Day 2 • Rome
Day 4 • Trevi Fountain
Day 9 • Florence
Day 1 • Departure from the USA
We begin our journey as we board our plane for our overnight flight to Rome, Italy; Dinner and breakfast are served on board.
Day 2 • Arrival Rome
Upon arrival, we are met by Signature Tours International representatives. We travel to our hotel and have the day free to rest and explore on our own with suggestions from our guide on what to see and where to go. Marvel at the Coliseum, go shopping, or taste the Gelato. We have dinner and stay the night in Rome.
Day 3 • Vatican City
Day 3 • Rome
We wake up in the Eternal City, one of the greatest centers of Western Civilization. Rome is the first truly cosmopolitan city on earth and a spiritual capital for Catholics around the world. Today, we go to the world’s smallest country, the Vatican City. We have a guided tour of the Vatican’s Museums, a group of edifices with many galleries filled with awe-inspiring relics and works of art, donated throughout many centuries. We see Michelangelo’s Masterpiece, the Sistine Chapel, and visit St. Peter’s Square and St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest church in Christendom and built on the site where the saint was martyred. It is the grandest of the world’s churches and a monument to the long history of the Catholic Church. We then cross the River Tiber and visit the Coliseum and Roman Forum. Dinner and the night are in Rome.
Day 4 • Rome
Today, we attend the weekly Papal Audience or Blessing, if the Holy Father is in residence. weekly Papal Audience Today, we see “Christian Rome,” visiting many important cultural and monumental sights. We visit the Basilica of St. Mary Major, one of the oldest shrines dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. The shrine contains a relic from the manger of Jesus. We also visit the Basilica of St. John in Lateran; this is the former residence of the popes before they returned to Rome in 1377. The last Basilica we see is St. Paul Outside the Walls, where the remains of St. Paul exist under its main altar. We also visit the Catacombs of Callixtus and the Holy Stairs. We have dinner and stay our last night in Rome.
Day 5 • Rome/Monte Cassino/San Giovanni Rotondo
On our way to San Giovanni Rotondo, we stop in Monte Cassino to marvel at the spectacular Benedictine abbey on top of the mountain. This monastery was founded and built in 529 by St. Benedict. We continue east and have dinner and stay the night in San Giovanni Rotondo, home to the beloved St. Padre Pio.
Day 6 • San Giovanni Rotondo/Monte Sant’Angelo (St. Michael’s Cave)/San Giovanni Rotondo
This morning, we visit the friary of Padre Pio, including his tomb, his cell, the confessional, and the Old Church, where he received the stigmata in 1918. We also visit the New Church. Then we continue to the Shrine of Monte Sant’Angelo. St. Michael himself consecrated this most celebrated shrine of early Christianity in 490.
We then return to San Giovanni for dinner and the night.
Day 7 • San Giovanni Rotondo/Lanciano/Loreto/Assisi
Today we drive up the Adriatic coast to Lanciano, home to an 8th century Eucharistic Miracle. We continue our journey to the Marian shrine of Loreto to visit the Holy House of Nazareth and the lovely Madonna of Loreto. According to tradition, this house was transported by angels to this hill in central Italy in 1294 and more than 50 popes have visited. We continue to Assisi, home of St. Francis and St. Clare, for dinner and the night.
Day 8 • Assisi
Day 8 • Assisi / Florence
This morning, we celebrate mass and then have a guided walking tour of Assisi. We explore the quaint hilltop birthplace of St. Francis and visit the tomb of St. Francis. We visit the Basilica of St. Clare and the Basilica of St. Francis, where we can see many of the saint’s possessions and a series of frescoes depicting his life within the huge 13th century Basilica. We can also kneel at the crucifix where Jesus asked St. Francis to rebuild his church. The saint spent most of his time in St. Mary of the Angels Basilica. We visit the Chapel and the Portiuncola. We then travel to Florence, where we have a guided sightseeing tour that includes the Cathedral and the Academy of Fine Arts to see Michelangelo’s David. We have dinner and stay the night in Florence.
Day 9 • Florence/Sienna/Florence
We have an excursion to the gorgeous town of Siena, one of Italy’s loveliest medieval cities and the birthplace of Saints Catherine and Bernardine. We visit the Sanctuary of St. Catherine and the Basilica of St. Dominic, where we can view the incorrupt head of St. Catherine. We return to Florence and have time on our own to explore. Dinner and overnight are in Florence.
Day 10 • Venice
Day 10 • Florence/Venice/Padua
Today we travel to Venice. We enter by a private boat and are met by our local guide to explore one of the world’s most romantic cities. We tour St. Mark’s Square, the Golden Basilica of San Marco, the Bridge of Sighs, and Dodges’ Palace. Then we travel to Padua, where the patron saint of lost things, St. Anthony, is honored. We visit the Basilica of St. Anthony to see his tomb and reliquaries of this miracle-working saint. Tonight, we have a farewell dinner and then stay overnight in Padua.
Day 11 • Padua/Hometown, U.S.A.
We depart to Venice airport for our flight back to the U.S., taking with us many wonderful memories.