Italian Shrines Group
14 Days
Tour cost begins from $3,290.00 plus taxes
Venice, Florence, Sienna, Assisi, Loretto, Lanciano,
San Giovanni Rotondo (Padre Pio), Pompeii, Naples, Rome
ITINERARY:
Day 1: US – ITALY
Our pilgrimage begins as we leave from your hometown airport for an overnight flight to Venice. Dinner and breakfast are served on board.
Day 2: VENICE
Arrival to Venice, Dinner and overnight in Venice.
Day 3: VENICE
After breakfast, we begin our full day touring of Venice. Visit the Basilica of St. Mark, Doge’s Palace, and the Bridge of Sighs. If time permits, enjoy a gondola ride on the canals. Dinner and overnight in Venice.
Day 4: VENICE – FLORENCE
After breakfast, depart for Florence. On our way we will stop at Pisa to view the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. Dinner and overnight in Florence.
Day 5: FLORENCE
After breakfast we will visit the highlights of Florence, Doumo, Bell Tower, the Baptistery. See the tombs of Dante, Michelangelo, Leonardo de Vinci and the magnificent statue of David. Dinner and overnight in Florence.
Day 6: FLORENCE – SIENA – ASSISI
After breakfast, drive to the wonderful medieval walled town of St.Catherine – Siena. Visit San Domenico where the preserved head of the Saint can be seen, before continuing to Piazza del Campo, the shell shaped town square where the Famous Pailo horse race is run every summer. Visit the Basilica of St. Francis and venerate the Miraculous Hosts, which are enshrined there. Continue to Assisi for dinner and overnight.
Day 7: ASSISI – LORETTO
After breakfast we will celebrate Mass at the tomb of St Francis. Explore the quaint hilltop birthplace of St Francis, which still retains an unspoiled quality similar to the early 1200’s when he began his Ministry. Contained within the huge 13th-century Basilica are many of his 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. Visit 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. Continue to Loretto which Pope John Paul II calls “the holiest place on earth.” Dinner and overnight in Loretto.
Day 8: LORETTO – LANCIANO – SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO (PADRE PIO)
After breakfast visit to Loretto and the Holy House where, Mary, Joseph and Jesus once lived and prayed. Drive south to Lanciano; visit the Miracle of the Eucharist in the Chapel of St. Longinus. Lingering doubts by a priest about ‘transubstantiation’ caused the bread and wine to turn into “the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ”. Continue to San Giovanni Rotondo Padre Pio’s hometown where he spent 50 years of his life (1916-1966). Dinner and overnight in San Giovanni Rotondo.
Day 10: SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO-POMPEII-ROME
After breakfast we will drive to Pompeii, the Roman city buried by the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79. See the preserved ruins of Pompeii that were all hidden until the first half of the 18th century when excavations began. Continue to Rome for dinner and overnight.
Day 11: ROME – PAPAL AUDIENCE
After breakfast depart for Papal Audience (depending upon availability) in the monumental St. Peter’s Square and see the Basilica of St. Peter in Vatican City. Afternoon free time in Vatican. Dinner and overnight in Rome.
Day 12: ROME – CHRISTIAN ROME, MAJOR BASILICAS
After breakfast, we will tour three major Basilicas: St Mary Major, this is one of the oldest shrines dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, after she appeared to Pope Liberius in 358 requesting a church be built in her honor. This shrine contains a relic from the manger where the infant Jesus was laid. The Basilica of the St John in Lateran, the former residence of all the popes prior to their return to Rome in 1377. Five ecumenical councils were held in this cathedral housing the remains of 4 saints. St Paul Outside the Walls, which houses the remains of St. Paul under the main altar. Many relics are displayed, along with the chains that once bound the apostle while a prisoner in Rome
Day 13: ROME – HISTORICAL ROME
After breakfast you will have sightseeing in Rome. Visit Catacombs, Capitoline Hill, Forum, St. Peter in Chains, Colosseum, Arch of Constantine, Circus Maximus, Pantheon, Old Appian Way, Palazzo Venezia Dinner and overnight in Rome.
Day 14: ROME – USA
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Tour Features:
- Round trip transatlantic airfare from JFK, New York
- Accommodations in first class hotels with private bathroom
- Daily breakfast and dinner
- Guided sightseeing as indicated in itinerary
- Entrance fees
- Professional tour director
- Baggage handling
- Hotel taxes, service charges
- Daily mass with accompanying Priest
Tour Map
If you don’t see an itinerary you like, tell us and we’ll gladly customize one to meet your requirements.
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