Tour ITA2

Day 1

Depart for Rome

Take your overnight flight. Your meals will be served on board.

Day 2

Rome Airport – Assisi Santa Maria degli Angeli

Arrive at the Da Vinci Airport in Rome. After passport control, meet your Tour Manager and board the private motor coach for a two hours trip that will take you, through the Umbrian countryside, to the outside walls of Assisi, to see the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, the one which gave the name to the famous American city of Los Angeles. This is where St. Francis spent most of his life. This Basilica is made up of two structures, both of which you will visit. The first structure, the older, is the “Porziuncola”, which is where St. Francis founded his order of the Friar Minor (Franciscans). The second, is the “Transit Chapel”, which is the place of St. Francis’ death. During your time here, you will have the opportunity to celebrate your private Mass and 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 3

Assisi

Enjoy an early breakfast, followed by a full day to discover the hometown of St. Francis, the “Patron Saint of Animals and the Environment.” You will become captured by the atmosphere which didn’t change since St. Francis began his ministry, in the early 13th-century. We will start our day with an early Mass in one of the many chapels in the St. Francis Basilica, then, with the help of a local guide, we’ll discover all the details of this famous church, visiting the tomb of St. Francis, and view a series of outstanding frescoes made by Giotto in the 13th century, depicting the life of the Saint. From there, we move to the church of St. Clare, the foundress of the Poor Clare Sisters. This Saint followed the teachings of St. Francis very closely by living a life of poverty and humility. In the afternoon, you can join the optional tour to the jewel of St. Damiano church, the first monastery of the Order of St. Clare where she spent most of her life or enjoy some free time on your own. Dinner and overnight in Assisi.

Day 4

Assisi – Siena – S. Gimignano – Florence

Early breakfast in Assisi, followed by a scenic drive to the Tuscan city of Siena ( 2 hrs ). This medieval city is the birthplace of St. Catherine “Doctor of the Church”. Visit of the Basilica of St. Catherine (which is also known as the Basilica of St. Domenico). St. Catherine passed a large part of her life inside the walls of this Basilica. It is here you will also view the incorrupt head of St. Catherine. Enjoy our walking tour through Siena including a visit to its Cathedral (Duomo di Siena). We will conclude at one of Italy’s finest squares, the Piazza Del Campo, where you will be given free time to spend on your own. There are a number of restaurants surrounding the square to have lunch, as well as shops for gifts and souvenirs. At 2.00 pm we drive through to the green Tuscan countryside and we find the medieval town of St. Gimignano, a village surrounded by charming ancient walls declared World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 1990. Nicknamed the Manhattan of the Middle Ages, San Gimignano will conquer immediately the visitor for its unique and unmistakable skyline dominated by 15 splendid medieval towers. Here we’ll visit the S. Maria Collegiata Church, a jewel with its amazing frescoes and celebrate Mass at the nearby San Bartolo Church. Then we’ll head to Florence for our dinner and overnight.

Day 5

Florence

The cradle of Renaissance, a paradise for art lovers, the city where the greatest artists worked: Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Donatello and others. We’ll enjoy a guided tour including magnificent Franciscan Church of The Holy Cross or Santa Croce with the beautiful facade, which is a burial place of illustrious Italians, such as Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli. Mass. Visit to the Academy to see some amazing works like the David by Michelangelo and many others. Then a walking tour through the city center and free time for an unforgettable shopping. Dinner, overnight.

Day 6

Florence – Orvieto – Rome

After breakfast, we depart for yet another lovely Umbrian town, Orvieto. Mass will be celebrated at the Cathedral of Orvieto followed by a city visit. Free time to browse the narrow streets for souvenir shopping before departing for Rome. Dinner at the hotel.

Day 7

Rome

Welcome to Rome, one of the most famous cities in the world and cradle of Christianity.
This is the day we’ll meet His Holiness Pope Francis in His weekly Audience in St. Peter, with the chance to take Him a picture right in front of us! Free time and lunch.
This afternoon we depart for a “Christian Rome tour” which includes: the Basilica of 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, with our daily Mass; then the Basilica of St. John in Lateran, the Roman Cathedral, the former residence of the popes prior to their return to Rome in 1377; the Holy Stairs, the ones brought to Rome by St. Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, from the city of Jerusalem, along with fragments of the Holy Cross of Jesus that we’ll see in the nearby St. Cross in Jerusalem church. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

Day 8

Rome

We’ll start our day with an early Mass in St. Peter Basilica, the biggest church in the world which was built on the site where St. Peter, the first Pope and Bishop of Rome, was martyred. It is here that you will view Michelangelo’s Pietà (Piety). This stunning marble sculpture depicts the Virgin Mary holding Christ after His crucifixion, dead, and removed off the cross before being placed in the tomb. Our morning will be dedicated to the visit of the famous Vatican Museums, seen every year by millions people, an ensemble of different museums mixing ancient Roman arts with Renaissance tapestries and frescoes, including the awesome Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo. Free lunch. In the afternoon visit at the fourth of the four major Basilicas in Rome, the second largest in the city, St. Paul outside the Walls which houses the remains of St. Paul under its main altar, where all the portraits of the Popes may be seen, from St. Peter to Pope Francis. Then a City Tour on our motor coach before reaching a picturesque restaurant offering typical lovely folk Italian music awaiting us to sing along the singers “Arrivederci Roma”. Overnight in Rome.

Day 9

Rome Airport

This morning you will be accompanied by your Tour Manager to the airport and assisted with check in formality to board the flight home.

Contact Us