Depart the United States for Rome, Italy

Welcome to Italy! Individual airport arrival transfers to your hotel. Meet your Tour Director in the lobby early this afternoon. Celebrate Private Mass at Santa Maria Maggiore Rome/Saint Mary Major. Enjoy a guided visit to the Colosseum. Welcome dinner this evening at a local hotel. (D)

Celebrate private Mass at the Altar of Saint John Paul II in Saint Peter’s Basilica. *Subject to availability. Followed by a visit to the Basilica of San Clemente, including entrance to its Crypt. Late afternoon visit the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo, where you will see Caravaggio’s Crucifixion of St. Peter. Piazza di Spagna for leisure time near the Spanish Steps. Dinner at a local restaurant this evening. (B,D)

This morning coach by a section of the ancient Appian Way, the traditional pilgrims’ route followed by Peter and Paul, en route to the ancient Catacombs of St Domitilla, here enjoy a guided tour followed by private celebration of Mass. Afterwards with a Local Guide, visit St. Paul Outside the Walls, burial place of St. Paul the Apostle, St John Lateran Basilica and St. Mary Major Basilica, the Rome’s four major Papal basilicas. Visit another of Rome’s major basilicas; Saint John Lateran, the Pope’s cathedral church where relics of both Peter and Paul remain under the main altar. Here see its impressive statues of each of the Apostles. Experience the Scala Sancta (Holy Stairs), transported from Jerusalem to Rome around 326 AD by St. Helena, Emperor Constantine’s mother. These 28 marble steps are traditionally ascended in a kneeling position with a prayer recital dedicated to Jesus Christ. Next visit the Church of the Gesu, mother church of the Jesuit Order, which contains the remains of its founder Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Followed by a visit to the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva housing the tombs of Saint Catherine of Siena and the Renaissance painter Fra’ Angelico. Then on to the Pantheon and enjoy a guided tour to learn about the history and architecture of this iconic structure. The remainder of our day is free to visit the vibrant Piazza Navona. Dinner at a local restaurant. (B,D)

With a local guide you can stroll through the Vatican Museum and marvel at Michaelangelo’s famous creation in the Sistine Chapel. The Vatican Museum houses over 2000 rooms and 9 miles of the most extensive collections of art in the world. The Museums are brilliantly decorated and brim over with treasures and history and the local guide will share with you the stories and secrets contained within the Museum’s walls. In the Sistine Chapel you can marvel at Michaelangelo’s masterpiece, which is perhaps the greatest example of art anywhere and certainly the largest contiguous body by one painter. There are also some lesser masterpieces in the Sistine Chapel which are also worth seeing. Visit and celebrate Mass at the Basilica of Saint Peter in Chains, which contains a glass reliquary displaying the chains of Saint Peter. The basilica also houses a mosaic of St. Sebastian and Michelangelo’s statue Moses. Enjoy a guided visit to the Colosseum, Cirus Maximus. Then it is onto Constantine’s Arch and outside the Colosseum for photo opportunities. Ascend Capitoline Hill for a panoramic of the Imperial and Roman Forums. Visit to the Church of Our Lady of Victory, housing Bernini’s glorious statue The Ecstasy of St. Teresa. Dinner at a local Rome restaurant. (B,D)

Coach through the countryside to Monte Cassino. Visit the Benedictine Abbey set high atop a mountain. The abbey was founded by Saint Benedict of Norcia in the 6th century. Saint Benedict established his first monastic community here. Celebrate Mass at the Abbey. Continue to San Giovanni Rotondo, the home to Padre Pio, who was made a saint in 2002 by Pope John Paul II. Here we will learn of the extraordinary life and reputation for sanctity of the Franciscan Padre Pio of Pietralcina, who lived, labored, and died here in 1968. The remainder of your day is free to explore the grounds and institutions Padre Pio helped to build. Dinner at a local restaurant. (B,D)

Celebrate Mass at the Church of Santa Maria dell Grazie. While here visit Saint Pio Church and the beautiful mosaic crypt that houses a glass reliquary containing Saint Pio’s body. This afternoon coach to nearby Monte Sant’Angelo, one of the most ancient of Christian shrines, dedicated to the Archangel Michael who appeared here in the 5th and 8th centuries. Return to San Giovanni for dinner at the hotel. (B,D)

After breakfast travel north. First stop is the Sanctuary of the Holy House of Loreto. Enjoy a guided tour, followed by a private Mass. * Subject to availability. Continue to Lanciano, where a priest who was doubtful about the Real Presence, during his celebration of Mass, witnessed the host had turned into flesh and the wine into blood. Continue to Assisi. Dinner at a local restaurant. (B,D)

The day begins with a visit and celebration of Mass in the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, built to enclose the tiny Church of the Porziuncola, Saint Francis’ first retreat and place of prayer, where he consecrated Clare as the Bride of Christ. This afternoon visit the Basilica of St. Clare, the foundress of the Poor Clare nuns, and see the crucifix that spoke to St. Francis in San Damiano. Next is sightseeing with a visit to the Upper and Lower Basilicas of St. Francis, with its beautiful frescoes by Cimabue and Giotto. The remainder of the day is at leisure. Dinner at a local restaurant (B,D)

Coach to Orvieto this morning. Here celebrate private Mass at the Cathedral, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. Followed by time to enjoy the artwork inside the Chapel of San Brizio. Return to the Eternal City, Rome. For your Farewell Experience to Italy enjoy an orientation drive past icons including the cylindrical Castel Sant’Angelo containing the mausoleum of Roman Emperor Hadrian; the Palace of Justice, seat of the Supreme Court of Cassation and the Judicial Public Library; the Mausoleum of Augustus, a large tomb built by the emperor in 28 BC; the ancient 3rd-century Aurelian Walls; Villa Borghese with its expansive park, museums, lake, and fountains; the elegant Via Veneto, a famous street featured prominently in Fellini’s classic 1960 film “La Dolce Vita”; go down via Ludovisi and take a look at Piazza di Spagna and the Trevi Fountain before getting back on the coach at Villa Borghese (Piazzale Flaminio). Relax at a local restaurant for an included 3-course dinner with dessert, local wine, and authentic Roman atmosphere! (B,D)

After breakfast individual airport departure transfers are arranged to the airport. (B)