Year of St. Paul Pilgrimage

Italy

With Fr. Ronald Franco, CSP

December 28, 2008 - January 04, 2009

All Inclusive Price $2,900

PRICE INCLUDES:

·            Round Trip air from New York to Rome

         Airport Taxes & Fuel Surcharges & Security Fees!!      

·            Hotel Accommodation for 6 nights in Rome  at 1^st class  Hotel Quirinale

·            Breakfast and dinner daily * dinners in local restaurants within walking distance of hotel

·            Assistance of local guide throughout

·            Sightseeing & admissions fees as per itinerary

·            Mass daily & spiritual activities

·            Luggage handling (1 piece per person)

·            Flight bag & portfolio of all travel documents

Not Included:

Lunches,

Drinks with dinners,

Travel Insurance optional at $129

Tips to your guide & driver (Euro 6-8 per day) 

Optional New Year's Eve Dinner

Sample Day by Day Intinerary

December 28, Sunday -  Departure from New York

Departure for your overnight flight to Rome. Dinner will be served on-board. 

December 29, Monday -  Arrival in Rome

Arrive in Rome, the Eternal City, one of the greatest centers of Western  Civilization.  Your tour escort will greet you upon arrival, and will be with you throughout your journey.  Transfer  to your hotel.  Afternoon Mass and Visit of  Santa Susanna Church. Pilgrimage Talk & Tour of Church by Pastor, followed by our own Mass If anytime is left at your disposal, your tour escort will be there to provide suggestions as to how to spend it, or enjoy this free time for rest or exploration of this beautiful city.

Dinner and overnight .

December 30, Tuesday -  Rome

After breakfast at your hotel a full day of touring is planned for you.  Your full day will immerse you in this beautiful and cultural attraction known the world over, Rome.  You will see many important cultural and monumental sights in and around Rome to include  visits to Chiesa del Gesu,  Marmetime Prison and the Pantheon.  We will visit the three major Basilicas:  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 Basilica of the St John in Lateran is the former residence of the popes prior to their return to Rome in 1377.  Visit St Paul Outside the Walls,  which houses the remains of St Paul under its main altar where mass will be celebrated.. Dinner and overnight.

December 31, Wednesday -  Rome

After breakfast at your hotel, visit this spiritual capital which will be in our minds for many years to come!  This morning we go to Vatican City.  Visit the Vatican Museums, a group of most impressive edifices with hundreds of galleries throughout centuries as tributes of faith.  We will see The Tapestry Gallery, The Raphael Rooms and the most overwhelming Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo’s Masterpiece, restored mural of the Last Judgment. 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 , the grandest of the world’s churches.  Marvel at Pieta and Bernini’s amazing bronze canopy. This afternoon we will enjoy an afternoon visit of the Catacombs. After our visit of the Catacombs, we will return to the Vatican to participate in the TE DEUM (pending confirmation) Dinner and overnight.   

Optional: $162. New Year’s Eve Dinner including drinks and music.

Transportation to and from your hotel is also included.

January 1, Thursday -  New Years Day

After an early breakfast at your hotel, depart for St. Peter’s to attend  New Year’s Day Mass.  After mass, you will be free for the balance of the day.  Your tour escort will be happy to assist in any plans and suggestions for today. Dinner and overnight.

January 2, Friday -  Naples, Pompeii and Montecassino

After breakfast, we leave Rome and head south, crossing through the Roman countryside with its villas and vineyards, stopping at the Abbey of Montecassino, a beautiful town founded by St. Benedict in 529. We will celebrate mass at Montecassino. Continue through the countryside surrounding Naples.  We will have a short panoramic sightseeing tour of Naples and proceed to Pompeii. Stop for lunch. Continue our sightseeing by visiting the excavations, the town destroyed when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD.  In early evening, we will return to Rome. Dinner and overnight. Arrival back to Rome will be late, approximately 8:30PM.

January 3, Saturday – Ostia – Rome

After breakfast at your hotel, we will leave Rome and follow the road leading to the sea, Via del Mare. Enroute to Ostia, you will stop at the Basilica Tre Fontane. It is a short drive to reach Ostia, the Roman city of the Imperial age whose Latin name “Ostium” means “mouth of the river”, reflecting its position along the Tiber River.  During your walk through the ruins, your guide will tell you about the cultural and social life of this interesting commercial settlement. After this fascinating visit  you will return to Rome.  This afternoon, enjoy a walking tour to include Quirinale, the Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona.  Our tour will end at  Santa Susanna for mass.  Dinner and overnight.

January 4, Sunday – Departure

After breakfast at your hotel, we will leave Rome for our transfer to the airport for your departure back to New York. 

Sight We Will See or For Optional Walking In Free Time

¨ St. Peter’s, St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major

¨ Sta. Susanna & Sta. Maria della Vittoria (just a quick stop across the street to see the famous painting of St. Teresa)     

¨ Sta. Maria degli Angeli (too nearby to ignore!)

¨ SS. Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso (near Spanish Steps - 18th-cent Christmas crèche) 

¨ Sta. Maria di Aracoeli (with Santo Bambino)

¨ Pantheon & Sta. Maria Sopra Minerva (Fra Angelico’s tomb)

¨ Gesú

¨ Catacombs (either St. Calixtus or St. Sebastian) & Quo Vadis?

¨ San Giuseppi dei Falegnami (Site of Mamertine Prison)

Historic Sites To See  

¨ Quirinale

¨ Victttoro Emmanuele Monument & Palazzo Venezia

¨ Campidoglio, Tarpeo, & Roman Forum

¨ Arches of Titus and Constantine and Colosseum

¨ Piazza Navona (with Christmas Market)

¨ Trevi Fountain

¨ Spanish Steps & Palazzo di Propaganda 

¨ Café Greco 

¨ Via Appia (& Tomb of Cecilia Metella) 

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