 4th century. According to local legend, the town was spared from the plague in the 17th century because of their dedication to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Every year the residents make a pilgrimage in thanks to our Lady. We will visit the Brown Madonna as well as the church where Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati prayed. We will also see the mountain he climbed, and take a cable car that goes halfway up the mountain to the lake (weather and time permitting). We will then return to Frassati’s birthplace, Turin, for a farewell dinner and our final overnight stay.

After an early breakfast, your group will leave by motor coach and transfer to the Turin airport for your return flights. You will arrive home with several countries and countless stories under your belt. Thank you for joining us for your multi-cultural pilgrimage experience!

*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.