Day 2 Milan - Verona - Padua
After an early morning arrival at Milan's Malpensa Airport, we will take a short tour of Milan. Next we're off to Padua via Verona, the setting for Romeo and Juliet. Afternoon arrival in Padua, the birthplace of St Anthony, patron saint of lost things. Celebrate Mass at the Basilica built in his honor. Associated with many miracles, St Anthony was renowned for the passionate intensity of his preaching. Housed in the Basilica are his tongue and vocal cords which were discovered incorrupt, although the rest of his body had decayed after death. See the art of the great sculptor, Donatello and his magnificent bronze works. Dinner and overnight.

Day 3 Padua / Excursion to Venice
After breakfast we embark on a day trip to magnificent Venice, only 25 miles from Padua. Enjoy this charming city built atop 118 tiny islands without streets, criscrossed by 160 canals and linked by 400 footbridges. Your guide will show you all the sights: the Grand Canal, St Mark's Square, the Basilica built to house the saint’s remains, the Palace of the Doges, the Bridge of Sighs, and the prison which held Casanova. Sip an expresso at the outdoor cafes lining Piazza San Marco or stroll through the city or take an optional gondola ride. Return to Padua in time for dinner and overnight.

Day 4 Padua - Pisa - Florence
After breakfast we leave Padua, heading south through the Apennines Mountains to Pisa. See Pisa's instantly recognizeable landmark, still standing after 700 years, the Leaning Tower. After a brief drive through the beautiful Tuscan countryside, we arrive in Florence. A paradise for art lovers, Florence drew to itself the greatest artists of the Renaissance: Dante, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Donatello and many others. Dinner and overnight.

Day 5 Florence 
After Mass, our tour of Florence includes the Academy of Fine Arts containing many treasures, the Ponte Vecchio, and the Duomo, whose magnificent dome was created by Brunelleschi. Across the way are Ghiberti's celebrated bronze doors to the Baptistery, doors so lovely that they were given the nickname of "The Gates of Paradise." A free afternoon. Dinner and overnight. 

Day 6 Florence - Siena - Assisi
Depart from Florence for Siena, birthplace of Saints Catherine and Bernardine and Italy’s loveliest medieval city. Here we will stroll the Piazza del Campo, one of Italy's finest squares, celebrate Mass at the Cathedral, and visit the Basilica of St Francis, containing miraculous consecrated hosts that have remained intact since 1730. View the incorrupt head of St Catherine, the mystical bride of Christ, at St Dominic’s Basilica. Later we drive through the Umbria region to the pilgrimage center of Assisi, where St Francis tended the poor and sick and founded the Franciscan order. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Day 7 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 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. Dinner and overnight in Assisi.

Day 8 Assisi - Rome
After breakfast we travel south to Rome. After check-in, a free afternoon. Dinner and overnignt

.Day 9 Rome
After breakfast, we begin our tour of the Eternal City with Mass at St Peter's Basilica, the largest church in the world. We will tour three major Basilicas: St Mary Major, one of the oldest shrines dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, a shrine containing 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. A free afternoon.

Day 10 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 Basilica 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, numerous papal tombs, 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 11 Rome - USA
Depart from Rome for our return flight to the USA. Filled with cherished memories, we fondly say, Arrivederci Roma!

Your Trip Includes:
   Round-trip flight from New York to Italy
   9 nights at 4-star hotels:
   2 nights: Hotel Biri, Padua
   2 nights: Hotel Baglioni, Florence
   2 nights: Hotel Giotto, Assisi
   3 nights: Hotel Michelangelo, Rome
   Breakfast and dinner daily
   Transportation by air-conditioned motor coach
   Guided tours and admission fees
   Hotel taxes and service charges
   Mass daily
   Papal Audience
   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.