Grand Catholic Italy

Day 1
(Mon.) Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

Day 2 Arrival in Rome, Italy
(Tue.) Transfer to your hotel. Balance of the day is at leisure. At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director, then enjoy this evening's welcome dinner at a local restaurant. (D)

Day 3 Rome
(Wed.) Attend the weekly general audience of the Pope (subject to availability). This afternoon, visit ST. PAUL OUTSIDE THE WALLS and the CATACOMBS. During the persecutions, the catacombs were used as places of refuge for the celebration of the Eucharist. Next, visit ST. JOHN LATERAN BASILICA, the HOLY STAIRS, which were brought from Jerusalem to Rome around 326 AD by St. Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, and consist of 28 white marble steps. As a favorite of pilgrims every where, these steps may only be ascended on the knees. Then, visit the impressive ST. MARY MAJOR BASILICA. (B)

Day 4 Rome
(Thu.) This morning, enjoy a guided visit of the VATICAN MUSEUMS and the SISTINE CHAPEL, world famous for Michelangelo's ceiling paintings and The Last Judgment. Continue to monumental ST. PETER'S SQUARE and BASILICA. Cross the Tiber River and visit the COLOSSEUM, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World®, and the ROMAN FORUM, where Roman legions marched in triumph. (B)

Day 5 Rome - Montecassino - San Giovanni Rotondo
(Fri.) Visit the ABBEY OF MONTECASSINO, the first of the Benedictine monasteries founded by St. Benedict around 529. Then, journey to Italy's eastern coast and San Giovanni Rotondo, home to the beloved St. Padre Pio. (B,D)

Day 6 San Giovanni Rotondo. Excursion to Monte Sant'Angelo
(Sat.) Visit the FRIARY OF PADRE PIO, including his tomb, cell, confessional, and the OLD CHURCH where he received the stigmata. Also visit the NEW CHURCH. Afterwards, visit the nearby SHRINE OF MONTE SANT'ANGELO, one of Christendom's most celebrated shrines and where St. Michael the Archangel appeared in years 490 AD, 492 AD, and 1656. (B,D)

Day 7 San Giovanni Rotondo - Lanciano - Loreto - Assisi
(Sun.) Visit Lanciano and the CHURCH that is home to an 8th-century Eucharistic Miracle. Afterwards, visit the HOLY HOUSE OF LORETO, where, according to tradition, angels transported the home of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Arrive at the hilltop village of Assisi, home of St. Francis and St. Clare. (B,D)

Day 8 Assisi - Siena - Florence
(Mon.) Celebrate Mass this morning followed by a guided walking tour of Assisi. Visit the BASILICAS OF ST. FRANCIS and ST. CLARE. See the crucifix that spoke to St. Francis. Also visit the ST. MARY OF THE ANGELS BASILICA and the PORTIUNCULA. On the way to Florence, stop in Siena and visit the SANCTUARY OF ST. CATHERINE and the BASILICA OF ST. DOMINIC. (B,D)

Day 9 Florence
(Tue.) Your walking tour with a Local Guide features a visit to the ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS to see Michelangelo's David, the CATHEDRAL, and Giotto's Bell Tower. Balance of the day is at leisure. (B)

Day 10 Florence - Padua - Venice
(Wed.) Depart for Padua and visit the BASILICA OF ST. ANTHONY to see the tomb and reliquaries of this miracle-working saint and patron of lost and stolen articles. Journey on to Venice, one of the world's most romantic cities. Enter by PRIVATE BOAT and meet your Local Guide. Visit ST. MARK'S SQUARE and its BASILICA, and enjoy a farewell dinner at a local restaurant. (B,D)

Day 11
(Thu.) Transfer to the airport for flights leaving no earlier than 10 am. Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (B)