Depart USA for your overnight flight to Krakow. Dinner and breakfast will be served on board.

Upon arrival at Krakow Airport, you will find your luggage and exit the baggage claim into the arrivals hall, where you will be greeted by your tour escort and/or driver. After a warm welcome to Poland, you will be escorted to your transportation to your hotel. Enjoy a free afternoon to stroll the quaint streets of Krakow before meeting your group for a welcome dinner and a show at a local restaurant. We arrive in Krakow in time for dinner, after which you may enjoy a short stroll in the old city before retiring for the evening.

After breakfast, we will drive through the mountains to the breathtaking yet small and remote village of Zakopane. Take a cable car ride to the nearby mountaintop. At the top, you will truly experience God’s magnificent Glory when you look out at the splendid panoramic view. Following the many photos captured atop the mountain, we will head to the Jaszczorowka Chapel. The young Karol Wojtyla (Saint John Paul II) often visited this architecturally distinct chapel. Karol Wojtyla often used the walking paths surrounding the Jaszczorowka Chapel for much prayer and reflection as a young boy. After you experience this beautiful site that assisted in Saint John Paul II’s Holy journey, you will continue your tour to the colorful Krupowki Street. While on this street, you will have the opportunity to do some shopping at the local bazaar before returning to Krakow. Enjoy a beautiful dinner and an optional stroll through the old city before retiring for the evening.

After breakfast, you will explore Krakow’s Market Square as the sound of the silver trumpet from St. Mary’s Tower fills the air. The captivating beauty of this square is largely because it has remained unchanged for almost 700 years. It contains several buildings that hold significant historic value, such as the Town Hall Tower, the Cloth Hall, and the Burgher’s houses. Following your time in this longstanding square, you will make your way to Wawel Hill, where you will visit the beautiful Cathedral and Coronation Chapel. These are among the most important sites in Poland, as the Cathedral was the coronation site of the Polish monarchs and held numerous pieces of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Classicist, and Modern art. At this site, you can pray at the tomb of the patron saint of Poland, St. Stanislaus. Short drive to Auschwitz, notoriously known as a Nazi concentration camp during the Second World War. Upon arriving at the former camp, you can feel the darkness and sorrow that overtake the atmosphere as there were numerous unspeakable atrocities that occurred at this site. Additionally, during this visit, you will have the opportunity to view the cell that imprisoned the Christ-like St. Maximilian Kolbe and visit the Martyrdom Museum. After this reflective day, return to your hotel in Krakow for dinner and a restful overnight.

On your last day of touring, after breakfast, depart for your excursion to Lagiewniki, the capital of the Divine Mercy. Through the mediation of St. Faustina, Christ passed on the message of Divine Mercy at Lagiewniki. While here, you will have the opportunity to visit the Shrine of Divine Mercy, which contains images of the Merciful Jesus, relics of St. Faustina, as well as the Saint’s convent chapel and her Tomb. Visit and celebrate Mass at the Shrine of Divinity, which was visited by Saint John Paul II in 2002. Following Mass, you will have the opportunity to pray by a relic of Saint John Paul II. Continue to Wieliczka to visit Europe’s oldest salt mine, which UNESCO has listed as a World Heritage Site. Return to Krakow for your farewell dinner and overnight stay.

Following breakfast, we leave Krakow for our flights to Rome. Welcome to Rome, one of the most magnificent and fascinating cities in the world, also known as the “Eternal City!” You will be transferred to your hotel. This afternoon, our guide will introduce us to our fellow pilgrims and our priest, who will be with us for the rest of the journey. We will go to Mass, followed by a welcome dinner with wine. This evening, we will walk to St. Peter’s Square for the Rosary (optional).

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, shopping, or mailing a postcard from the Vatican Post Office. This afternoon, you will visit the oldest of the four major basilicas in Rome, the home of the relics of Peter and Paul, and the Basilica of St. John the Lateran. This Basilica is where the Pope is installed as Bishop of Rome and 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 to remember 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.

Following breakfast, we will depart to celebrate Mass in the largest church in Christendom, St Peter’s Basilica, built on the site where St Peter was martyred. It is unsurpassed in beauty and a monument to the long history of the Catholic Church, to which pilgrims come from around the world — St Peter’s is the grandest of the world’s churches. Marvel at the Pieta and Bernini’s amazing bronze canopy. Following Mass, we will visit of the Vatican Museums, containing a group of the most impressive edifices with hundreds of galleries filled with art treasures. See awe-inspiring relics, and works of art donated throughout centuries as tributes of faith. We’ll see the Tapestry Gallery, the Raphael Rooms and the most overwhelming Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo’s Masterpiece, restored mural of the Last Judgment. The tour ends as we make our way back into St. Peter’s Basilica. Pope Francis visited the tomb of St. Peter, following his elevation, for a visit of devotion that lasted 45 minutes. He is the first Pontiff to visit the necropolis since extensive archaeological excavations were conducted at the ancient site decades ago. We will also visit the tomb of Saint John Paul II located at the Vatican. There will be free time for lunch before continuing on to visit St Paul outside the Walls. Continue our tour via the Appian Way — the oldest road from Roman times–plus the famous Domino Quo Vadis Chapel; see the ancient Baths of Caracalla, Arch of Drusus; Tomb of Celilia Metella, and the catacombs of St Callixtus where the early Christians hid themselves to escape persecution. We will conclude our day and wonderful stay in Rome with dinner at a local restaurant in Rome.

Following breakfast, we will head south and cross through the Roman countryside with its villas and vineyards. During your drive, your tour escort will explain the spiritual, historical, and cultural overview of Italy, which will help orient you to this beautiful country and prepare you for all that you will experience in the following days. We stop at Montecassino, a beautiful town founded by Saint Benedict in 529. Enjoy lunch and then continue through the countryside, heading east to St. Padre Pio’s town, San Giovanni Rotondo, our base for the following two nights. Your day will end with dinner and overnight.

After celebrating Mass at the tomb of St. Padre Pio, we tour the sanctuary and see the old church and the crucifix from which he received the stigmata in 1918. You will see the confessional where St. Padre Pio spent innumerable hours with many pilgrims, directing them on their journey toward God. (We will have the opportunity to view and pray before the incorrupt body of St. Padre Pio.) Enjoy a breathtaking view of the Gargano 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. Following lunch, take in the 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.

*In the evening, you will have time to attend the weekly Candlelight Procession at the Sanctuary of St. Pio after dinner, at 9:00 PM. These processions are lit by candlelight and guided by the Most Holy Rosary. Following this prayerful experience, you will return to your hotel for a restful overnight. (May – October only)

After breakfast, we depart 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, a Basilian monk struggled with the belief in the Real Presence in the Eucharist. During 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 the 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 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.

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, we 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 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 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, shopping in the many gift shops, or enjoying a nice lunch. After lunch, we will board the bus, taking us outside Assisi’s walls to the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels. This basilica is where St. Francis spent most of his life. This basilica is made up of two structures, both of which you will visit. The first structure is the “Porziuncola,” 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, and the cave where the saint retired to pray. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

This morning, you will ride through the beautiful Umbrian mountains to Orvieto. This incredible town sits on a volcanic high rock formation. Here, we visit one of the most beautiful and renowned Cathedrals in Italy. Because of its strategic location, its Christian history officially started in 1004, but Orvieto was built over preexisting Etruscan cave tunnels dating back 2,500 years, which some historians believe Christians used to celebrate Mass when Christianity was forbidden. Return to Assisi for dinner and overnight.

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.

*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.