Italy

Dear Friends,

This is a sample itinerary to Italy. 

Each day we will celebrate Mass and reflect on the gospel text appropriate to the place we visit.  This will be a pilgrimage of a lifetime, and it will forever change the way you read and understand the Scriptures.  We hope you will be able to join us on what promises to be a grace-filled journey.

Terra Sancta Travel Center

Day 1 – Departure: This evening we begin our journey to Europe. Meals will be served during our overnight flight.

Day 2 – Venice / Mestre: Upon arrival at Venice airport, we will meet our professional tour manager and immediately journey to Padua to see the beautiful Prato della Valle. We then walk to the Basilica of St. Anthony. Continue to our hotel for dinner and overnight in Padua.

Overnight in Padua. (D) *

Day 3 – Venice: This morning we will board a motor launch and travel through the canals to the islands of Venice. Our walking tour will include a visit to one of the glass factories for which the city is so famous, St. Mark’s Basilica and Square, and views of the Doge’s Palace, the Bridge of Sighs and Rialto Bridge. This afternoon is free to enjoy people-watching from a cafe in St. Mark’s Square or to shop along the narrow streets and canals filled with bustling activity. In the late afternoon, we can enjoy an optional gondola ride arranged by our tour manager, before dinner at a local restaurant. In the evening we return by private boat to the mainland for overnight in Padua.

Overnight in Padua. (B, D)

Day 4 – Padua / Milan: This morning we travel to Milan where we visit the Milan Cathedral. In the crypt of the Duomo, we explore the baptistry where St. Ambrose baptized St. Augustine; pray at the tomb of St. Charles Borromeo. After lunch, the tour guide gives us tickets to see Da Vinci’s Last Supper Painting plus entry to the museum dedicated to the painting & its creator. In the late afternoon, we visit the beautiful Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio where we pay respect at the tomb of St. Ambrose.

Overnight in Milan. (B, D)

Day 5 – Lucca: Continue to Lucca for a visit to the Passionist Monastery where the relics of St. Gemma Galgani are enshrined. Gemma was honored to wear the richest crown as “bride of a Crucified King”. On one occasion, an angel presented to Gemma two crowns: one made of lilies and one made of thorns. She preferred the “one of Jesus”. We will have some free time this afternoon to absorb the unique atmosphere of this walled city, before continuing to Florence for an evening at leisure.

Overnight: Montecatini (B, D)

Day 6 – Florence: Florence is known as the city of the Medici Family and Machiavelli. We visit the Duomo–Santa Maria in Fiore; the Baptistery of San Giovanni (bronze doors by Ghilberti); at the Academia we marvel at Michelangelo’s David; and we admire the frescoes by Giotto in the former monastery of San Marco. We celebrate Mass at a frescoed chapel in the Franciscan church of Santa Croce. We return to Montecatini Terme for dinner and the evening.

Overnight: Montecatini. (B, D)

Day 7 – Pisa – Siena (Tuscany Excursion): See the Leaning Tower of Pisa which is just one of a quartet of spectacular buildings on Pisa’s ‘Field of Miracles,’ including the Cathedral, Baptistery & Cemetery. Next, we continue to San Gimignano, most remarkable of the medieval, Tuscan hill towns, where time seems to have stood still since the Middle Ages. Continue through the rolling hills of Tuscany to picturesque Siena, where we stroll through narrow Gothic streets lined with palaces and patrician mansions. We’ll visit the magnificent Cathedral, as well as the birthplace of St. Catherine of Siena before we continue to Assisi for overnight.

Overnight: Assisi (B, D)

Day 8 – Assisi: This morning we awake to the sound of chapel bells, cobblestone footsteps and the tangible spirit of St Francis preserved in this holy town. After breakfast we enjoy a guided tour through some of the town’s highlights including: the tranquil Church of San Damiano and the actual chapel where it all began when the voice of Christ spoke to Francis in the year 1205. Here too we find the first monastery of the Order of St Clare where Clare built her community in close friendship with Francis. Culminate up at the Hermitage (Eremo delle Carceri), an oasis of peace and tranquility in the woods built on the site of a simple cave where St Francis often withdrew to spend many hours in prayer; the cave and the Chapel of Our Lady are preserved in the Hermitage.

We end our tour at the Basilica of St Clare where we will proceed to the side chapel to pray before the Holy Crucifix from which God spoke to Francis “Go and repair my Church which as you see is in ruins”. Here too we can also take the stairway down to the crypt where the body of Clare, partially restored, is displayed. An opportunity presents itself before dinner to attend Vespers in the Basilica of St Clare and listen to the angelic voices of the Poor Clare nuns. Our day concludes with a visit to the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore to view the body of Blessed Carlo Acutis.

Overnight: Assisi (B, D)

Day 9 – Assisi, La Verna: We conclude our time in Assisi with Mass and a guided exploration of the buzzing Basilica of St Francis which occupies the entire western end of the upper town. Construction began in 1228, just two years after the death of Francis and was finally completed in 1250. The Upper Basilica houses the famous fresco cycle of the life of St Francis, historically attributed to Giotto. Wander through the marvels of the Upper Basilica before our tour descends to the crypt of the Lower Basilica where Francis was laid in 1230 and where we will take some time to seek the intercession of this spiritual legend. Depart Assisi to LaVerna. In the summer of 1224, St. Francis withdrew on the mountain for his ordinary spiritual exercises and silence. During his stay, he asked God to be able to take part, from the very deep of his heart, of the Passion of Christ, mystery of both love and pain. Here, ‘Francis’ turned into a visible and concrete image of Christ, not only in his heart, mind and soul, which already were, but even in his exterior body. The Stigmata episode together with Francis’ lifestyle are the most precious things given to his friars at La Verna.

Overnight: Rome (B, D)

Day 10 – Rome / Trevi Fountain / Pantheon / Churches: Today enjoy a walking sightseeing of Rome’s downtown, starting at Trevi Fountain, famous for its intricate artwork decorated in the Baroque style. Continue with a visit to St. Ignatius Church: pray at the tombs of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, St. John Berchmans, and St. Robert Bellarmino. Nearby, visit the Dominican Basilica of St. Maria Sopra Minerva to render homage to St. Catherine of Siena, patron saint of Italy. Next to it, visit the Pantheon. Continue to Piazza Navona, the place of martyrdom of young St. Agnes; pray before her remains at the church built to honor her. The last visit of the day will be in Trastevere, a formerly working-class district, now a hidden corner of Rome. Built above her house, visit the Basilica of St. Cecilia, patron saint of musicians; her relics lay beneath the main altar.

Overnight: Rome (B, D)

Day 11 – Rome / St. Peter’s Basilica / Downtown churches / Basilica of St. John Lateran / Holy Stairs, etc.: Start early in the morning with Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica followed by a tour. Then transfer to Rome’s downtown for a visit to San Agostino Basilica and to San Luigi de Francesci Church, known for their impressive Caravaggio paintings. In San Agostino, the remains of his mother St. Monica are enshrined. Continue to visit the basilica of St. John Lateran & climb the stairs of the Scala Santa. Afterwards, we explore by coach and on foot – visit the Baths of Caracalla, the Circus Maximus, Palatine & Capitoline Hills, Roman Forum, & Colosseum.

Overnight: Rome (B, D)

Day 12 – Rome: We celebrate Mass early in the morning followed by a visit to the Vatican Museums. After lunch, we travel to the Appian Way to visit the small church of Domine Quo Vadis where Jesus supposedly left behind a marble slab with his footprints; & tour the catacombs of St. Callixtus. The day concludes with a visit to the Basilica of St. Paul.

Overnight: Rome (B, D)

Day 13 – Rome / USA: This morning we say ‘Arrivederci’ to Italy and to our tour manager as we transfer to Rome Airport to begin our journey home. We arrive in the US in the early evening. Welcome Home!

*Depending on time of arrival