Passion Play

May 21-30, 2010

Sample Day by Day Itinerary:

Day 1, May 21  (Friday) - Departure from the US          

Begin your spiritual journey as we depart for our overnight flights to Milan.   

Day 2, May 22 (Saturday) - Arrival Milan

Welcome to Italy!  Morning arrival in Milan, and after arrival formalities, we’ll proceed to Santa Maria Delle Grazie to see the “Last Supper”.  This masterpiece has earned a spot on the Unesco World Heritage List.  Afterward, we’ll continue to our hotel for a relaxing dinner and overnight.

Day 3, May 23 (Sunday) – Turin - The Exhibition of the Shroud of Turin, Lake Como visit

This morning, we’ll depart Milan toward Turin.  We’ll  view one of the most loved and praised relic’s of Christianity, the Shroud of Turin, housed at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist. The Shroud of Turin is a linen cloth bearing the image of Jesus. It is believed by many to be the cloth placed on Jesus of Nazareth at the time of his burial. The Shroud has rarely been displayed publicly more than one or two times each century.  Afterward, we’ll continue toward Lake Como, a beautiful area located in the northern Italian Lakes District.  After a visit here, we’ll return to our hotel in Milan for dinner and overnight.

Day 4, May 24 (Monday) – Milan – Munich – Oberammergau

This morning we’ll have an early departure for the Milan train station for our relaxing ride to Munich. Upon arrival in Munich, we’ll be met and transferred by private motorcoach to our accommodations for the next two nights in the Oberammergau area.  Dinner and overnight.

Day 5 , May 25 (Tuesday)  -   Oberammergau – The Passion Play

After breakfast and Mass,  we’ll  enjoy a bit of leisure time before we make our way to Oberammergau.  Lunch will be served in Oberammergau before the play begins. A highlight of our tour will take place today when we attend the performance of the world-famous Oberammergau Passion Play. For the first time in history, the play will start in the afternoon and end in the evening.  The playing times are tentatively scheduled to be from 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM for the first part and for the second part from 8PM to approximately 10:30PM. Dinner will be provided during the intermission.  We’ll return to our accommodation in the Oberammergau area for overnight.  dinner and overnight.

Day 6, May 26 (Wednesday) - Oberammergau –Neuschwanstein – Salzburg

We’ll be met by our tour escort this morning and depart the Oberammergau area for our tour through Neuschwanstein enroute to Salzburg.  We’ll travel toward Fussen and Hothenschwangau through southwest Bavaria to Neuschwanstein Castle, built by the “Mad Kind” Ludwig, well known for its extraordinary architectural features.  Afterward, we’ll continue to Salzburg, and attend Mass upon our arrival. Afterward, we’ll enjoy dinner at a local Salzburg restaurant. 

Day 7,  May 27 (Thursday) Salzburg

After breakfast we tour Salzburg, and its winding lanes and secluded passageways, revealing it medieval roots.  The heritage of the Catholic Church is evident in the Archbishops residence and the decoration of the staterooms, which are possible to view. We’ll visit the Romanesque Cathedral and view the Fortress Hohensalzburg.  We’ll walk down the Getreidergasse, featuring the colorful shops, the majestic Cathedral, and many of the locations used in the film “the Sound of Music”, as well as the birthplace of the great composer, Wolfgang Mozart. Afterward, we’ll  celebrate Mass in a local church, and complete our day with the “Sound of Music” tour, reviving the true story of the Van Trapp Family. Dinner and overnight.

Day 8,  May 28 (Friday) Salzburg – Melk Abbey – Vienna

This morning we’ll depart for Vienna, the “City of Waltz”, and the capitol of Austria. Enroute, we’ll stop in Melk, Austria’s best example of Baroque architecture, with its abbey on top of the rocky hill overlooking the river Danube. Founded in 1702, we’ll visit the Benedictine Abbey, with its library housing over 80,000 religious books and manuscripts, followed by a  visit of the Monastery of Melk. We’ll continue along the Valley of the river Danube toward Vienna, where we will celebrate Mass before dinner and overnight.

Day 9, May 29 (Saturday)  Vienna

After breakfast we will celebrate Mass at. St. Stephen’s Cathedral, an imposing structure dating to the 13th century. On our morning sightseeing tour we’ll visit the Hofburg Palace, once the seat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and view the Belvedere Palace, Prater Amusement Park, the Un buildings, and other vivid reminders of the city’s imperial history. We’ll have time for Viennese pastry and coffee (not included) before seeing the state opera house, home to the Vienna Boy’s Choir, and Schonbrunn Palace. This sprawling Royal summer house has 1,441 rooms including a hall of mirrors where Mozart performed at the age of six before a young Marie Antoinette. This evening, we’ll enjoy a farewell dinner in a typical Heurigen Inn, with music and typical regional food.

  
Day 10,  May 30 (Sunday) Return to the US