The Catholic lay Focolare movement will soon have its first beatified member. Chiara Badano, who died 20 years ago while still a teenager, will be beatified Sept. 25. Young people of the Focolare movement will that evening celebrate Badano's beatification in Paul VI Hall. The next day, Sept. 26, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Pope's secretary of state, will preside over a thanksgiving Mass in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.
YOUR TRIP INCLUDES: Round-trip air from New York to Rome (special Add-on Airfares from all US gateways) Airline FUEL SURCHARGES INCLUDED (up to $280) 7 nights at centrally located three and four-star hotels follows: (or similar)
7 nights: at a 3 star religious house in Rome : Madre del Divino Pastore Breakfast daily at your hotels including coffee and tea
Dinner daily at local resturants (dinners at restaurants within walking distance of religious house)
Lunch in Assisi Transportation by air-conditioned motor coach Tour escort throughout in Italy Local Guide – for tours Christian Rome, Vatican Museum and full day in Assisi Headsets for included sightseeing in Rome and Assisi Hotel taxes and service charges Mass daily & Spiritual activities Luggage handling (1 piece per person) Flight bag & portfolio of all travel document
Not Included: Airport taxes (approx. $98, subject to change), Lunches. Travel Insurance optional at $129-$149 (www.206tours.com/insurance), Cancel for Any Reason Protection @ $199 (www.206tours.com/cancellationprotection), Tips to your guide & driver (€ 7-9 per day). Items of a personal nature.
Sample Day-by-Day Itinerary:
Sep 20 / Day 1 - USA - Italy
Depart from New York, JFK or from your hometown for the overnight flights to Rome. Dinner and breakfast will be served on board.
Sep 21 / Day 2 - Arrive Rome
Upon arrival your escort will warmly greet you and welcome you to Italy.
Meet with priest and fellow pilgrims, transfer to your hotel and enjoy a free afternoon for rest, relaxation, or exploration. You tour escort can suggest sights or walks for you to enjoy.
Dinner and overnight.
Sep 22 / Day 3 - Rome (Papal Audience and Vatican Museum Tour)
Wake up in Eternal City, one of the greatest centers of Western Civilization and the first truly cosmopolitan city on earth! It is also spiritual capital for all the Catholics around the world. Today is truly a day we will have in our minds for many years to come. This morning we go to Vatican City to attend the weekly Papal Audience or Blessing given by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI (pending papal schedule). Following the audience visit of the Vatican Museums, a group of 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. Later, enter 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. We will also visit the grave of Pope John Paul II located at the Vatican.
Sep 23 / Day 4 - Rome
This morning we depart for a sightseeing tour entitled "Christian Rome" which includes: the Basilica of St. Mary Major, one of the oldest shrines dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, a shrine that contains a relic from the manger of the infant Jesus; the Holy Stairs, the Basilica of St. John the Lateran, The Basilica of the St John in Lateran, former residence of the popes prior to their return to Rome in 1377; St Paul Outside the Walls which houses the remains of St Paul under its main altar; and 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 also enjoy a visit to the Trevi fountain. Dinner and overnight for your last evening in Rome.
Sep 24 / Day 5 – Rome - Full day excursion to Assisi
After breakfast we depart Rome for our excursion to Assisi. We will visit the tomb of St Francis. Explore the quaint hilltop birthplace of St Francis that still retains something of the atmosphere of the early 1200s, the period when St Francis began his ministry. Contained within the huge 13th-century Basilica are 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. It was in St Mary of the Angels Basilica where St Francis spent most of his life. Here we visit the Chapel, Portiuncola, the rose bush, and the cave where the saint retired for prayer. Stroll the medieval streets of the compact little town. After stopping at an outdoor cafe with a view of an ancient Roman temple, we go to the Church of St Clare to see the saint's incorrupt body. The foundress of the Order of Poor Clares followed the teachings of St Francis by living a life of poverty and humility. We will visit these two saints' tombs before returning to Rome for dinner and retiring for the evening.
Sep 25 / Day 6 – Rome Beatification of Chiara Badano
Sep 26 / Day 7 - Rome – Thanksgiving Mass at St. Paul Outside the Walls
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Pope's secretary of state, will preside over a thanksgiving Mass in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.
Day 8 - Rome -optional excursion to Montecassino, Naples & Pompeii (additional $ 129. lunch included)
Enjoy a free day today for rest, explore own paths of Rome or shop.
*Also optional excursion to Montecassino, Naples & Pompeii (additional $ 129. lunch included)
We leave the Eternal City and head south cross through the Roman countryside with its villas and vineyards, stopping at the Abbey of Montecassino, a beautiful town founded by St. Benedict in 529. Continue through the countryside surrounding Naples. We will have a short panoramic -sightseeing tour of Naples and proceed to Pompeii for lunch (included today) and a visit to the excavations, the town destroyed when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. In early evening, board the bus for your return to Rome (be prepared for a long day- dinner will be later than usual tonight!).
Day 9 - Rome - USA
Depart for our return flights to the USA. We fondly say, Arrivederci Roma!
333 Marcus Blvd 