Italy

Depart via scheduled air service. The destination is Rome, Italy.

Arrive in Rome. Meet your Faith Journeys Tour Manager who will assist the group to awaiting chartered motorcoach for a transfer to the hotel for check-in. Afternoon at leisure for relaxation, sightseeing, shopping, or other activities. Celebrate Mass in the community of our fellow pilgrims. Evening Welcome Dinner and overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel. This morning, we will visit Vatican City to attend an Audience/Blessing with our Holy Father (if available), then tour the Vatican Museums, which house what can be described as the most important collections of art in the world, including The Sistine Chapel. Lunch, on own. Visit St. Peter’s Basilica. Marvel at Bernini’s beautiful bronze canopy and Michelangelo’s Blessed Mother, known as the Pieta. Enjoy time at leisure for additional sightseeing, shopping, or other activities. Evening dinner and overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel. Our day begins with Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary Major. We will also visit the Basilica of St. John Lateran, which is the oldest of the major basilicas and ranks first as the actual “parish church” of the Pope. We will learn about the Scala Sancta (Holy Stairs). Tradition has it that these steps are sanctified by the footsteps of Jesus Christ during his Passion. Lunch, on own. Next, we will see the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls which was founded by Roman Emperor Constantine I over the burial place of Saint Paul. Other sites we will see are the Appian Way, the Baths of Caracalla, the Arch of Drusus, and the ancient catacombs of Rome. Evening dinner and overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel. This morning we will drive to the Abbey of Monte Cassino where St. Benedict established his first monastery, the source of the Benedictine Order, around 529. Upon arrival, we will celebrate Mass. Lunch, on own. We will continue on bus to Pompeii to witness the ruins of one of the most devastating volcanic eruptions in the history of the region. What is left of the city, including beautiful frescoes and mosaic floors, will give us a glimpse into that era and an idea of what was going on in the lives of Pompeii’s inhabitants moments before that catastrophic eruption. Return to Rome for evening dinner and overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel. Enjoy the morning at leisure for additional sightseeing, shopping, or other activities. Lunch, on own. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure for additional sightseeing, shopping, or other activities. For those not opting for the sightseeing tours, our local guide will advise you of the possibilities of Mass at nearby churches. Dinner on own and overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel. We will travel to Assisi, the site of many a pilgrimage which lies in the Umbria region of Italy on the eastern flank of Monte Subasio. While in Assisi, we celebrate Mass and explore the huge 13th-century basilica which contains many of the possessions of St. Francis. Lunch, on own. We will also visit the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, the earliest extant church in Assisi, as well as the Basilica of Santa Chiara, where St. Clare who founded the Order of Poor Clares, followed in the humble ways of St. Francis. We end our tour of Assisi by visiting the tombs of St. Francis and St. Clare. Return to Rome for evening dinner and = overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Rome’s airport for return flight.