Shrines of Italy :
(09 Nights / 08 Days )
Rome | Monte Cassino | San Giovanni Rotondo | Lanciano Loreto | Siena | Orvieto | Assisi
Valid from 10th January to 20th December 2008 & 10th January to 31st March 2009
** Price on Request
Day 01 : Arrive Rome
Upon arrival your escort will warmly greet you this morning and welcome you to Italy. Transfer to your hotel and enjoy a free afternoon for rest,
relaxation, or exploration. dinner and Ovenight at Hotel(D).
Overnight at the hotel.
Day 02 : Rome (Papal Audience and Vatican Museum Tour)
Wake up in Eternal City, one of the greatest centers of Western Civilization and the first truly cosmopolitan city on earth! It is also spiritual capital for
all the Catholics around the world. Today is truly a day we will have in our minds for many years to come. This morning we go to Vatican City to
attend the weekly Papal Audience or Blessing given by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI (pending papal schedule). Following the audience visit of
the Vatican Museums, a group of most impressive edifices with hundreds of galleries filled with art treasures. See awe-inspiring relics and works of
art donated throughout centuries as tributes of faith. We'll cover The Tapestry Gallery, The Raphael Rooms and the most overwhelming Sistine
Chapel, Michelangelo's Masterpiece, restored mural of the Last Judgment. Later, enter the largest church in Christendom St Peter's Basilica, built on
the site where St Peter was martyred. Unsurpassed in beauty, a monument to the long history of the Catholic Church, to which pilgrims come from
around the world, St Peter's is the grandest of the world's churches. Marvel Pieta and Bernini's amazing bronze canopy. We will also visit the grave of
Pope John Paul II located at the Vatican (time permitting). Before dinner, we'll have some time at leisure, to explore your own paths, to shop, or just
to sit in one of the outside cafes and watch the world go by.
Dinner and Overnight at Hotel (B,D).
Day 03 : Rome
This morning we depart for a sightseeing tour with focus on "Christian Rome" Touring we will see many important cultural and monumental sights
around Rome. Stop for a visit at three major Basilicas: St Mary Major, one of the oldest shrines dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, a shrine that contains
a relic from the manger of the infant Jesus. The Basilica of the St John in Lateran, is the former residence of the popes prior to their return to Rome in
1377. St Paul Outside the Walls, which houses the remains of St Paul under its main altar. We will also see the ancient Baths of Caracalla, Arch of
Drusus, Chapel "O'Domine Quo Vadis?" the remains of imperial tombs, Tomb of Celilia Metella, and the catacombs of St Callixtus where the early
Christians hid themselves to escape persecution. We will also enjoy a visit to the Trevi fountain.
Dinner in Rome. (B,D).
Day 04 : Rome - Monte Cassino - San Giovanni Rotondo
We leave Rome, the Eternal City, for San Giovanni Rotondo. Stop in Monte Cassino, a beautiful town founded by St. Benedict in 529.
Dinner and overnight in San Giovanni Rotondo. (B,D)..
Day 05 : San Giovanni Rotondo- Monte Sant'Angelo
After celebrating Mass at the tomb of Padre Pio, we tour the sanctuary, see the old church and the crucifix from which he received the stigmata in
1918. You will see the confessional where Padre Pio spent innumerable hours with a multitude of pilgrims, directing them on their journey toward
God. Enjoy a breathtaking view of the Cargano Peninsula and a visit to the Grotto of Michael the Archangel. Six different popes, St Francis and at
least four other saints have knelt in prayer at this grotto, seeking the protection of St Michael. A panoramic view of the ocean and the surrounding
countryside awaits you at this most celebrated shrine of early Christianity, a shrine consecrated by St Michael himself in 490. Return to San Giovanni
for devotions, reflection, and a restful overnight. (B,D)
Day 06 : San Giovanni Rotondo - Lanciano - Loreto - Assisi
We will have breakfast at our hotel before we embark on a drive up the Adriatic coast to Lanciano where we will see the Eucharistic Miracle and
celebrate Mass. We then continue on to the great Marian shrine of Loreto to visit the Holy House of Nazareth and the beautiful Madonna of Loreto.
More than 50 popes have made a pilgrimage to the house transported by angels to this hill in central Italy in 1294. Tradition has it that this is the
house in which Mary first prayed the Magnificat, in which Jesus grew to manhood, and in which the Holy Family lived. Continue to Assisi for dinner
and overnight. (B,D)
Day 07 : Assisi
Visit the tomb of St Francis. Explore the quaint hilltop birthplace of St Francis that still retains something of the atmosphere of the early
1200s, the period when St Francis began his ministry. Contained within the huge 13th-century Basilica are many of the saint's possessions and a
series of frescoes depicting his life. You may kneel before the crucifix from which Jesus spoke to St Francis, asking him to rebuild His church. It was
in St Mary of the Angels Basilica where St Francis spent most of his life. Here we visit the Chapel, Portiuncola, the rose bush, and the cave where the
saint retired for prayer. Stroll the medieval streets of the compact little town. After stopping at an outdoor cafe with a view of an ancient Roman
temple, we go to the Church of St Clare to see the saint's incorrupt body. The foundress of the Order of Poor Clares followed the teachings of St
Francis by living a life of poverty and humility. We will visit these two saints' tombs before dinner and retiring for the evening. (B,D)
Day 08 : Assisi: Excursion to Siena
We are off to the beautiful town of Siena, the birthplace of Saints Catherine and Bernardine and one of Italy's loveliest medieval cities. Here we will
stroll the Piazza Del Campo, one of Italy's finest squares and visit the Cathedral and the Basilica of St. Francis, containing the miraculous consecrated
hosts that remained intact since 1730. View the incorrupt head of St. Catherine at the Basilica of St. Dominic. Return to Assisi for dinner and
overnight. (B,D).
Day 09 : Assisi - Florence Back Home
We bid farewell to our new friends and to a pilgrimage which will be in our memories and heart for a long time to come. Early departure from Assisi
for Florence (or Rome) Airport for our return flight back home. We fondly say, Arrivederci Italia!
Tour Ends
Our Price Includes :
» Nights accommodation in Hotel Rome
» 2 Nights accommodation in Hotel in San Giovanni
» 1 Night accommodation in Hotel in Assisi
» Daily continental buffet breakfast
» Hotel service charges & taxes
Transfers
» Coach for Whole Trip.
» Driver allowance
Sightseeing on SIC basis
» Guided Tours as per Itinerary
» Papal Audience (Wed only)
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