Depart from for your overnight flight. Meals will be served on board.

After arriving in Rome, we'll be transported via private bus to Il Cantico, our hotel, which is located near the Vatican. After lunch, we'll visit the Domus Aurea (Nero's Golden House), and enjoy a virtual reality tour. The Domus Aurea was a vast landscaped palace built by the Emperor Nero in the heart of ancient Rome after the great fire in 64 AD had destroyed a large part of the city and the aristocratic villas on the Palatine Hill. That afternoon, we'll enjoy Mass and dinner at the hotel.

In the morning, we'll take a public bus to the Colosseum, where children will learn about entertainment and spectacle in ancient Rome through the art of storytelling. Also known as the Flavian Amphitheater, the Colosseum is a marvel of ancient engineering and construction. We'll explore the role the Colosseum played in the social life of ancient Rome and discuss how this iconic arena was built. After visiting the Colosseum, we'll stroll around the Roman Forum. At the end of the morning, we will have a deeper knowledge of ancient Rome-its emperors, its history, and its feats of engineering. Lunch and afternoon is free. There will be an optional afternoon tour of the Capitoline Hill and Piazza Venezia area.

This morning we will enjoy an early breakfast before making our way to the largest Christendom Church, St. Peter's Basilica. This Basilica was built on the site where St. Peter, the first Pope and Bishop of Rome, was martyred. Younger kids will enjoy a scavenger hunt in the Church, during which they'll discover sculptures of skeletons, hidden Christian symbols, and giant angels carved of marble. We will celebrate Mass in the crypt and visit John Paul II's tomb before climbing the dome of St. Peter's, designed by Michelangelo. The afternoon will be free, and after dinner, we'll take a special night tour of Rome's most famous fountains.

This morning we'll walk to St. Peter's and attend the Papal audience, which Pope Francis gives in seven different languages. After lunch on our own, we'll take a public bus to the heart of ancient Rome, the Forum Boarium, and visit the Church or Santa Maria in Cosmedin, followed by a walking tour of the Circus Maximus and Aventine Hill. We'll celebrate Mass in a special Chapel where St. Francis and St. Dominic met.

The morning and lunchtime are free. In the afternoon we'll visit the Vatican Museums, which cover a total of 4.5 miles. We'll explore the areas most interesting to families: the Pinacoteca with its paintings by Giotto, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, and Caravaggio; the Belvedere Courtyard; and we'll end the tour in the Sistine Chapel, viewing Michelangelo's stunning Renaissance frescoes.

Following breakfast, we'll board a private motor coach and enjoy the scenic route to the Amalfi Coast. We'll stop in Monte Cassino, the principle monastery of the Benedictine Order, which was founded by Saint Benedict around 530 A.D. Following a tour, we will head to Mugnano del Cardinale for a visit to the Shrine of the young Saint Philomena. When her remains were brought to the village Church at Mugnano from Rome, graces, favors and miracles began to occur among the village people. We will then continue on to Sorrento, with its stunning panoramic views of the Bay of Naples, its picturesque narrow streets, parks, villas, and orange, lemon and olive groves. Enjoy some time to relax before dinner and an overnight.

Get on your walking shoes because today we'll visit the ghostly ruins of ancient Pompeii, a town which was buried by a volcanic eruption in AD 79 and discovered mostly intact in 1748. After a tour of its millennia-old houses, temples, shops, cafes and amphitheatres, we'll return to the motor coach, stop for lunch, and make our way to Mount Vesuvius, one of the most picturesque volcanoes in the world, and cause of Pompeii's destruction. We'll hike to the crater and explore, taking in the lovely views below. At the end of the day, we'll return to the hotel for dinner and relaxation.

Free day. Relax by the hotel pool, take a day trip to Naples, Positano, or a host of other nearby sites. We can help with suggestions and arrangements.

This morning after breakfast, we will board the hydrofoil for a visit to the island of Capri, one of the most picturesque islands in the world. Starting with a boat tour of the Grotta Azzurra (or the "Blue Grotto"), which is known to have been a Roman bathing place (weather permitting). We will celebrate Mass at one of the local Churches and then enjoy lunch and some free time on your own. In the late afternoon, we'll board the hydrofoil that will take us back to Sorrento in time for dinner.

Following breakfast, we will board the coach that will bring us to the Naples Airport for our return flight home. We depart Naples and fondly say, Arrivederci Italia!