Your Trip Includes: † Round-trip air from New York (special round-trip fares from your local airport) † Airline Fuel Surcharges and Airport Taxes † 8 or 10 nights at centrally located First Class Hotels or similar
April 09-12 | 3 nights: Hotel Tiberio, Rome
April 12-14 | 2 nights: Hotel Gran Paradiso, San Giovanni Rotondo
April 14-17 | 3 nights: Hotel San Pietro, Assisi † Florence Option
April 17-19 | 2 nights: Hotel Mediterraneo, Florence † Breakfast and Dinner Daily † Professional Tour Escort
Fr. Stan Fortuna, CFR
† Transportation by air-conditioned motor coach † Assistance of professional local guides † Sightseeing as per itinerary and admissions † Mass daily † Luggage handling (1 piece per person)
Not Included: 3.5% Credit Card Processing Fee, Lunches, Beverages, Travel Insurance optional (www.206tours.com/insurance), Extended Cancellation Protection Plan $199 (www.206tours.com/cancellationprotection), Tips to your guide & driver (€7-€9 per day), Personal items.
Sample Day-by-Day Itinerary:
Day 1 | Monday April 8, 2013: Depart USA - Italy
Depart from New York, JFK or from your hometown for the overnight flight to Rome. Dinner and breakfast will be served on board.
Day 2 | Tuesday April 9, 2013: Arrive Rome
Upon arrival your escort will warmly greet you this morning and welcome you to Italy. 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.
Day 3 | Wednesday April 10, 2013: Vatican City
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 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. Before dinner, we'll have some time at leisure, to explore your own paths, to shop, or just to sit in one of the outside cafes and watch the world go by.
Day 4 | Thursday April 11, 2013: 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, is the 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.
Day 5 | Friday April 12, 2013: Rome - Monte Cassino - San Giovanni Rotondo
We leave the Eternal City and head south, cross through the Roman countryside with its villas and vineyards, stopping at the Abbey of Monte Cassino, a beautiful town founded by St. Benedict in 529. Continue through the countryside heading east to Padre Pios town of San Giovanni Rotondo, our base for the following two nights. Dinner and overnight in San Giovanni Rotondo.
Day 6 | Saturday April 13, 2013: San Giovanni Rotondo - Monte Sant ‘Angelo
After celebrating Mass at the tomb of Padre Pio, we tour the sanctuary, see the old church and the crucifix from which he received the stigmata in 1918. You will see the confessional where Padre Pio spent innumerable hours with a multitude of pilgrims, directing them on their journey toward God. Enjoy a breathtaking view of the Cargano 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. A 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.
Day 7 | Sunday April 14, 2013: San Giovanni Rotondo - Lanciano - Loreto - Assisi
We will have breakfast at our hotel before we embark on a drive up the Adriatic coast to Lanciano where we will see the Eucharistic Miracle and celebrate Mass. We then continue on to the great Marian shrine of Loreto to visit the Holy House of Nazareth and the beautiful Madonna of Loreto. More than 50 popes have made a pilgrimage to the house transported by angels to this hill in central Italy in 1294. Tradition has it 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. Continue to Assisi for dinner and overnight.
Day 8 | Monday April 15, 2013: Assisi
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 dinner and retiring for the evening.
Day 9 | Tuesday April 16, 2013: Assisi – Siena Full Day Excursion
We are off to the beautiful town of Siena, the birthplace of Saints Catherine and Bernardine and one of Italy’s loveliest medieval cities. Here we will stroll the Piazza Del Campo, one of Italy’s finest squares and visit the Cathedral and the Basilica of St. Francis, containing the miraculous consecrated hosts that remained intact since 1730. View the incorrupt head of St. Catherine at the Basilica of St. Dominic. Return to Assisi for dinner and overnight.
Day 10 | Wednesday April 17, 2013: Depart Assisi - Florence or Rome Airport - USA
We bid farewell to our new friends and to a pilgrimage which will be in our memories and heart for a long time to come. Early departure from Assisi for Florence (or Rome) Airport for our return flight to the USA. We fondly say, Arrivederci Italia!
3 Days / 2 Nights Optional Post Tour to Florence
*Fr. Fortuna will NOT be a part of Post-Tour to Florence*
Day 10 | Wednesday April 17, 2013: Assisi - Florence
Travel by bus through the countryside to Florence. Afternoon at leisure. Dinner and overnight in Florence.
Day 11 | Thursday April 18, 2013: Florence
After Mass, we will enjoy guided tour of Florence which includes magnificent Franciscan church of The Holy Cross or Santa Croce with the beautiful facade, church is a burial place of nobles, among which is Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli. Walking tour through Piazza Signoria, pass by Palazzo Vecchio, Uffizi and Ponte Vecchio. Continue through Republic Square to the Santa Maria del Fiore 13th century cathedral. Enjoy free time this afternoon for further exploration of Florence before for dinner and overnight.
Day 12 | Friday April 19, 2013: Depart Florence - USA
Transfer to the airport for your return flights home.
Please select your departure airport. If you are not departing from New York(additional fees may apply) For your local airport, please click on drop down menu below
Pilgrimage Upgrades:
Single Supplement / Private Room
$450
*Optional Post Tour to Florence
$599
*Optional Post Tour to Florence- Single Supplement / Private Room
$159
Business Class Trans-Atlantic Upgrade (one-way)
$3,500
Business Class Trans-Atlantic Upgrade (round trip)
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Madonna of Loreto,
Loreto, Italy
Holy House of Loreto,
Loreto, Italy 
Abbey of Monte Cassino,
Monte Cassino, Italy
333 Marcus Blvd 