Day 2 Rome
Arrive early morning in the Eternal City of Rome. Meet our guide and transfer to our first class hotel. Free afternoon. Dinner and overnight. 

Day 3 Rome (Papal Audience at the Vatican)
After breakfast we go to Vatican City to attend the weekly Papal Audience and Blessing given by His Holiness, John Paul II. Visit 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. View such historical treasures as a piece of the true cross, the lance that pierced Christ’s side, and numerous papal tombs. We see Michelangelo’s restored mural of the Last Judgment on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, his Pieta, and the four mighty piers supporting the magnificent dome. In the afternoon take time to visit the Vatican Garden, Library and Museum to see awe-inspring relics and works of art donated throughout centuries as tributes of faith. Dinner and overnight in Rome. 

Day 4 Rome
After breakfast, we leave for a tour of Christian Rome. The tour include 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, 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. Dinner and overnight for your last evening in Rome. 

Day 5 Rome - San Giovanni
We leave the Eternal City and head south-east to San Giovanni. Time permitting we will stop in Monte Cassino to see the Monastery founded by St Benedict in 529. This lovely Abbey sits atop a hill overlooking the village of Cassino. We arrive in San Giovanni, the birthplace and home of Padre Pio, in time for dinner. 

Day 6 San Giovanni Rotondo- Monte Sant’Angelo
After celebrating Mass at the tomb of Padre Pio, we tour the sanctuary led by one of the fathers who knew Padre Pio personally. We will tour the old church and see 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.

Day 7 San Giovanni Rotondo - - Lanciano - Loreto - Assisi
Our travels today first take us to Lanciano to see the eighth-century Eucharistic Miracle in the little Church of Lagontial. After expressing doubts about Christ’s true presence in the consecrated host, a monk found himself holding a host that had changed into flesh and wine that had changed into blood. Next we follow the lush Adriatic coast 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 prayed the Magnificat, in which Jesus grew to manhood, and in which the Holy Family lived. Mass at the Shrine in Loreto, then transfer for dinner and overnight in Assisi.

Day 8 Assisi
After breakfast we celebrate Mass at the tomb of St Francis. Explore the quaint hilltop birthplace of St Francis which 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 his 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.

Day 9 Assisi - Rome - USA
In the early morning we say Ciao Italia! as we leave Rome for our journey home to the USA.

Your Trip Includes:
   Round-trip flight from New York to Rome
  7 nights at First class hotels,
    3 nights:   Hotel Michelangelo, Rome
    2 nights: Hotel Parco della Rose, San Giovanni
    2 nights:   Hotel Giotto, Assisi
   Breakfast and dinner daily
   Transportation by air-conditioned motor coach
   Guided tours and admission fees
   Hotel taxes and service charges
   Papal Audience
   Mass daily
   All baggage handling
   Flight bag and portfolio of travel documents

Not Included  Airport tax of $85. Travel insurance at $99. Tips to your guide & driver ($5 per day) Items of personal nature.