Italy

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

Arrive in Milan. Meet your Faith Journeys Tour Manager who will assist the group to awaiting chartered motorcoach for a transfer to the hotel in Padua for check-in. Celebrate Mass in the Basilica of St. Anthony. The Basilica is known locally as “Il Santo” and is where the bones of the saint rest in a richly ornamented chapel. Evening Welcome Dinner and overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel. This morning we will enjoy an excursion to Venice and start with a guided tour of La Serenissima, including a visit to the Basilica of St. Mark, which is architecturally a Byzantine wonder covered in golden mosaics and art treasures. Celebrate Mass in the Basilica of St. Mark. Lunch, on own. Visit other sites in and around the Piazza San Marco including the Doge’s Palace, home to the political leader of the Republic of Venice. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure for exploration, shopping, or other activities. Evening dinner and overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel. This morning we will transfer to what is known as the “Cradle of Renaissance” allowing us to see many unforgettable sights such as the domed cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore, the Ponte Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria, Giotto’s Bell Tower, the bronze “Gate of Paradise”, and the Academy of Fine Arts which contains masterpieces from iconic Italian artists including Michelangelo’s David. Lunch, on own. Afternoon at leisure for exploration, shopping, or other activities. Evening dinner and overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel. This morning we will head toward Pisa to visit its Leaning Tower and Duomo, Italy’s largest Baptistery. Depart for Siena and visit the Church of San Domenico, which dates from the 13th-century and which displays beautiful art. Lunch, on own. Continue to Assisi, which lies in the Umbria region of Italy and regarded as a sacred spot on earth because of its link with St. Francis, a gentle saint who founded the Franciscan order. Evening dinner and overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel. Celebrate Mass in the Basilica of St. Francis. Take a walking tour of Assisi which includes the presumed birth place of St. Francis, the Chiesa Nuova. Lunch, on own. See where St. Francis knelt before the San Damiano crucifix to hear Jesus tell him to rebuild His church. Afternoon at leisure for exploration, shopping, or other activities. Evening dinner and overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel. Visit the town of Cascia in the Italian province of Perugia. We will visit the Shrine of St. Rita. The house where she was born can still be visited. See the Basilica of St. Rita, which contains her incorrupt body, several relics from her life, and a Eucharistic miracle from before her time. Lunch, on own. Continue to Loreto for a visit to the Santa Casa di Loreto, which has been a place of pilgrimage since at least the 14th-century. Legend tells us that in 1291 the Virgin Mary’s House was miraculously transported by angesl from Nazareth to Croatia, and then to Loreto in 1294. Return to Assisi for evening dinner and overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel. This morning we will embark to Lanciano where we will see the Eucharistic Miracle which took place in approximately 700 AD when a Basillian monk witnessed the bread change into flesh and the wine change into blood after he had doubts about Christ’s true presence in the consecrated host. Celebrate Mass in Lanciano. Lunch, on own. Continue south along the picturesque Adriatic coast heading to San Giovanni Rotondo in the province of Foggia, home to St. Pio of Pietrelcina. Evening dinner and overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel. Celebrate Mass at the tomb of Padre Pio, a saint who directed Christians to recognize God in all things. We’ll then tour the sanctuary to see the old church and crucifix where he received the stigmata in 1918. Enjoy a panoramic view of the ocean and the Cargano Peninsula as we visit the nearby shrine of early Christianity, the Sanctuary or Grotto of St. Michael the Archangel, which was consecrated by St. Michael himself in 490.. Lunch, on own. Travel to Pietralcina, the town where Francesco Forgione, who became known as Padre Pio, was born. Along with his house, we will see the Church of the Holy Family with adjacent convent and museum dedicated to his life. Visit the parish church of Santa Maria degli Angeli. Return to San Giovanni Rotondo for evening dinner and overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel. Travel west to Rome and visit the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls founded by the Roman Emperor Constantine I over the burial place of Saint Paul. Lunch, on own. See the oldest road from Roman times (the Appian Way), the Domine Quo Vadis, the Baths of Caracalla, the Arch of Drusus, and the ancient catacombs of Rome located on the outskirts of the city where early Christians hid themselves to avoid persecution. Evening 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. Enjoy time at leisure for additional sightseeing and exploration. Evening dinner and overnight.