A Catholic Pilgrimage Tour to Italy

October 8, 2024 – Tuesday
ATLANTA / ITALY
This afternoon we gather at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport for our direct, overnight flight to Italy, arriving in Rome the following day. Meals are served on board our transatlantic flight.

October 9, 2024 – Wednesday
ROME / ORVIETO / ASSISI
This morning we arrive in Rome, where we are met by 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 10, 2024 – Thursday
ASSISI
Today 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, St. Francis’ place of prayer and where he consecrated Clare as the Bride of Christ. We will next 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 will also visit St. Mary Major where we will see the body of Blessed Carlo Acutis.Following free time for lunch in Assisi’s historic center, we will visit the Upper and Lower Basilicas of St. Francis, with its wonderful frescoes by Cimabue and Giotto. Later in the afternoon, we will ascend the hill leading to San Damiano to pray in the place where Francis wrote the “Canticle of the Sun”. The remainder of our day is free for personal exploration. Dinner and overnight in Assisi.

October 11, 2024 – Friday
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 of Pietrelcina, who lived, labored, and died here in 1968. The remainder of our day is free to explore the grounds and institutions Padre Pio helped to build. Dinner and overnight in San Giovanni Rotondo.

October 12, 2024 – Saturday
SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO / MONTE SANT’ANGELO
Our day begins with a visit and celebration of Mass inside the Church of Santa Maria dell Grazie, where Saint Pio celebrated Mass for many years. We will also visit the Saint Pio Church and the beautiful mosaic crypt that houses a glass reliquary containing Saint Pio’s body. In the afternoon we 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. We return to San Giovanni Rotondo where the remainder of our day is free to explore the grounds and institutions Padre Pio helped to build. Dinner and overnight in San Giovanni Rotondo.

October 13, 2024 – Sunday
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 to Pietrelcina, 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 continue onto Rome, where upon our arrival, we will pass by the ancient Appian Way, the traditional pilgrims’ route followed by Peter and Paul, and arrive for a visit to the first of the four major basilicas in Rome, St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, where the Apostle is buried. Following check-in and dinner at our hotel, we enjoy our “Rome by Night” motor coach tour, including a walk to the world-famous Trevi Fountain. Overnight in Rome.

October 14, 2024 – Monday
ROME
Following breakfast, we embark on a full day’s worth of sightseeing beginning with a drive to Capitoline Hill,where we will enjoy a view of the ancient Roman Forum and see Constantine’s Arch, the Arch of Titus, the Circus Maximus and the world-famous Colosseum, where we pause for some picture-taking. Next, we arrive for a visit and celebration of Mass at the Basilica of Saint Peter in Chains, which contains a glass reliquary displaying the chains of Saint Peter. In the afternoon, we drive to Piazza di Spagna for free time for lunch and shopping near the Spanish Steps, followed by a visit to the Church of the Gesu, mother church of the Jesuit Order, which contains the remains of its founder Saint Ignatius of Loyola. We will also 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. Our day concludes with free time in the vibrant Piazza Navona. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

October 15, 2024 – Tuesday
ROME – the Vatican
Early this morning we arrive at the Vatican for a celebration of Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica. Following Mass, we enjoy a guided tour of St. Peter’s Basilica, where we see a young Michelangelo’s wonderful Pieta followed by a visit to the Tombs of the Popes in the Vatican Grottos. Following free time for lunch near St. Peter’s Square, we will visit one of the great art collections in the world, the Vatican Museums. Our tour culminates with Michelangelo’s masterpiece, the Sistine Chapel, which was recently restored to its original splendor. Late afternoon we will visit Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (Church of the Holy Cross), which house pieces of the True Cross. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

October 16, 2024 – Wednesday
ROME – Papal Audience
This morning we attend the Papal Audience with the Holy Father. Following our time with Pope Francis and free time for lunch, we will visit the Basilica of 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 we enjoy some free time for prayer and further exploration of this wonderful basilica. Later in the afternoon we visit the Basilica of 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.This evening we enjoy our “farewell dinner” at Ristorante La Carovana.Overnight in Rome.

October 17, 2024 – Thursday
ROME / ATLANTA
Following breakfast, we transfer to Leonardo da Vinci Airportin Fiumicino for our return flight home. Though our pilgrimage draws to a close, its blessings and memories will last a lifetime and its graces are certain to draw us closer to the Lord.