Day 1 – Monday - Depart for Rome

Make your way to your local airport, where you will board your overnight flight(s). Your meals will be served on board.

Day 2 – Tuesday - Arrival in Rome

Welcome to Rome, also known as, “The Eternal City”.  Upon arrival at Rome airport, collect your luggage in the baggage claim area, and continue to the Arrivals Hall, where you will be greeted by your tour escort and transfer to your first-class hotel. Enjoy a free afternoon to get settled and explore Rome. Later this afternoon/evening, you will have a Welcome Mass and dinner in thanksgiving for a safe journey and to begin your special Jubilee Pilgrimage. Overnight in Rome.

Day 3 – Wednesday - Rome - Papal Audience at the Vatican (Pending Pope’s Schedule) - St. Peter's Basilica - Vatican Museums - Sistine Chapel

This morning, you’ll go to Vatican City to attend the weekly Papal Audience and Blessing given by His Holiness Pope Francis. Following the audience, you’ll get to tour St. Peter’s Basilica and visit the Vatican Museums. St. Peter’s Basilica was built on the site where St. Peter was martyred and is the grandest of the world’s Churches. While in the Basilica, be sure to see Michelangelo’s Pieta, Bernini’s bronze canopy, the tomb of H.H. Pope Benedict XVI, and the tomb of H.H. St. Pope John Paul II. The Vatican Museums are filled with many relics and works of art, including the Tapestry Gallery, the Raphael Rooms, and the Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. Before dinner, you’ll have some leisure time to visit the Trevi Fountain, to do some shopping, or to stop by one of the outside cafes. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

Day 4 – Thursday – Rome – Pantheon – Colosseum – Roman Forum

This morning after breakfast, you’ll have Mass before visiting the Pantheon, an ancient Roman building that is renowned for its large concrete dome. After lunch, you’ll head to the Colosseum (also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre), which was built in the first century A.D., was the largest amphitheater in the Roman Empire, and where many Christians were martyred. Some of the most famous Christian martyrs who died in the Colosseum include Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Saint Polycarp, Saint Perpetua, and Saint Felicity. The Colosseum is a reminder of the persecution that early Christians faced and is also a symbol of their faith and courage. After visiting the Colosseum, you’ll get to see the Roman Forum, which was the heart of ancient Rome and the site of many important government buildings, temples, and shops. It was home to a wide variety of people, from wealthy aristocrats to poor laborers. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 5 – Friday - Rome - 3 Major Basilicas – Appian Way - Holy Stairs - Catacombs

This morning, you’ll depart for a sightseeing tour of a lifetime! Although our focus is on “Christian Rome”, you will also see so many important cultural and monumental sights around Rome. The tour includes three major Basilicas: St Mary Major, St. John Lateran, and St. Paul Outside the Walls. The first Basilica you’ll visit is St. Mary Major, which is one of the oldest shrines dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and contains a relic from the manger of the infant Jesus. Then, you’ll head to St. John Lateran, the Cathedral of Rome and the former residence of the popes prior to A.D. 1377. Afterwards, you’ll have the opportunity to climb up on your knees the very steps (Holy Stairs/Scala Sancta) that Jesus did during His Passion. After lunch, you’ll head down the Appian Way, one of the earliest roads built in ancient Rome, to St. Paul Outside the Walls, which houses the remains of St. Paul under its main altar. Afterwards, you’ll get to go through the catacombs, where the early Christians hid to escape persecution. Dinner and overnight for your last evening in Rome.

Day 6 – Saturday - Rome – Orvieto - Bolsena – Bevagna - Assisi

This morning you will depart Rome and travel through the Umbrian mountains to Orvieto, where you will visit the beautiful Cathedral that houses the corporeal of the Miracle of the Eucharist that took place in A.D. 1263 in Bolsena. One year later the pope instituted the universal Feast of Corpus Christi which was celebrated for the first time in Orvieto in A.D. 1264. Orvieto was built over preexisting Etruscan era cave tunnels dating back 2,500 years, which some historians believe Catholics used to celebrate Mass when Christianity was forbidden. After visiting Orvieto, there will be time for lunch before visiting Bolsena. Afterwards, you’ll continue through the Umbrian mountains to Bevagna, which has a rich Catholic heritage and contains many historical and artistic treasures. There, you’ll get to visit the Church of San Francesco, which is known for its simple yet elegant architecture reflecting the Franciscan Order’s values of humility and simplicity. Inside, the Church is a beautiful fresco depicting the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. On the way to Assisi, you’ll stop at the Monastery of San Silvestro, which was founded in the 13th century and overlooks Bevagna. Continue to Assisi, the hometown of Sts. Francis and Clare, for dinner and overnight.

Day 7 – Sunday - Assisi - Saints Francis and Clare

After breakfast, explore St. Francis’ birthplace, which has remained the same since the early 1200s, when St Francis began his ministry. In the Basilica of St. Francis, you’ll celebrate Mass, view a series of frescoes depicting his life, and have the opportunity to visit his tomb. From there, you’ll head to the Church of St. Clare to see the Saint’s incorrupt body. Saint Clare was the foundress of the Order of Poor Clares, which followed the teachings of St. Francis by living a life of poverty and humility. There will be time to stroll the medieval streets, shop, and have a little lunch at an outdoor café. After lunch, you’ll visit the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, where Saint Francis spent most of his life. Also visit the “Porziuncola” (where St. Francis founded the Franciscan Order), the “Capella del Transito” (place of St. Francis’ death), the rose garden (where St. Francis lived), and the cave where the Saint retired for prayer. Return to Assisi for dinner and overnight.

Day 8 – Monday - Assisi – La Verna - Assisi

This morning you will celebrate Mass at the tomb of Blessed Carlos Acutis, which is in the church of St. Mary Major at the Santuario Della Spogliazione. Blessed Carlos Acutis loved and believed in the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and is the first millennial to be declared Blessed. Then travel to the Shrine of La Verna, located on Monte Penna in Tuscany. Here, St. Francis had a camp and received the stigmata in A.D. 1224. You will have time to visit the Chapel of the Stigmata, the Basilica and Chapel of Saint Mary of the Angels, and a museum. On the way back to Assisi, stop at a local vineyard for lunch and wine tasting. Overnight in Assisi.

Day 9 – Tuesday - Return Home

After an early breakfast and heartfelt farewells, your group will leave by motor coach and transfer to the Rome Fiumicino airport for return flights home.

Includes:

• 4 nights in Rome with Porterage (1 piece per person)

• Starhotel Michelangelo or Hotel Albani or Hotel NH Collectio Roma Centro or Hotel Gioberti or similar 4*

• Sant’Anna Hotel or Hotel Astrid or Amore del Vaticano or similar 3*

• 3 nights in Assisi with Porterage (1 piece per person)

• Fontebella Palace or Asisium Boutique Hotel or Hotel Cenacolo or Dal Moro Gallery Hotel or BV Grand Hotel or similar 4*

• Hotel Pax or Residenza d'Epoca San Crispino or similar 3*

• Catholic, English-speaking local guides

• Breakfast and Dinner Daily

• Bottled Water & ¼ Wine with dinners

• Transportation in Destination location by Air-conditioned Motor Coach

• Free Wi-Fi and bottled water available onboard

• Sightseeing and admissions fees as per itinerary

• Whisper Headsets where needed

• Daily Mass and Spiritual Activities Coordinated