YOUR TRIP INCLUDES: Round-trip air from Chicago (ORD) to Rome (other cities available at additional cost) Airport taxes and Fuel Surcharges 13 nights in 3-star hotel and religious guesthouses as follows: (or similar)
~ Jun 30 - Jul 03 (3 nights) Hotel San Francesco, Assisi
~ Jul 03 - Jul 05 (2 nights) Hotel Leonardo da Vinci, Florence
~ Jul 05 - Jul 06 (1 night) Hotel Pellegrino e Pace, Loreto
~ Jul 06 - Jul 07 (2 nights) Hotel Savoia, San Giovanni Rotondo
~ Jul 08 - Jul 09 (1 night) Hotel La Pace, Cassino
~ Jul 09 - Jul 13 (4 nights) Madre Pie, Rome Breakfast daily at your hotels Dinner daily at local restaurants and your hotels Tour Escort throughout Professionally guided tours Sightseeing and Admissions fees Mass Daily Papal Audience
Not Included: Lunches, Drinks with meals, Tips, Items of a personal nature
Sample Day-by-Day Itinerary:
Day 1, June 29, 2011: Depart Usa
Depart from the USA for your flights to Italy
Day 2, June 30, 2011: Arrive Rome – Assisi
Upon our arrival in Italy we will be warmly greeted by our guide and driver. We transfer to the catacombs where we will enjoy Mass. We then continue on to Assisi for dinner and overnight.
Day 3, July 01, 2011: 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 visitin St Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother, 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 4, July 02, 2011: Excursion To Cascia & Greccio
After breakfast we depart for Cascia, where we visit the Shrine of St. Rita, one of the most popular of the Italian saints. She was a married woman, a mother, a widow, a nun, a stigmatist, and later, a mystic. The Basilica of St. Rita contains her incorrupt body, several relics from her life, and a Eucharistic miracle from before her time. A priest who had lost respect for the Divine Substance was called out to a sick parishioner. Rather than placing the host into a pyx he slipped it between the pages of his breviary. After hearing the man's confession he opened the breviary to give him communion only to discover two perfect blood-stained circles where the host had been. The pages of the breviary are now preserved in the little parish of Saint Benedict in Umbria, Italy and show a miracle within a miracle as the face of Jesus is clearly visible on the pages. We next travel to the medieval town of Greccio. Greccio is renowned for its connections with St. Francis of Assisi and as the birthplace of the Christmas crèche. On Christmas Night 1223, St. Francis led shepherds to the top of a nearby hill where they gathered together in a stable sheltering an ox and a donkey. According to legend, the Baby Jesus miraculously appeared in the manger. On this spot the Franciscan convent of Greccio was built, and the Chapel of The Crib was erected in 1228, the year St. Francis was canonized. We return to Assisi for dinner and overnight.
Day 5, July 03, 2011: Assisi – Orvieto - Siena – Florence
After breakfast we depart for Orvieto, the town that sits on a 1,000-foot high rock formation, poetically crowned by Italy’s most renowned Gothic cathedral. Because of its strategic location, Orvieto for centuries served as a refuge for the popes in troubled times. We visit the famous Cathedral housing the corporeale of the Miracle of the Eucharist in Bolsena. Here we celebrate Mass. We continue our scenic drive through the beautiful Tuscan countryside to 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. We will also see the Eucharistic Miracle in Siena, Consecrated Hosts remain perfectly preserved for over 250 years. Rigorous scientific experiments have not been able to explain this phenomena. We continue on to Florence where we will enjoy dinner and overnight in Florence.
Day 6, July 04, 2011: Excursion To Forli & Bologna
After breakfast we depart for Florli where we will view the incorrupt body of St. Peregrine. We head to Bologna to visit the incorrupt body of St. Catherine of Bologna which has been on display in an upright position for over 500 years. We will celebrate Mass at the Basilica of St. Catherine. We return to Florence in time for dinner. Enjoy free time this evening to explore the beautiful city of Florence.
Day 7, July 05, 2011: Florence - Citta Di Castello - Osimo – Loreto
We breakfast we depart for Citta di Castello to visit the incorrupt body of St Margaret of Costello. We continue on to Osimo where we will visit St Joseph of Cupertino and Campocavallo where we will see the image of Our Lady which wept. We continue on to Loreto for a visit of the Holy House of Loreto. Legend tells us that in 1291 the Virgin Mary’s House was miraculously transported by angels from Nazareth to Croatia, then further transported here in 1294. We find the Holy House inside the Basilica. Here we celebrate Mass. We will enjoy dinner and overnight in Loreto.
Day 8, July 06, 2011: Loreto - Macerata - Lanciano – San Giovanni Rotondo
After breakfast we drive to Macerata to view the Eucharistic Miracle. Drive along the Adriatic coast to Lanciano where we will see the famous Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano. We will have Mass at this sacred site before we continue on to San Giovanni Rotondo for dinner and overnight.
Day 9, July 07, 2011: 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 10, July 08, 2011: San Giovanni Rotondo - Caposele - Nola – Monte Cassino
After breakfast we depart for Caposele where we will visit the hometown of St Gerard Majella and her relic. We continue on to Nola where we will visit the Sanctuary of St. Philomena where here incorrupt body is located. We continue on to the Abbey of Montecassino, a beautiful town founded by St. Benedict in 529. Dinner and overnight in Cassino.
Day 11, July 09, 2011: Monte Cassino - Nettunno – Rome
After breakfast we visit the Abbey of Monte Cassino where we will celebrate Mass. We continue on to Our Lady of Grace to view the relic of St Maria Goretti in Nettunno. We arrive in Rome for dinner and overnight.
Day 12, July 10, 2011: Papal Audience & St. Peter's
After breakfast we go to Vatican City to attend the weekly Papal Audience and Blessing given by His Holiness. Visit 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. View such historical treasures as a piece of the True Cross, the lance that pierced Christ's side, and numerous papal tombs. We will also see Michelangelo's restored mural of the Last Judgment on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, his Pieta, and the four mighty piers that support St Peter's magnificent dome. Dinner and overnight in Rome.
Day 13, July 11, 2011: Christian Rome & Catacombs
Breakfast, then we depart for a tour of Christian Rome. The tour includes three major Basilicas: St Mary Major, one of the oldest shrines dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, containing a relic from the manger of the infant Jesus. The Basilica of the St John in Lateran, 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. We will also see the Holy Stairs and St. Peter in Chains, Tomb of Celilia Metella, and the Catacombs of St Callixtus where the early Christians hid themselves to escape persecution. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
Day 14, July 12, 2011: Free Day In Rome
Today you will enjoy a free day to explore Rome and shop. Dinner and overnight.
Day 15, July 13, 2011: Rome – Usa
After breakfast we depart for Rome airport for our return flights home to the USA
333 Marcus Blvd 