| Tour 105 |
All Italian Shrines
& Eucharistic Miracles | 14 days | | Rome, Monte Cassino, San Giovanni Rotondo, Lanciano, Loreto, Sienna, Assisi, Florence, Padua & Venice
Padre Pio's body to be exhumed, venerated
:
The body of Padre Pio will be exhumed and exposed for public
veneration during the coming year, the local archbishop has
announced.
www.pilgrimages.com/padrepio
| |
|
|
| |
 YOUR TRIP INCLUDES:
 Round-trip air from New York to Italy
(special Add-on Airfares from all other US gateways)
12 nights at 3-star & 4-star hotels: (or similar)
3 nights:
Hotel Cicerone or
Quirinale, Rome
2 nights:
Gran Paradiso, San Giovanni
3 nights: Hotel Giotto, Assisi 2 nights: Hotel Mediteraneo, Florence
2 nights: Hotel Biri, Padua
Breakfast and dinner daily
Transportation by air-conditioned motor coach
Guided tours and admission fees
Hotel taxes and service charges
Papal Audience (if available) Catholic Priest and Mass daily
Baggage handling
AIRPORT TAXES, SECURITY FEES & FUEL SURCHARGES
INCLUDED
Not
Included:
Lunches, Drinks with dinners,
Travel Insurance
optional at $99-$225. Tips to your guide & driver
(Euro
6-8 per day)
Items of a personal nature.
"Land
Only" does not include airfare or airport transfers.
Sample Day-by-Day Itinerary:
Day 1 - USA - Italy
Depart USA for our overnight flights to Rome . Dinner and breakfast are
served on board.
Day 2 - Arrive Rome
Upon arrival your escort will warmly greet you
this morning and welcome you to Italy. Transfer to your hotel and enjoy a free afternoon for rest, relaxation, adjusting to local time or exploration (on own). You tour escort can suggest sights or walks for you to enjoy. Dinner and overnight.
Day 3 -
Rome (Papal Audience
and Vatican
Museum Tour)
Wake up in Eternal City, one of the greatest centers of Western Civilization
and the first truly cosmopolitan city on earth! It is also spiritual capital for
all the Catholics around the world. Today
is truly a day we will have in our minds for many years to come. This
morning we go to Vatican City to attend the weekly Papal Audience or Blessing
given by His Holiness
Pope Benedict XVI
(pending papal schedule).
Following the audience visit of the Vatican Museums, a group of most impressive edifices with hundreds of galleries filled with art treasures. See awe-inspiring 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. Later, 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 is the grandest of the world's churches. Marvel Pieta and Bernini's amazing bronze canopy. We will also visit the grave of Pope John Paul II located at the Vatican (time permitting). Before dinner, we'll have some time at leisure, to explore your own paths, to shop, or just to sit in one of the outside cafes and watch the world go by.
Day 4
- Rome
This morning we depart for a sightseeing tour with focus on "Christian Rome" Touring we will see many
important cultural and monumental sights around Rome. Stop for a visit at 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. St Paul Outside the Walls, which houses the remains of St Paul under its main altar. We will also see the ancient Baths of Caracalla, Arch of Drusus, Chapel "O'Domine Quo Vadis?" the remains of imperial tombs, Tomb of Celilia Metella, and the catacombs of St Callixtus where the early
Christians hid themselves to escape persecution. We will also enjoy a visit to the Trevi fountain. Dinner and overnight for your last evening in Rome.
Day
5
-
Rome
- Monte Cassino -
San Giovanni Rotondo
We leave Rome, the Eternal City, for San Giovanni Rotondo. Stop in Monte Cassino,
to see te spectacular Benedictine abbey on the top of the mountain. This
monastery was founded and built by
St.
Benedict in
529. Continue East to Padre Pio's Town. Dinner and overnight in San Giovanni Rotondo.
Day
6
-
San Giovanni Rotondo- Monte Sant’Angelo (St.
Michael's cave)
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
7 -
San Giovanni Rotondo
- Lanciano
- Loreto -
Assisi
We will have breakfast at our hotel before we embark on a drive up the
Adriatic coast to Lanciano where we will see the Eucharistic Miracle and
celebrate Mass. We then continue on 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. Continue to Assisi for dinner
and overnight.
Day
8 - 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 stopping at an outdoor cafe with a view of an
ancient Roman temple, 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 9 - Assisi - Sienna
We are off to the beautiful town of 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. Return to Assisi for dinner and overnight.
Day 10 - Assisi - Florence
After a brief drive through the beautiful Tuscan countryside, we arrive in Florence. A paradise for art lovers, Florence drew to itself the greatest artists of the Renaissance: Dante, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Donatello and many others. Dinner and overnight.
(Special groups may chose to make a stop or travel via Norcia, Cascia and city of Spoleto. (Cascia including basilica and monastery of St.Rita and St. Francis; Norcia surrounded with town walls includes the St.Benedict's basilica and cathedral of Santa Maria Argentea; Spoleto to visit the Cathedral and the old town.
Day 11 - Florence
(afternoon optional tour to Pisa )
After Mass, we will enjoy guided tour of Florence which includes magnificent Franciscan church of The Holy Cross or Santa Croce with the beautiful facade, church is a burial place of nobles, among which is Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli. Walking tour through Piazza Signoria, pass by Palazzo Vecchio, Uffizi and Ponte Vecchio. Continue through Republic Square to the Santa Maria del Fiore 13th century cathedral.
Free time you may decide to take one of several optional tours including
tour to Pisa (additional cost approximately $30.) o shop, find a coffee shop for some good observation of the passers by or continue to explore this art city on your own. Return to our hotel in Florence for dinner and overnight.
Day 12 - Florence - Padua
Next stop is Padua, where St Anthony, patron saint of lost things is honored. After Mass, at the Basilica built in his honor, we continue on a sightseeing tour including one of the oldest universities,
Tomb of St. Anthony and his relics . Pass by Pratto Della Valle, one of the biggest squares in Italy, basilica of Santa Giustina. Some time to relax before dinner. Overnight in Padua.
Day 13 - Padua : Excursion to Venice
After breakfast leave for Venice ( Padua is only 25 miles away from Venice)
for tour and visit of some of the greatest sights you’ll ever see: St. Mark’s Square, The Golden Basilica of San Marco, the Bridge of Sighs, and the extraordinary visit of Dodges’ Palace. After tour you will have some free time to shop, to explore Venice on own and perhaps take an optional gondola ride, or enjoy an afternoon at a charming cafe. Return to Padua for our dinner and overnight.
Day 14 - Venice - USA
We bid farewell to our new friends and to a pilgrimage which will be in our memories and heart for a long time to come. After breakfast depart from the hotel to Venice Airport for our return flight to the USA.
For Additional Information & Travel Tips Please Visit:
What to Know Before You Go to Italy
Why go with us? See what our clients say: www.206tours.com/letters
Any questions? Call 800-206-TOUR - or - E-Mail Us
|
2008
Departure Dates
&
Prices |
| |
Travel Dates |
Land
Only |
All
Inclusive |
|
|
|
Mar |
21
- Apr 03 |
|
$4,999 |
$5,999 |
 |
|
|
Apr
|
07
- 20 |
|
$4,999 |
$5,999 |
|
|
|
Apr |
21
- May 04 |
|
$4,999 |
$5,999 |
|
|
|
May
|
05
- 18 |
|
$4,999 |
$5,999 |
|
|
|
May |
19
- Jun 01 |
|
$4,999 |
$6,399 |
|
|
|
Jun
|
02
- 15 |
|
$4,999 |
$6,399 |
|
|
|
Jun |
16
- 29 |
|
$4,999 |
$6,399 |
|
|
|
Jun
|
30
- Jul 13 |
|
$4,999 |
$6,299 |
|
|
|
Jul |
28
- Aug 10 |
|
$4,999 |
$5,949 |
|
| |
Aug |
25 - Sep 07 |
$4,999 |
$5,949 |
|
|
|
Sep
|
08
- 21 |
|
$4,999 |
$6,299 |
|
|
|
Sep |
22
- Oct 05 |
|
$4,999 |
$5,999 |
|
|
|
Oct
|
06
- 19 |
|
$4,999 |
$5,999 |
|
| |
Oct
|
20
- Nov 02 |
|
$4,999 |
$5,999 |
|
|
|
Nov
|
10
- 23 |
|
$4,999 |
$5,999 |
|
|
2009
Departure Dates
&
Prices |
| |
Travel Dates |
Land
Only |
All
Inclusive |
|
|
|
Feb |
09 - 22 |
|
$4,999 |
$5,299 |
|
|
|
Mar
|
09 - 22 |
|
| |
