A Catholic Pilgrimage Tour to Italy

October 14, 2024 – Monday
SEATTLE / ITALY
Today we gather atSEATAC Airport and board our departingflight to Italy. Meals are served on board our transatlantic flight.

October 15, 2024 – Tuesday
ROME / ORVIETO / ASSISI
Upon our arrival in Rome, we meet our Pilgrimage Tours’ tour director who will remain with us until the end of our tour. From the airport we drive north through the Umbrian Hills to the town of Orvieto for a visit to its impressive Cathedral, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, where the blood-stained linen corporal of the miracle of Bolsena is enshrined. Following Mass, we will visit the Chapel of San Brizio and admire its beautiful fresco paintings. Later in the afternoon we drive to the medieval town of Assisi, the home of Saint Francis, the gentlest of saints. We arrive at our hotel for check-in, followed by dinner. Overnight in Assisi.

October 16, 2024 – Wednesday
ASSISI
This morning we awake in Assisi, where we will enjoy a full day visiting the important sites in the life of the “gentlest of all saints”. We begin our day 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. Next, we will visit the Cathedral of San Rufino where both St. Francis & St. Clare were baptized. Following free time for lunch in Assisi’s historic center, we 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. We conclude our day of sightseeing witha visit to the Upper and Lower Basilicas of St. Francis, followed by a visit to San Damiano to pray in the place where Francis wrote the “Canticle of the Sun”. The remainder of our day is free for shopping and personal exploration. Dinner and overnight in Assisi.

October 17, 2024 – Thursday
ASSISI / LANCIANO / SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO
Today we bid farewell to Assisi and drive 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. We celebrate Mass in the Church of San Francesco, the Sanctuary of the Eucharistic Miracle. Following Mass, we continue driving south and enter the Region of Puglia to reach 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 ofPietrelcina, who lived, labored, and died here in 1968. The remainder of our day is free to explorethe grounds and institutions Padre Pio helped to build. Dinner and overnight in San Giovanni Rotondo.

October 18, 2024 – Friday
SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO / MONTE SANT’ANGELO
Our day begins with a drive 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. Following Mass in the Grotto of St. Michael, we enjoy free time for personal exploration of the Sanctuary of the Archangel Michael. In the afternoon we return to San Giovanni Rotondo and visit the Saint Pio Church and the beautiful mosaic crypt that houses a glass reliquary containing Saint Pio’s body. The remainder of our afternoon is free at the shrine.Dinner and overnight in San Giovanni Rotondo.

October 19, 2024 – Saturday
SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO / PIETRELCINA / ROME
This morning we celebrate Mass inside the Church of Santa Maria delleGrazie,where Saint Pio celebrated Mass for many years. Following Mass, we drive toPietrelcina, the birth place of Saint Padre Pio and where he experienced the first apparitions of Jesus and Mary. Here we will visit his home, as well as the Church of Saint Anna, where Padre Pio was baptized and received his first communion. We will also visit the Convent of Friars Minor Capuchin Pietrelcina. We drive to Rome, where upon our arrival, we check into our hotel. Following dinner, we enjoy our “Rome by Night” motor coach tour, including a walk to the world-famous Trevi Fountain Overnight in Rome.

October 20, 2024 – Sunday
ROME
This morning we will drive 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. Callixtus, where we have a guided tour followed by our celebration of Mass. Following Mass, we visit the first of Rome’s four major basilicas, Saint Paul’s Outside the Walls, where the Apostle is buried.Following free time for lunch, we will 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 we will see its impressive statues of each of the Apostles. From here we cross the street to visit the church of the Scala Santa. Here we see the Holy Staircase of 28 marble steps (now covered in wood) which is believed to be a staircase from Pilate’s palace in Jerusalem and brought to Rome by Saint Helen in the 4th century. From here we drive to Piazza di Spagna for free time for shopping near the Spanish Steps. Late afternoon we will visit the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo, where we will see Caravaggio’s Crucifixion of Saint Peter.

October 21, 2024 – Monday
ROME
Early this morning we arrive at the Vatican for our celebration of Mass at Saint Peter’s Basilica. Following Mass, we enjoy a guided tour of the basilica, where we see a young Michelangelo’s wonderful Pieta. Following our guided tour, we enjoy free time for personal exploration of the basilica, where one may choose to visit the Vatican Grottos or the Tombs of the Popes. There will also be time for lunch and shopping near St. Peter’s Square on the Via Ottaviano and Via Cola di Rienzo. In the afternoon we will visit one of the great art collections in the world, the Vatican Museums. At the end of the tour, we visit Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel that has been restored to its original beauty. Our day of sightseeing concludes with a visit to the Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (Church of the Holy Cross), which houses pieces of the True Cross. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

October 22, 2024 – Tuesday
ROME – the Vatican
This morning we 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. Following Mass, we enjoy free time near Constantine’s Arch and outside the Colosseum, a good opportunity for some picture taking! We will next enjoy a visit to the Basilica of San Clemente, where will see its Crypt, followed by a drive by the Circus Maximus. In the afternoon we will visit the Church of the Gesu, mother church of the Jesuit Order, which contains the remains of its founder Saint Ignatius of Loyola. We will next visit the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva housing the tombs of Saint Catherine of Siena and the Renaissance painter Fra’ Angelico, followed by a visit to the world-famous Pantheon. Following free time to explore the vibrant Piazza Navona, we return to our hotel for dinner and overnight in Rome.

October 23, 2024 – Wednesday
ROME – Papal Audience
Today we will attend the Papal Audience with the Holy Father. Following our time with Pope Francis, enjoy some free time for lunch and shopping prior to visiting Castel Sant’Angelo, which offers some of the best views of Rome. Over the centuries, Castel Sant’Angelo has served several purposes including a Papal fortress as well as a prison. Later in the afternoon we visit another of Rome’s major basilicas, Saint Mary Major, the most important church in the world devoted to Our Lady. We celebrate Mass where Mass has been celebrated every day since the 5th century. While at St. Mary’s there will be free time for prayer and further exploration of this wonderful basilica. Our day concludes with a visit to the Church of Our Lady of Victory, housing Bernini’s glorious statue The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. This evening, we gather for our “farewell dinner” at Ristorante La Carovana.Overnight in Rome.

October 24, 2024 – Thursday
ROME / SEATTLE
Following breakfast, we transfer to Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Fiumicino for our return flight to the United States. Though our pilgrimage draws to a close, its blessings will last a lifetime and its graces are certain to draw us closer to the Lord.