[email protected] 800-206-TOUR (8687)   mon - fri 9am - 5pm EST   YOUR TRIP INCLUDES: † Round Trip Airfare from Boston † All airport fuel taxes and surcharges † 8 nights at First Class - Four Star hotels as follows: (or similar)      ~ 3 nights March 7 - 10: Hotel Visconti, Rome      ~ 2 nights March 10 - 12: Hotel Gran Paradiso, San Giovanni Rotondo      ~ 3 nights March 12 - 15: Hotel Giotto, Assisi † Transfers as per itinerary on a group basis † Breakfast and Dinner daily † Glass of wine and mineral water with dinners † Transportation by deluxe motor coach † Assistance of a professional Christian guide(s) † Sightseeing and admissions fees per itinerary † Catholic Priest as spiritual advisor (Fr. Pregana and Msgr. Avila) † Mass daily & Spiritual Activities † Luggage handling (1 piece per person) † Flight bag & portfolio of all travel documents   Not Included: Lunches and Beverages not mentioned, Individual Transfers, Optional: Travel Insurance (www.206tours.com/insurance), Cancellation Protection Plan (www.206tours.com/cancellationprotection)

Sample Day-by-Day Itinerary:

Day 1 | Sunday, March 6: Depart for Rome (Evening flight)
Depart from Boston on your overnight flight to Rome. Meals will be served on board.

Day 2 | Monday, March 7: Arrive Rome
Welcome to Rome, one of the most magnificent and interesting cities in the world, also known as the “Eternal City”! You will be transferred to your hotel. This afternoon our guide will introduce us to our fellow pilgrims and our priest who will be with us for the rest of the journey. We will make our way to Mass, followed by a welcome dinner with wine. This evening we will walk to St. Peter’s Square for Rosary (optional).

Day 3 | Tuesday, March 8: Rome: Vatican Museum – 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 aweinspiring 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 St. 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 Ro-man 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 es-cape persecution. We will conclude our day and wonderful stay in Rome with dinner at a local restaurant in Rome.

Day 4 | Wednesday, March 9: Rome: Papal Audience - Trevi Fountain / Piazza Novona – Basilica of St. John the Lateran and St. Mary Major - Holy Steps
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 Novona 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 5 | Thursday, March 10: Rome - Monte Cassino - San Giovanni Rotondo
Following breakfast, we will head south and cross through the Roman countryside with its villas and vineyards. During your 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 to follow. We stop at Montecassino, a beautiful town founded by Saint Benedict in 529. Enjoy lunch and then continue through the countryside heading east to St. Padre Pio’s town, San Giovanni Rotondo, our base for the following two nights. Dinner and overnight.

Day 6 | Friday, March 11: San Giovanni Rotondo - Monte Sant’ Angel (View incorrupt body of St. Padre Pio)
After celebrating Mass at the tomb of St. 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 St. Padre Pio spent innumerable hours with a multitude of pilgrims, directing them on their journey toward God. (We will have the opportunity to view and pray before the incorrupt body of St. Padre Pio.) Enjoy a breathtaking view of the Gargano 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. Following lunch, take in the panoramic view of the ocean and the surrounding countryside awaits you at this most celebrated Shrine of early Christianity, a Shrine conse-crated by St Michael himself in 490. Return to San Giovanni for devo-tions, reflection, and a restful overnight.

Day 7 | Saturday, March 12: San Giovanni Rotondo - Lanciano – Loreto – Assisi
We will have breakfast at our hotel before we make our way to Lanciano, and visit the Church of St. Longinus where we will see the Eucharistic Miracle and celebrate Mass. It was here, as they celebrated the Latin Rite, a Basilian hieromonk was assigned to celebrate Mass. The monk had doubts about the real presense of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. With doubt in his voice, he said the “Words of Consecration” and the bread turned into living flesh, and the wine changed into live blood. The blood coagulated into five globules, corresponding to the wounds Christ suffered in each hand and foot on the cross, and the wound from the centurion’s spear. After free time for lunch, we will continue on toward the Adriatic coast 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. Enjoy lunch before 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. We arrive in time for dinner at our hotel.

Day 8 | Sunday, March 13: Assisi (St. Francis)
Today is a very special day, as we will spend a full day touring the home of the Saint that inspired our Holy Father. Pope Francis chose his name in admiration of the Saint of Nature and Servant to the Poor. Known for being a humble man himself, Pope Francis spent most of his life denying the luxuries of life, and preferring to live in simplicity and humility. Following breakfast, we will begin a tour of 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 Ba-silica 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. You will have some free time to shop or eat lunch at an outdoor cafe with a view of an ancient Roman temple, we go to the Church of St. Clare to view the relics of St. Clare. 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 | Monday, March 14: Assisi – Orvieto - Assisi
After breakfast we will drive through the beautiful countryside of Umbria, that will take us to Orvieto, the site of the Eucharistic Miracle, including the blood stained stones, and the Sanctuary of St. Cristina in nearby Bolsena. In the Cathedral, with its beautiful marble façade, in the Piazza del Duomo amidst dazzling spires, mosaics, and sculptures. This magnificent structure took over thirty architects, ninety mosaic artisans, and one hudred and fifty two scuptors to bring it to its current state. We will make our way along the Via del Duomo, we visit the Palace of the Popes, and the National Archaeological Museum in the Palazzo Soliano. We will travel back to Assisi for dinner and overnight.

Day 10 | Tuesday, March 15 - Assisi - Rome – Boston
Following breakfast, we will board our bus that will bring us to Rome Airport for our return flights home to Boston. We will bid farewell to our new friends and to a Pilgrimage which will be in our memories and hearts for a long time to come. We depart for Rome Airport and fondly say, Arrivederci Italia!

Options:   Single Supplement / Solo Traveler $669 Business Class Trans-Atlantic Upgrade (one-way) - pending availability $1,750 Business Class Trans-Atlantic Upgrade (round trip) - pending availability $3,500 First Class available upon request Children's discounts for children under 12 upon request              *All Upgrades & Options will be available to you after you press the Book Now button above*

Additional Information & Travel Tips:  Italy
 
Any Questions? To Book or for information, contact Amanda: 800-206-TOUR (8687) or [email protected]

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St. Peter's Basilica, Rome, Italy
Assisi Basilica

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