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

Welcome to Rome, also known as, “The Eternal City”. Upon arrival at Rome airport, collect your luggage in the baggage claim area, and continue to the arrival’s hall, where you will be greeted by a tour escort and/or driver. You will make your way to the bus and transfer to your hotel. Following check-in, you will have free time to unpack and relax, or explore Rome on your own. Your tour escort may suggest places to visit. Later in the afternoon, your group will meet in the hotel lobby for a “Meet and Greet” with your fellow pilgrims and depart for Mass. Following Mass, you will attend a welcome dinner. After dinner, you will have the opportunity to walk to St. Peter’s Square as a group, for the Rosary (optional).

After a nice breakfast at your hotel, your sightseeing day in Rome starts! The tour begins with the Papal Audience in St. Peter’s Square! The Audience is celebrated each Wednesday by His Holiness, Pope Francis (pending the papal schedule). Following the Audience there will be free time for lunch, or shop, or mail a postcard from the Vatican Post Office. This afternoon you will visit the oldest of the four major Basilicas in Rome, and the home to the relics of Peter and Paul, the Basilica of St. John the Lateran. This Basilica is where Pope Francis was installed as Bishop of Rome, and where he officiates as the Bishop of Rome. Next, we will cross the street to visit the Holy Staircase. Tradition states that this staircase is from Pontius Pilate’s palace of Jerusalem during the time of Jesus. It is also said that this Staircase was brought to Rome by St. Helen in the 4th century. If time permits, you may climb the steps on your knees, in memory of Christ’s agonizing Passion. To conclude your day, we will proceed to the Basilica of St. Mary Major. This Basilica contains a relic from the Manger of the Infant Jesus. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

After an early breakfast we will make our way to the train station for our transfer to Florence. Enjoy the beautiful countryside of Tuscany as you make your way to Florence. 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. Today we will enjoy a beautiful lunch in Florence as a group. Followed by 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. We will then make our way back to the train station in Florence and head back to Rome. Arrive Rome in the evening (no later than 8pm) and enjoy dinner on your own.

After breakfast we will have the privilege of receiving a cooking demonstration and learning how to make a typical Roman dish, followed by lunch. The rest of the afternoon is free to explore, shop or rest. Meet up with your group this evening for special experience of Pope’s Museums open their doors after dusk, allowing visitors to enjoy an evocative and unusual nocturnal atmosphere. During your tour you will view some of the finest ancient sculptures and Renaissance art in the world. Visit the Michelangelo’s famous frescos of the Sistine Chapel, the private chapel of the Pope with a major perk of minimal crowds! Head back to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

After a good morning breakfast, we will make our way to our Ancient Rome tour where we will see the, Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Access the Palatine Hill with no line and discover the hill where Rome was founded at the beginning. Then reach the Colosseum and be amazed by this monument that is the symbol of Rome in the world. The Amphitheater created to entertain ancient Roman citizens with bloody shows of gladiators, animals and cruel games, is now one of the most fascinating landmarks of the city (no interior tour). Following lunch, we will have a downtown walking tour of Rome including, Piazza Navona, Spanish Steps, Via del Corso, Pantheon, Santa Maria Sopra. Dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, we will make our way to Orvieto, a city situated on a cliff in the Umbria region. Arrive in Orvieto, a city known for its Duomo and 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. During this tour, you will walk through Orvieto’s charming, narrow alleys, and small squares. Your tour will be a very memorable experience, perfect for reflecting over while you enjoy an Umbrian meal and a wine tasting in one of Orvietos fabulous wine cellars. After a wonderful afternoon, we will make our way back to Rome for dinner and overnight.

This morning after Mass we will visit the Catacombs in Rome. The world’s largest underground burial of its ancient Christian community. After we will visit to the Basilica of St. Paul, outside the walls. Originally founded by Emperor Constantine in the 4th Century, this Basilica is the burial places of Saint Paul the Apostle. Stroll through the third largest public park containing many buildings, museums, attractions in Rome Villa Borghese. Whose landscapes and gardens are similar to those of an English manor. The rest of your day is free to explore. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

After an early breakfast and heartfelt farewells, your group will leave by motor coach and transfer to the Rome Fiumicino airport for return flights home. Arriverderci, Roma.

*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.