DAY 1: U.S.A. / EUROPE – Monday – 29 september

Pilgrimage members will depart to Milan. Dinner and breakfast will be served aboard the flight.

DAY 2: MILAN – Tuesday – 30 september

Upon arrival, meeting with our driver and pilgrimage leader and transfer to our hotel. In the afternoon, visit of the Main City of Milan which is the economic hearth of Italy and the main Shopping district. It Is also a treasure to discover walking around the center of the city. We will visit the Parco Sempione, the Castello Sforzesco, The Brera district, The Scala theatre and the wonderful Cathedral of Milan all in Gothic Style. Mass TBD. Check-in to our hotel for dinner and overnight in our hotel.

DAY 3: MILAN / TURIN/ MILAN – Wednesday – 01 october

Breakfast in hotel. We transfer to Turin to see the exposition of the Holy Shroud which is usually made during the Holy Year in Italy (2025 if available). Guided visit of the City of Turin with its magnificent center and The Mole Antonelliana. We will visit the Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians (Italian: Basilica di Santa Maria Ausiliatrice) in Turin. Originally part of the home for poor boys founded by St. John Bosco, it now contains the remains of Don Bosco, and 6,000 relics of other saints. Mass TBD. You can breathe the unforgettable atmosphere given by art and tradition: the city center is full of monuments, museums and magnificent churches. Return to Milan.  Dinner and overnight in our hotel.

DAY 4: MILAN / MANTOUA / FLORENCE – Thursday – 02 october

Breakfast in hotel. We transfer to Mantua. A UNESCO heritage site since 2008 and Capital of Culture in 2016, Mantua is surely worth visiting. Mantua is a city born from the waters as it is surrounded by three artificial lakes. Walking visit of the center of the city with Piazza delle Erbe and the clock tower up to Palazzo Te. Mass TBD. We will continue the towards Florence.  Check-in to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

DAY 5: FLORENCE – Friday – 03 october

Breakfast in hotel. We will enjoy a full day visit of Florence: Piazza del Duomo, Santa Maria del Fiore, the St. John Battistero, and the Giotto Bell Tower. Continue the visit of the Church of St Ambrogio. This Church is famous for two Eucharistic Miracles. We will celebrate Holy Mass. Enjoy free time in the center of the city for lunch. In the afternoon, we will continue with Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio and the “Ponte Vecchio”, where many gold artists have their shops. Dinner and overnight in our hotel.

DAY 6: FLORENCE/SIENA/ASSISI – Saturday – 04 october

Breakfast in hotel. We will transfer to 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 celebrate Holy Mass and enjoy time for lunch. In the afternoon, we transfer to Assisi. Check-in to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

DAY 7: ASSISI – Sunday – 05 october

Breakfast in our hotel. We enjoy a full day visit of Assisi with our guide: 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”. Then, 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, we visit of St. Mary of the Angels Basilica. This Basilica is where St. Francis spent most of his 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. Mass TBD. During this visit, your group 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 our hotel.

DAY 8: ASSISI /ROMA – Monday – 06 october

Breakfast in our hotel. We enjoy a second full day in Assisi. We will visit the Eremo delle Carceri. This solitary place surrounded by thick turkey oaks was loved by Brother Francis, who took refuge in prayer.

The most striking part is surely the Cave of St. Francis, in its original unique environment is now divided into two compartments, one containing the stone bed where the saint slept; in the other, on the right wall you see a boulder on which probably St. Francis sat to meditate and pray. We will have time in the city and in the Basilica. In the late afternoon, we departure to Rome. Check-in to our hotel for dinner and overnight. Mass TBD.

DAY 9: ROME – Tuesday – 07 october

Breakfast in our hotel. We enjoy a guided tour of the 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. Time for lunch. In the afternoon, we enjoy 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 Paint “The Conversion of St. Matthew”. We will end with Fontana di Trevi and The Spanish Steps. Dinner and overnight at our hotel. Mass TBD.

DAY 10: ROME – Wednesday – 08 october

After breakfast, we will transfer in St. Peter Square for the audience with the Pope. At the end free time for lunch and then visit of the Vatican Museum, The Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Cathedral. We walk through Saint Peter’s Basilica. 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 the most recent Saint John Paul II. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

DAY 11: ROME – Thursday – 09 october

Breakfast in hotel. Then, we enjoy 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 4t century. Climbing the stairs on your knees is a devotion that many pilgrims perform, and a plenary indulgence is granted for completing this feat. Continue on your pilgrim journey to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Maria Maggiore). We celebrate Mass. It 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. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

DAY 12: ROME/USA – Friday – 10 october

Breakfast in hotel. We transfer to the airport for our departure home with wonderful memories in our hearts.