Shrines of Italy & Oberammergau Passion Play - 206 Tours - Catholic Tours

13Days

Shrines of Italy & Oberammergau Passion Play

OBER202096

slider

Rome · Vatican City (Papal Audience with the Holy Father) · Montecassino · San Giovanni Rotondo (St. Padre Pio) · Monte Sant'Angelo (St. Michael) · Lanciano (Eucharistic Miracle) · Loreto (Holy House) · Assisi (St. Francis) · Gubbio · La Verna · Oberammergau · Munich

Step foot into the four Major Basilicas, stare out into the Square from the steps of St. Peter's Basilica, and having the opportunity to attend the Papal Audience with his successor. Walk in the life of St. Padre Pio, famous for saying "Prayer is the oxygen of the soul." Closing out your pilgrimage, triumphant, lost in prayer, and surrounded by God's love in the hometown of St. Francis of Assisi.

Share
Share Share Share Share Share
Any questions
Contact us

800-206-Tour (8687) or

sales@206tours.com Live chat
why travel with 206 Tours
Read letters from our clients
More Information
Terms & Conditions

Your trip includes

  • Round-trip airfare
    1.    *
  • All airport taxes & fuel surcharges
  • Hotel accommodations (or similar) in double occupancy
      ~ 3 nights: Le Meridien Visconti or Michelangelo, Rome
      ~ 2 nights: Centro di Spiritualita St. Padre Pio, San Giovanni Rotondo
      ~ 3 nights: Giotto, Assisi
      ~ 2 nights Oberammergau area
      ~ 1 night Munich
  • Breakfast and Dinner daily
  • Wine with dinners
  • Transportation by air-conditioned motor coach
  • Assistance of local guide throughout
  • Whisper Headsets
  • Transfers as per itinerary
  • Sightseeing and admissions fees as per itinerary
  • Catholic Priest, Mass daily & Spiritual activities
  • Tickets to the Passion Play
  • Official Passion Play Program in English
  • Luggage handling (1 piece per person)>
Centrally located hotels or similar
hotel
Le Meridien Visconti
Rome

3 Nights

hotel
Centro di Spiritualita St. Padre Pio
San Giovanni Rotondo

2 Nights

hotel
Giotto
Assisi

3 Night

hotel
Oberammergau area
Germany

2 Nights

hotel
Munich
Germany

1 Night

Not included
  • Lunches, Tips to your guide & driver.
Optional
Travel Insurance

Providing you coverage for both pre-existing conditions and those that may arise during your trip, including medical and dental emergencies, loss of luggage, trip delay, and so much more.

Supplemental Cancellation Protection

A Cancellation Waiver - allowing you to cancel your trip and receive a refund anytime - up until 48 hours prior to departure. The “Waiver” expires once you are within 48 hours of departure.

Itinerary

Day1
Depart for Rome

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

Day2
Arrival in Rome

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).

Day3
Rome: Papal Audience - Basilica of St. John the Lateran - Holy Stairs - Basilica of St. Mary Major

After a nice breakfast at your hotel, your first sightseeing day in Rome starts! The tour begins with attending the Papal Audience in St. Peter's Square! The Audience is celebrated each Wednesday by His Holiness (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 the Pope is 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.

Day4
Rome: St. Peter's Basilica - Vatican Museum - Appian Way - Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls - Catacombs

This morning you will enjoy an early breakfast before making your way to the largest Christendom Church, St. Peter's Basilica. This Basilica was built on the site where St. Peter, the first Pope and Bishop of Rome, was martyred. It is here that you will view Michelangelo's Pieta. This stunning marble sculpture depicts the Virgin Mary holding Christ after His crucifixion, death, and removal off the cross before being placed in the tomb. Continue to proceed to the Vatican Museums. At the world-renowned museum, you will see the most impressive of edifices, galleries, and awe-inspiring relics. Additionally, you will observe the Tapestry Gallery, Raphael Rooms, Sistine Chapel, and Michelangelo's Masterpiece, the restored mural of the Last Judgment. The final stop on your Vatican tour is at the tomb of Saint John Paul II. Afterward, you will be transferred to the Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain), where you may enjoy some free time on your own for lunch. Continue on your short journey down the Appian Way, the earliest road of Ancient Rome. This road leads to the Domino Quo Vadis Chapel, the Baths of Caracalla, the Arch of Drusus, the Tomb of Cecilia Metella, and the catacombs of St. Callixtus. The day concludes with a 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. We will make our way to a local restaurant for dinner. Following dinner, feel free to explore the streets of Rome, or return to the hotel for overnight.

Day5
Rome - Montecassino - San Giovanni Rotondo

Following breakfast, you will board your bus to enjoy the scenic route to Montecassino. Passing through the Roman countryside that is known for its villas and vineyards. During the bus ride, your tour escort will share interesting information regarding the spiritual, historical, and cultural aspects of Italy. Montecassino, the principle monastery of the Benedictine Order, was founded by Saint Benedict around 530 A.D. Following the tour, there will be an opportunity to visit the gift shop, before we board the bus to continue toward San Giovanni Rotondo, the hometown of Saint St. Padre Pio. Upon arrival in San Giovanni Rotondo, you will check-in, enjoy dinner in the restaurant, and overnight.

Day6
San Giovanni Rotondo (View Incorrupt Body of St. Padre Pio) - Monte Sant' Angel

This morning, after breakfast we will visit the Old Church. After Mass we will tour the sanctuary, it is here you will view the crucifix, in front of which St. Pio received the stigmata. Visit the confessional from where St. Pio spent an innumerable amount of hours listening to confessions. Next, we will board the bus and travel along the beautiful Gargano Peninsula to the Grotto of St. Michael the Archangel, a Shrine consecrated by St. Michael. At this Grotto, St. Michael appeared to a Bishop to assure him that his diocese would not be annihilated as he feared. Following the visit to the Grotto, enjoy free time. On the way back to San Giovanni Rotondo view breathtaking views of the ocean and surrounding countryside. Upon arrival you will have time for devotion and reflection. Dinner and overnight.
*Candlelight Procession - Between May and October attend the weekly Candlelight Procession at the Sanctuary of St. Pio after dinner, at 9:00 PM. These processions are lit by candlelight, and are guided by the Most Holy Rosary. Following this prayerful experience, you will return to your hotel for a restful overnight.

Day7
San Giovanni Rotondo - Lanciano - Loreto - Assisi

After breakfast, you we leave for Assisi. On the way we stop in Lanciano for private Mass at the Convent/Church of Saint Francis built on top of the antique Church of St. Longinus - the site of a Eucharistic Miracle that occurred in the eighth century. At the time of the miracle, there was a Basilian monk, who struggled with the belief in the Real Presence in the Eucharist. During the time of Mass, the monk, with doubt in his voice, said the words of consecration and the bread and wine transformed into physical flesh and blood. Leave for Marian shrine of Loreto to visit the Holy House of Nazareth and the beautiful Madonna of Loreto. Tradition holds 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, before it was transported several times by angels, to its current location. End the day in Assisi, hometown of St. Francis and St. Clare, with dinner and overnight at your hotel.

Day8
Assisi (St. Francis)

Enjoy an early breakfast, followed by a full day of touring the hometown of St. Francis. St. Francis is the "Patron Saint of Animals and the Environment." Additionally, he is responsible for founding the Franciscan Order, and an inspiration to all by preferring to live in simplicity and humility, while giving up all other worldly possessions. As we 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. We will start our 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. From there, we will continue on a walking tour through this picturesque town, including the birthplace of St. Francis, and ending 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, we will board the bus, which will take us 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 overnight.

Day9
Assisi - Gubbio - La Verna - Assisi

After breakfast, we will drive through the beautiful Umbrian mountains to Gubbio. Enjoy this medieval town with a visit of St. Francis Church, were we will be celebrating Mass. After Mass we will visit a town that seems painted onto the hill, a succession of backdrops against which towers and houses stand out, all embraced by walls. The town has been freed by St. Francis from a terrible and fierce wolf who afflicted it. After lunch, on your own, we will continue to La Verna, this is the place where St. Francis, over the years, has been seven times and the last time in 1224 where he received the stigmata. Here you will be able to pray in the Chapel of the Stigmata, the Basilica and the Chapel of Saint Mary of the Angels. You will also be able to admire the beautiful artworks of Andrea della Robbia. Return to Assisi for dinner and overnight.

Day10
Rome - Oberammergau

After breakfast depart to Rome airport for your flight to Munich. Upon arrival at Munich Airport, make your way to the baggage claim area and collect your luggage. Proceed to the arrival's hall, where you will be greeted by your tour guide and/or driver. Enjoy a picturesque ride through Bavaria arriving at your hotel in Oberammergau (or nearby). Time permitting walk the quaint streets of Oberammergau. The incredible 2,000 Oberammergau citizens are the actual actors, singers, instrumentalists and stage technicians. They are ordinary citizens who lead an everyday life. Later in the afternoon we will celebrate Mass followed by a welcome dinner and overnight.

Day11
Oberammergau Passion Play: Performance Day

Celebrate Mass at local church. Enjoy some time to explore Oberammergau’s colorful frescos known as "Luftlmalereien" on house facades and to visit wood carving shops with amazing array of nativity scenesand religious figures. Following lunch, we will make our way to the world famous theatre to attend the performance of a lifetime, the 42nd Oberammergau Passion Play. The sleepy village springs to life every ten years to put on a play that draws the world upon it! We, too, will become part of mission of the Passion of Christ, the greatest story ever told. We all share His message of faith and love! The Oberammergau Passion Play tells the story of the Passion of Christ, beginning with His entry into Jerusalem, followed by His trial, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. The play is held in a beautiful open air theatre that is praised for its superb acoustics. There are 2,000 actors (and live animals), they include local wood carvers, hotel owners, students, teachers, children, all of them interrupt their schedules to become actors, singers, orchestra members and stagehands. Requirements are strict: all actors must be born in Oberammergau, or have lived there 20 years, or be married to a villager and a resident for 10 years. All natural makeup, such as men let their hair and beards grow a year before the play. Female roles are limited to single women under age 35.

Act I will begin at 1:30 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.
(Intermission: From 5:30 P.M. to 7:30 P.M., you will have dinner at a restaurant that is walking distance from the theatre)

Act II will begin at 7:00 P.M., and conclude at 9:30 P.M.
What makes this performance so extraordinary is how the Stage truly comes alive! Not only in the decoration of the Set and the performance of the Actors, but with real animals and birds playing under the open sky. There are thirty-six (36) main actors who are dressed in white costumes, with their supporting cast dressed in greyish blue. The actors do not wear makeup, as that is their natural hair. Every scene is real, and live, so for example: the actor who is tied to the cross has to stay in that position for more than one (1) hour In between each scene, there are "Living Tableaus", where the live actors perform intricate sets of the Old Testament. You can never describe the feeling you get, as you see these stories being performed right in front of you.

Day12
Oberammergau - Munich

After breakfast, we will depart the Oberammergau area to Munich. Munich is the capital of Bavaria, one of Germany's popular destinations. Upon arrival enjoy visiting many of Munich's top sites; Marienplatz with its world famous "Glockenspiel"; the twin-towered Frauenkirche (the Church of Our Lady), which serves as the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Munich. The Cathedral is widely considered a symbol of Munich. Celebrate Mass followed by free time for lunch and/or shopping. Dinner and overnight.

Day13
Return from Munich to your hometown

Today we fondly say "auf wiedersehen" to Germany, we say farewell to our fellow pilgrims and new friends! Although it's an end of this journey, graces and blessings from our pilgrimage will last a lifetime.

Why buy "With Airfare" from 206 Tours

If you do not buy Airfare from 206 Tours

Book your trip now

Space is Limited - BOOK NOW to secure your spot!
At the time of booking, a non-refundable deposit of $1500 per person is required.

Dates & Prices

Dates

Select airport

Booking

Options & Upgrades

*All pricing is per person

Business Class Trans-Atlantic (One-Way) Additional Upon Request Per Person

Business Class Trans-Atlantic (Round-Trip) Additional Upon Request Per Person

Would you like to arrive earlier or stay later?

Let us know at the time of registration if you would like to arrive earlier, or stay later, than the scheduled tour dates, and pending availability, we will change your airline reservations accordingly, at no additional cost. Pre- and/or post-stays at the hotel will cost an additional fee. These options should be available to you when registering online, or simply contact us: sales@206tours.com

Options and upgrades

*All pricing is per person

Business Class Trans-Atlantic (One-Way) Additional Upon Request Per Person

Business Class Trans-Atlantic (Round-Trip) Additional Upon Request Per Person

Would you like to arrive earlier or stay later?

Let us know at the time of registration if you would like to arrive earlier, or stay later, than the scheduled tour dates, and pending availability, we will change your airline reservations accordingly, at no additional cost. Pre- and/or post-stays at the hotel will cost an additional fee. These options should be available to you when registering online, or simply contact us: sales@206tours.com

About your trip

pilgrimage map

pilgrimage map
  • Rome (Papal Audience with the Holy Father)
  • Montecassino
  • San Giovanni Rotondo (St. Padre Pio)
  • Monte Sant'Angelo (St. Michael)
  • Lanciano (Eucharistic Miracle)
  • Loreto (Holy House)
  • Assisi (St. Francis)
  • Cascia
  • Oberammergau
  • Munich
About Rome

Rome has been one of history's most powerful and important cities, along with home to the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope, and the site of the Vatican City. First built in 337, St. Peter's Basilica lies over the tomb of St. Peter. Contained within is a vast array of the most beautiful artwork ever assembled, reflecting the immensity, beauty, vastness, majesty, glory and awesomeness of God.

Know Before You Go

We promise to do all within our power to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have. Please feel free to contact us, please note should any problems arise during your trip you should first contact your local emergency contact in your destination country or the 206 Tours.

Read More
Pilgriamge Information
What to know before you

We promise to do all within our power to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have. Please feel free to contact us, please note should any problems arise during your trip you should first contact your local emergency contact in your destination country or the 206 Tours.

Read more
Terms & Conditions

1-800-206-Tour (8687)   |   sales@206tours.com

Click Here for More Information
Print Print Twitter Twitter Facebook Facebook Pinterest Pinterest Email Email