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YOUR TRIP INCLUDES:
Round-trip airfare from your desired Airport
         *book without airfare (land only option)
All airport taxes & fuel surcharges
Centrally located first class hotels as follows: (or similar)
           ~ 1 nights:  Hotel Mariott, Rome, Italy
           ~ 2 nights:  Hotel Giotto, Assisi, Italy

           ~ 3 nights:  Le Meridien Visconti, Rome, Italy

           ~ 2 nights:  Hotel Mediteraneo, Florence
Transfers as per itinerary
Breakfast and Dinner daily
Wine with dinners
Transportation by air-conditioned motor coach
Assistance of a professional local Catholic guide(s)
Sightseeing and admissions fees as per itinerary
Catholic Priest available for Spiritual Direction
Mass daily & Spiritual activities
Luggage handling (1 piece per person)
Flight bag & portfolio of all travel documents

*Special Clergy Discount
*Discount is offered to ordained clergy in the Roman Catholic Church: deacons, priests, or bishops belonging to the diaconate, the presbyterate, or the episcopate, respectively as well, as Catholic Sisters.

Not Included: Lunches. Travel Insurance optional (www.206tours.com/insurance), Supplemental Cancellation Protection @ $299 (www.206tours.com/cancellationprotection), Tips to your guide & driver. Items of a personal nature.

Sample Day-by-Day Itinerary:

Day 1 - USA - Italy
Depart USA for your overnight flight to Rome. Dinner and breakfast will be served on board.

Day 2 - Arrive Rome
Upon arrival in Rome 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 Italy, you will be escorted to your transportation to your hotel. Enjoy a free afternoon for rest, relaxation, or exploration. Your tour escort can suggest sights or walks for you to enjoy. Tonight we will enjoy a delicious Italian dinner!

Day 3 - Rome - Assisi
After breakfast, we depart Rome heading north through the Italian countryside enjoying the beautiful scenery. During the drive, your tour escort will explain the spiritual, historical, and cultural overview of Italy, which will help to orient you to this beautiful country and prepare you for all that you will experience in the days that follow. We make our way to Assisi the hometown of St. Francis the patron saint of animals and the environment, and the founder of the Franciscan Order. Upon arrival you will enjoy a free afternoon to rest, relax and explore before we enjoy dinner at our hotel.

Day 4 - Assisi
We awake well-rested and, after a filling breakfast, we begin our guided exploration of the quaint hilltop city which still retains much of the atmosphere of the early 1200's, the period when St. Francis began his ministry. We visit the huge 13th-century Basilica where we will see the tomb of St. Francis as well as many of the saint's possessions and a series of frescoes depicting his life. You may kneel before the crucifix from which Jesus spoke to St. Francis, asking him to rebuild His church. We continue our with a visitto St. Mary of the Angels Basilica in which St. Francis spent most of his life. Here we see the Chapel, Portiuncola, the rose bush, and the cave where the saint retired for prayer. As we continue we see an ancient Roman temple on our way to the Church of St. Clare. St. Clare was the foundress of the Order of Poor Clare's and followed the teachings of St. Francis by living a life of poverty and humility. We will see the to see her incorrupt body and visit her tomb before concluding our day. After a scrumptious dinner you may stroll the medieval streets of the compact little town before retiring for the evening.

Day 5 - Assisi - Siena - Rome
After breakfast, we are off to the beautiful town of Siena, the birthplace of Saints Catherine and Bernardine, and one of Italy's loveliest medieval cities. As we begin our tour we stroll the Piazza Del Campo, one of Italy's finest squares in Italy. We visit the Cathedral and the Basilica of St. Francis which contains the miraculous consecrated hosts that have remained intact since 1730. We continue our tour with a visit to St. Dominc's where we will view the incorrupt head of St. Catherine. After free time for lunch we travel south by deluxe motorcoach to the capital of Italy, Rome. We arrive in time for dinner and a restful overnight.

Day 6 - Rome: Papal Audience – Trevi Fountain / Piazza Navona – Basilica of St. John the Lateran and St. Mary Major – Holy Stairs
Following breakfast, we will make our way to St. Peter’s Square to attend the Papal Audience, led by His Holiness, Pope Francis. (Papal Audience: Is scheduled to take place every Wednesday, pending the schedule of Pope Francis.) Following the audience, we will make our way to the Trevi Fountain built in the 15th Century to mark the ending destination of the Aqua Virgo – a man-made channel erected in 19 B.C or Piazza Navona where at the center: Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi “Fountain of the Four Rivers. After free time for lunch we will visit the Basilica of St. John the Lateran, the Pope’s cathedral church where relics of both Peter and Paul remain under the main altar. It was here that Pope Francis was formally installed as Bishop of Rome. Next we cross the street to see the Holy Staircase which is believed to be a staircase from Pilate’s palace in Jerusalem and brought to Rome by St. Helen in the 4th century. Time permitting we may climb the steps on our knees in memory of Christ’s Passion. Continue to the Basilica of St. Mary Major, the most important and the oldest church dedicated to Our Lady. St. Mary Major contains a relic from the Manger of the infant Jesus. We will celebrate Mass, and then make our way to dinner and overnight.

Day 7 - Rome: St. Peter's Basilica - Vatican Museum - Appian Way - Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls - Catacombs
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. Unsurpassed in beauty, 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 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 cover 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, and then we will continue 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.

Day 8 - Rome - Florence
We feast on a fulfilling breakfast before we depart for Florence. A true paradise for culture and art lovers, Florence drew to itself the greatest artists of the Renaissance: Dante, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Donatello and many others. You will have a free afternoon to stroll the streets of this beautiful city. Enjoy some of the best shopping in Italy, visit a museum, or just relax in a café in the Piazza della Signoria. We gather for dinner to share the stories of our afternoon.

Day 9 - Florence
After enjoying breakfast and a delicious cappuccino, we depart on our guided tour of Florence. We begin with the magnificent Franciscan church of Santa Croce with it's intricate façade, the church is a burial place of nobles, among which is Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli. As we walk through Piazza Signoria, we pass by Palazzo Vecchio, Uffizi, the Ponte Vecchio and Piazza della Repubblica. We arrive at the Santa Maria del Fiore, a 13th-century cathedral, and the site of Brunelleschi's Duomo, as well as Giotto's Bell Tower. Enjoy free time before dinner to explore Santa Maria del Fiore.

Day 10 - Florence - USA
We bid farewell to our new pilgrimage family as we depart for Florence Airport. As you board your flights back home, you can fondly say, Arrivederci Italia!

Additional Information & Travel Tips:

What to Know Before You Go to Italy

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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.

Piazza del Campo, Siena, Italy		Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption, Siena