DAY 1: U.S.A.

Tour members will depart to Rome. Dinner and breakfast will be served aboard the flight.

DAY 2: ROME

Arrive in Rome. We will be met by our pilgrimage guide at the arrival hall. In the afternoon, guided tour of the ancient Rome. We will start with the visit at the coliseum, also called Anfiteatro Flavio. Then, we will proceed through Via dei Fori Imperiali and end with a visit to the Carcere Mamertino where St. Peter were prisoned. We will celebrate Holy Mass at Santa Croce of Jerusalem Church. Saint Helena brought Passion relics here, and the floor was covered with soil from Jerusalem. Relics here include the index finger of Thomas that touched the wounds of Christ after His resurrection, and a piece of the Good Thief’s Cross.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

DAY 3: ROME

After Breakfast, we will transfer in St. Peter Square for the Audience with the Pope**. At the end, we will have free time for lunch. Then visit of the Vatican Museum, The Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Cathedral. Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel between 1508 and 1512, and later painted The Last Judgment between 1535 and 1541 for Popes Clement VII and Paul III. The primary function of the chapel is the Papal Conclave, providing the place where the College of Cardinals of the church gathers to select a new Pope. Then walk through Saint Peter’s Basilica, the present structure completed in 1590 was built over the Byzantine and Middle Ages structures that marked the tomb of Saint Peter. There are more than 100 tombs within the basilica, including most recently Saint John Paul II. Celebrate Holy Mass at Santo Spirito in Sassia church. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

DAY 4: ROME

Breakfast in hotel. Then, we begin with a guided tour of the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran. Six Popes are entombed here. Next door is the Holy Staircase (Scala Santa), brought from Pilate’s Palace in Jerusalem by Saint Helena in the 4th century. Climbing the stairs on your knees is a devotion that many pilgrims perform, and a plenary indulgence is granted for completing this feat. We celebrate Holy Mass here. We will continue on our journey to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Maria Maggiore). This is the largest Marian church in Rome. Its construction began after the Council of Ephesus in 431 proclaimed that Mary was the Mother of God. Saint Jerome, translator of the Bible into the Latin Vulgate, is buried here. We will visit The Confessio, or reliquary crypt, which lies before the main altar of Santa Maria Maggiore, was designed by the architect Virginio Vespignani (1808-82). The crystal reliquary contains pieces of ancient wood, which the faithful hold to be part of the manger where Jesus was laid. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

DAY 5: ROME

Breakfast in hotel. We will visit of Saint Paul outside the wall. Celebrate Holy Mass in one of the Chapels. In the afternoon, we have a guided visit of the center of Rome where we can admire Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, The Church of St. Agostino where is conserved the Michelangelo famous painting “The Pilgrim’s Virgins”, The Church of San Luigi dei Francesi where we can admire the other famous Caravaggio Paint “The Conversion of St. Matthew”. We will end with Fontana di Trevi and The Spanish Steps. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

DAY 6: ROME /ORVIETO/PERUGIA/ASSISI

Breakfast in hotel. We departure to Orvieto where in the Cathedral is conserved the Eucharistic Miracle of Bolsena which led to the Feast of Corpus Christi. The miracle took place in 1263 when a German priest was in route to Rome. He was in Bolsena to celebrate Mass when blood started to seep from the consecrated Host and trickle over his hands onto the altar and the corporal. We will celebrate the Holy Mass in one chapel of the Cathedral. Time for lunch. We depart to Perugia to visit San Lorenzo Cathedral. You are welcomed by the Virgin Mary, Mater Gratiae, the “praying” Virgin with her hands turned towards the faithful, with a gesture of blessing, protection and welcome. The devotion to the Cathedral is linked to the custody of a ring of rare stone which tradition attributes to the wedding ring between Mary and Joseph. The ring, exposed for veneration is not a real relic of faith; it has become, a “symbol” that refers to the historical fact of the marriage of Joseph and Mary. The Cathedral of Perugia has accompanied the protection of this jewel, transfigured into the “Sant’Anello”, as a “memorial ”of the union of Mary and Joseph, as a sign of marital fidelity, which makes every marriage the symbol of God’s love for humanity. At the end of the visit, we depart to Assisi. Dinner and overnight in our hotel.

DAY 7: ASSISI/GRECCIO/ASSISI

Breakfast in hotel. WE enjoy a guided visit of the Assisi: Visit the Church of St. Clare which houses her incorrupt body. One of the chapels contains the crucifix that bowed its head and ordered St. Francis to “repair God’s Church”. Then, we tour the Basilica of St. Francis built in 1228 to house the Relics of the Saint. The “upper “Basilica houses beautiful frescoes of Giotto. It is from these frescoes that we will know and understand the life and the spirit of St. Francis. We will have our daily Holy Mass there. Time for lunch. Afterward, we departure to Greccio. We visit of the The Sanctuary of Greccio, set in the bare rock, which amazes with its features. The original nucleus of the Sanctuary is the Chapel of the Nativity Scene where - according to tradition - Saint Francis on Christmas night 1223 represented the Birth of Jesus for the first time. It is from here the tradition of the nativity scene was born. Visit of the Church of Santa Maria del Giglio and return to Assisi. Dinner and overnight in our hotel.

DAY 8: ASSISI/LORETO

Breakfast in hotel. We visit of the Church of St. Mary the Major and the “Sanctuary of dispossession” where is hosted the incorrupt body of the Blessed Carlo Acutis. Visit of St. Mary of the Angels Basilica. This Basilica is where St. Francis spent most of life, and is made up of two structures which you will visit. The Porziuncola is where St. Francis founded his order of the Friar Minor (Franciscans), and the Capella del Transito, which is the place of St. Francis’ death. We will have the opportunity to visit the beautiful Rose Garden where St. Francis and other friars lived, as well as the cave where the Saint retired to pray. Celebrate Holy Mass. We departure for Loreto to visit the Basilica della Santa Casa which enshrines the house of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Ancient tradition believes these three walls were in front of the Cave of Nazareth where the Blessed Virgin Mary was born, lived and received the Annunciation. The devout tradition believes the Holy House was translated by the Angels from Nazareth to Loreto in the night between December 9-10, 1294. Accommodation in Loreto, dinner and overnight.

DAY 9: LORETO/LANCIANO/SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO

WE celebrate Holy Mass in the Holy House at 07.30 in the morning and Breakfast in hotel. Then, we departure to San Giovanni Rotondo. During the transfer, we will stop in Lanciano. Lanciano is famous for the Miracle of Lanciano which dates back to the eighth century. A monk who had doubts about the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, found when he said the words of consecration at Mass, that the bread and wine changed into flesh and blood. It has been certified by the Catholic Church as a Eucharistic Miracle. At the end of the celebration, we will continue our way to San Giovanni Rotondo. Dinner and overnight in our hotel.

DAY 10: SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO

Breakfast in hotel. We will visit the St. Pio Sanctuary designed by the famous Architect Renzo Piano. Celebrate Holy Mass . Time to visit the place where San Pio lived, and time for personal prayer. Free time for lunch. In the afternoon, we transfer to the nearby Monte Sant’Angelo. Monte Sant’Angelo as a town appeared only in the eleventh century. Between 1081 and 1103, Monte Sant’Angelo was the capital of a large Norman dominion under the control of Count Henry, who was a vassal of the Byzantine Empire. The grotto which houses the Sanctuary of Saint Michael the Archangel where according to legend, St. Michael appeared in 490, 492 and 493, has been the site of many famous pilgrimages, which started from Mont Saint-Michel. St. Pope John Paul II visited the sanctuary in 1987. The sanctuary is one of the UNESCO world Heritage sites. Return to San Giovanni Rotondo. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

DAY 11: SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO/MONTECASSINO/ROME

Breakfast in hotel. We departure for Rome. During our way to Rome, we will stop in Montecassino. In 529 Saint Benedict chose this mountain to build a monastery that would host him and those monks following him on the way from Subiaco. Paganism was still present here, but he managed to turn the place into a well-structured Christian monastery where everybody could have the dignity they deserved through praying and working. Ora et labora et lege: this is the motto of Saint Bendict’s Rule that the monks still follow in their daily routine. Some of them study in the library surrounded by ancient books, or make researches in the archive on breathtaking manuscripts. Some others host people seeking for a moment of inner peace and serenity. Visiting the Abbey, you might meet some of them having a walk in the cloisters before they go back to their rooms to pray alone or to gather later for the common prayer. At the end of the visit celebrate Holy Mass and depart to Rome. Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Rome.

DAY 12: ROME/USA

After our breakfast, we transfer to the airport to fly back home. We will cherish the incredible memories of an unforgettable pilgrimage in our minds and hearts.