DAY 1: 15 OCT U.S.A. - EUROPE

Pilgrims will depart USA to Rome Fiumicino airport. Dinner and breakfast will be served aboard the flight.

DAY 2: 16 OCT ARRIVE IN ROME / ASSISI

Arrival, meet our guide and drive to Assisi. Dinner and overnight in our hotel.

DAY 3: 17 OCT ASSISI

After breakfast in hotel, we start our full day visit in Assisi: Visit the Church of St. Clare which houses her incorrupt body. One of the chapels contains the crucifix that bowed its head and ordered St. Francis to “repair God’s Church”. Celebrate Holy Mass. Then, we tour the Basilica of St. Francis built in 1228 to house the Relics of the Saint. The “upper “basilica houses beautiful frescoes of Giotto. It is from these frescoes that we will know and understand the life and the spirit of St. Francis. Time for individual prayer. In the afternoon, visit of St. Mary of the Angels Basilica. This Basilica is where St. Francis spent most of life. It is made up of two structures; both of which you will visit. The Porziuncola is where St. Francis founded his order of the Friar Minor (Franciscans), and the Capella del Transito, which is the place of St. Francis’ death. During this visit, we will have the opportunity to visit the beautiful Rose Garden where St. Francis and other friars lived, as well as the cave where the Saint retired to pray. Dinner and overnight in Assisi.

DAY 4: 18 OCT ASSISI/NORCIA/CASCIA/ASSISI

After breakfast in hotel, we will depart for the enchanting town of Norcia, nestled in the scenic mountains of Umbria. Here, we will see where St. Benedict and his twin sister St. Scholastica were born, in the heart of this enchanting region of Italy. Visit to the Monastery of St. Benedict. Time for lunch. In the afternoon, we visit Cascia and the Basilica of St. Rita. We will celebrate Holy Mass. Return to Assisi for dinner and overnight.

DAY 5: 19 OCT ASSISI/SIENA/BOLOGNA

After breakfast in hotel, we will leave Assisi driving north to Bologna. We will stop in Siena. This medieval city is the birthplace of the Doctor of the Church, St. Catherine, and the Apostle of Italy, St. Bernardine. Visit of one of Italy’s finest squares, the Piazza Del Campo and the Cathedral and Basilica of St. Francis. This Basilica is the site of a miracle: In 1730, a ciborium of consecrated Hosts were stolen, but two days later the exact number of Hosts were found in the tabernacle, and since then these Hosts have not been consumed nor disintegrated. Following this visit, we will continue to view the incorrupt head of St. Catherine at the Basilica of St. Dominic. We will celebrate Holy Mass. We continue to Bologna for dinner and overnight.

DAY 6: 20 OCT BOLOGNA

After breakfast in hotel, we enjoy a guided visit of the City of Bologna. It is one of Italy’s oldest cities which boasts an array of sacred sites, many linked to the Catholic Church. Pilgrims will visit the Basilica of St. Petronius with the painting of Muhammad in hell and the Monastery of Corpus Domini where St. Catherine from Bologna lived her life. Celebrate Holy Mass. Time for lunch in this city which is world famous for its food. In the afternoon, we visit a revered site for pilgrims, the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca, perched atop a hill. This church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and its history dates back to the 12th century. Dinner and overnight.

DAY 7: 21 OCT BOLOGNA – LUCCA - ROME

After breakfast in hotel, we departure to Lucca to visit the Sanctuary of St. Gemma Galgani. Then, we will enjoy a guided tour of the City of Lucca. Its medieval appearance is preserved thanks to the beautiful architecture, the ancient and numerous churches (Lucca is also known as the city of 100 churches), the numerous towers, bell towers and monumental Renaissance palaces. Among the towers, we must remember the Clock Tower, the tallest, with its 50 meters high and where you can admire the manual winding clock mechanism and the interior wooden staircase of 207 steps still preserved and the Guinigi Tower, one of the most representative monuments of Lucca. We will begin the visit with a small walk on the wall of Lucca then we will visit the Cathedral of San Martin, Piazza Napoleone, Piazza San Michele and the Church of San Michele. We celebrate Holy Mass in the Cathedral. Time for Lunch. In the afternoon we will make our way to Rome arriving in the evening. Dinner and overnight.

DAY 8: 22 OCT ROME

After breakfast in hotel, we will transfer to St. Peter Square for the Audience with the Pope**. Afterward, we have free time for lunch. Then we visit the Vatican Museum, The Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Cathedral. Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel between 1508 and 1512, and later painted The Last Judgment between 1535 and 1541 for Popes Clement VII and Paul III. The primary function of the chapel is the Papal Conclave, providing the place where the College of Cardinals of the Church gathers to select a new Pope. Afterward, we walk through Saint Peter’s Basilica for a visit. The present structure completed in 1590 was built over the Byzantine and Middle Ages structures that marked the Tomb of Saint Peter. There are more than 100 tombs within the basilica, including most recently Saint John Paul II. After the visit we will pass through the Holy Door. Dinner and overnight.

DAY 9: 23 OCT ROME

After breakfast in hotel, we will then have a guided tour of the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran. Six Popes are entombed here. Next door is the Holy Staircase (Scala Santa) brought from Pilate’s Palace in Jerusalem by Saint Helena in the 4th century.  Climbing the stairs on your knees is a devotion that many pilgrims perform, and a plenary indulgence is granted for completing this feat.  Time for lunch.  In the afternoon, we will continue on your pilgrim journey to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Maria Maggiore).  We will celebrate Holy Mass here. This is the largest Marian Church in Rome. Its construction began after the Council of Ephesus in 431 proclaimed that Mary was the Mother of God. Saint Jerome, translator of the Bible into the Latin Vulgate, is buried here. Afterward, we have guided tour of ancient Rome. We will start with the visit at the Coliseum, also called Anfiteatro Flavio. Then, we will proceed through Via dei Fori Imperiali and we will end the visit with the Carcere Mamertino where St. Peter was imprisoned. Dinner and overnight at our hotel

DAY 10: 24 OCT ROME

After breakfast in hotel, we will visit the Basilica of Saint Paul outside the Wall. In the afternoon, we have a guided visit of the center of Rome where we can admire Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, The Church of St. Agostino where is conserved the Michelangelo famous painting “The Pilgrim’s Virgins”, The Church of San Luigi dei Francesi where we can admire the other famous Caravaggio painting “The Conversion of St. Matthew”. We will end with Fontana di Trevi and The Spanish Steps. Farewell dinner in restaurant and overnight. (Mass TBD)

DAY 11: 25 OCT ROME/USA

We will have an early morning departure to the airport for our flight back to the USA. We will have many memories of our wonderful Jubilee pilgrimage to cherish.