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(800) 715-6670 Office@catholicjourneys.com
(800) 715-6670 Office@catholicjourneys.com

Vatican Rome and Shrines of Italy Pilgrimage Tour

(3 Reviews)

One of our most popular pilgrimages, the Vatican Rome Shrines of Italy and Vatican Pilgrimage Tour begins with three nights in Rome where you will visit St. Peter’s Basilica and other Major Basilicas, the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, and will attend an Audience with the Pope if he is in Residence. Other spiritual highlights of the pilgrimage include; a visit to Padre Pio’s Shrine and St. Michael the Archangel’s Cave; a visit to Lanciano to venerate the Eucharistic Miracle and to Loreto to see the House of the Holy Family; a visit to Manoppello to gaze upon the Miraculous Image of the Holy Face (the Veronica) and to Assisi to pray at the Shrines of St. Francis and St. Clare. Throughout the Vatican, Rome, and Shrines of Italy Pilgrimage Tour, you’ll also experience the cuisine, art, and culture that exemplifies “la Dolce Vita,” which is Italy! Why don’t you go ahead and book the 2023 or 2024 Vatican Rome Shrines of Italy Pilgrimage Tour today?

 

Tour Details for Vatican Rome Shrines of Italy Pilgrimage
Rome · Vatican · Monte Cassino · Padre Pio · Monte Sant'Angelo · Lanciano · Loreto · Assisi · Sienna

Departure & Return Location

New York J.F.K. International Airport, USA 

(Departures from other Airports Available)

Departure Time

Arrive for Check-in 3 Hours Before Flight Time

Price Includes

  • Air fares - Round trip airfare from New York (Add-on Airfare available from Other Cities)
  • 1 Checked Bag with the Airlines
  • Hotel Accommodations - First Class Hotelswith Porterage
  • Meals - Breakfast and Dinner DailyWine & mineral water with dinners
  • All transportation in destination locationAirconditioned Motor Coach with Bottled Water available onboard
  • Tour Guide - Professional English Speaking Catholic Guides
  • Entrance Fees - Sightseeing and admissions fees as per itineraryWhisper Headsets where needed
  • Catholic Priest with Daily Mass and Spiritual Activities Coordinated

Price Excludes

Complementaries

  • Name and Luggage tags
  • Neck Wallet
  • Travel Bag
Itinerary for Vatican Rome Shrines of Italy Pilgrimage Tour
Rome · Vatican · Monte Cassino · Padre Pio · Monte Sant'Angelo · Lanciano · Loreto · Assisi · Sienna

Day 1USA - Rome

Depart from USA to Rome. Dinner and breakfast are served on board.

Day 2Arrival in Rome

Meet the tour escort and transfer to your first class hotel. Free afternoon. This afternoon you may relax or explore the city independently. Your tour escort will suggest some sights or walks for you to enjoy.  Return to hotel for dinner and overnight. Dinner and overnight.

Day 3Rome (Papal Audience at the Vatican - if available)

Today is truly a day that will be in your minds for many years to come. This morning we go to Vatican City to attend the weekly Papal Audience and Blessing given by His Holiness Pope Francis I. Following the audience visit of the Vatican Museums, a group of most impressive edifices with hundreds of galleries filled with art treasures. See awe-inspiring relics and works of art donated throughout centuries as tributes of faith. Through out the tour you will cover The Tapestry Gallery, The Raphael Rooms and the most overwhelming Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo’s Masterpiece, restored mural of the Last Judgment. Later, enter the largest church in Christendom St Peter’s Basilica, built on the site where St Peter was martyred. Unsurpassed in beauty, a monument to the long history of the Catholic Church, to which pilgrims come from around the world, St Peter’s is the grandest of the world’s churches. Marvel Pieta and Bernini’s amazing bronze canopy. Before dinner, we’ll have some time at leisure, to explore your own paths, to shop, or just to sit in one of the outside cafes and watch the world go by.

Day 4Rome

This morning depart for a sightseeing tour of a lifetime! Although our focus is on “Christian Rome”, we will also see so many important cultural and monumental sights around Rome. The tour includes three major Basilicas: 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; The Basilica of the St John in Lateran, is the former residence of the popes prior to their return to Rome in 1377; and St Paul Outside the Walls, which houses the remains of St Paul under its main altar. You will also see the ancient Baths of Caracalla, Arch of Drusus, Chapel “O’Domine Quo Vadis?” the remains of imperial tombs, Tomb of Celilia Metella, and the catacombs of St Callixtus where the early Christians hid themselves to escape persecution. Dinner and overnight for your last evening in Rome.

Day 5Rome - San Giovanni Rotondo

Leave the Eternal City and head southeast to San Giovanni. Time permitting you will stop in Monte Cassino to see the Monastery founded by St Benedict in 529. This lovely Abbey sits atop a hill overlooking the village of Cassino. We arrive in San Giovanni, the home of Padre Pio, just in time for dinner.

Day 6Monte Sant'Angelo

Today you will Visit the tomb of Padre Pio, tour the sanctuary and see the crucifix from which he received the stigmata in 1918. You will see the confessional where Padre Pio spent innumerable hours with a multitude of pilgrims, directing them on their journey toward God. Enjoy a breathtaking view of the Cargano Peninsula and a visit to the Grotto of Michael the Archangel. Six different popes, St Francis and at least four other saints have knelt in prayer at this grotto, seeking the protection of St Michael. A panoramic view of the ocean and the surrounding countryside awaits you at this most celebrated shrine of early Christianity, a shrine consecrated by St Michael himself in 490. Return to San Giovanni for devotions, reflection.

Day 7 San Giovanni Rotundo - Lanciano - Loreto - Assisi

The travels today first take you to Lanciano to see the eighth-century Eucharistic Miracle in the little Church of Lagontial. After expressing doubts about Christ’s true presence in the consecrated host, a monk found himself holding a host that had changed into flesh and wine that had changed into blood. Next follow the lush Adriatic coast to the great Marian shrine of Loreto to visit the Holy House of Nazareth and the beautiful Madonna of Loreto. More than 50 popes have made a pilgrimage to the house transported by angels to this hill in central Italy in 1294. Tradition has it that this is the house in which Mary prayed the Magnificat, in which Jesus grew to manhood, and in which the Holy Family lived. Mass at the Shrine in Loreto, then transfer for dinner and overnight in Assisi.

Day 8Assisi

After breakfast celebrate mass and visit tomb of St Francis. Explore the quaint hilltop birthplace of St Francis that still retains something of the atmosphere of the early 1200s, the period when St Francis began his ministry. Contained within the huge 13th-century Basilica are many of his possessions and a series of frescoes depicting his life. You may kneel before the crucifix from which Jesus spoke to St Francis, asking him to rebuild His church. It was in St Mary of the Angels Basilica where St Francis spent most of his life. Here we visit the Chapel, Portiuncola, the rose bush, and the cave where the saint retired for prayer. Stroll the medieval streets of the compact little town. After stopping at an outdoor cafe with a view of an ancient Roman temple, we go to the Church of St Clare to see the saint’s incorrupt body. The foundress of the Order of Poor Clares followed the teachings of St Francis by living a life of poverty and humility. Return to Assisi for dinner and overnight.

Day 9 Assisi - Sienna

This morning you are off to the beautiful town of Siena, the birthplace of Saints Catherine and Bernardine and one of Italy’s loveliest medieval cities. Here we will stroll the Piazza Del Campo, one of Italy’s finest squares and visit the Cathedral and the Basilica of St. Francis, containing the miraculous consecrated hosts that remained intact since 1730. View the incorrupt head of St. Catherine at the Basilica of St. Dominic.   Return to Assisi for dinner and overnight.

Day 10 Return to USA (or Optional Extension to Florence, Venice and Padua)

Bid farewell to our new friends and to a pilgrimage which will be in your memories and heart for a long time to come. Early departure from Assisi for Florence (or Rome) Airport for our return flight to the USA. 

Optional Extension to Florence, Venice & Padua - $1,399

Day 10Assisi - Florence

After a brief drive through the beautiful Tuscan countryside, we arrive in Florence. A paradise for art lovers, Florence drew to itself the greatest artists of the Renaissance: Dante, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Donatello and many others. Dinner and overnight.

Day 11Florence 

After Mass, enjoy a guided tour of Florence which includes magnificent Franciscan church of The Holy Cross or Santa Croce with the beautiful facade, church is a burial place of nobles, among which is Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli. Walking tour through Piazza Signoria, pass by Palazzo Vecchio, Uffizi and Ponte Vecchio. Continue through Republic Square to the Santa Maria del Fiore 13th century cathedral.

Day 12 Florence - Padua

Next stop is Padua, where St. Anthony, patron saint of lost things is honored. After Mass, at the Basilica built in his honor, we continue on a sightseeing tour including one of the oldest universities, Tomb of St. Anthony and his relics . Pass by Pratto Della Valle, one of the biggest squares in Italy, basilica of Santa Giustina. Some time to relax before dinner. Overnight in Padua.

Day 13 Padua: Full day excursion to Venice

After breakfast leave for Venice (Padua is Only * 25 miles away from Venice)  for tour and visit of some of the greatest sights you’ll ever see: St. Mark’s Square, The Golden Basilica of San Marco, the Bridge of Sighs, and the extraordinary visit of Dodges’ Palace. After tour you will have some free time to shop, to explore Venice on own and perhaps take an optional gondola ride, or enjoy an afternoon at a charming cafe.  Return to Padua for our dinner and overnight.

Day 14 Venice - USA

Bid farewell to your new friends and to a pilgrimage which will be in our memories and heart for a long time to come. After breakfast depart from the hotel to Venice Airport for your return flight to the USA.

Map of the Vatican Rome Shrines of Italy Pilgrimage Tour

Photos of the Vatican Rome Shrines of Italy Pilgrimage Tour
Rome · Vatican · Monte Cassino · Padre Pio · Monte Sant'Angelo · Lanciano · Loreto · Assisi · Sienna
Dates, Pricing, and Booking for Vatican Rome Shrines of Italy Pilgrimage Tour
Book directly and securely by clicking on price link below:
2023 Vatican Rome Shrines of Itlay Pilgrimage Dates
     
RI23 0410

April 10 – 19, 2023

priest TBA.

$Sold out
RI23 0612

June 12 – 21, 2023

with Fr. Thomas More Barba, OP

$4,439 Book Here
RI23 0904 September 4 – 13, 2023 $4,339 Book Here
RI23 1030 October 30 – November 8, 2023 $4,299 Book Here
     
2024 Vatican Rome Shrines of Italy Pilgrimage Dates
 

January 8-19, 2024 

including Florence & Padua Fr. Patrick Hirtz

Book Here
RI24 0408 April 08 – 17, 2024 $4399
RI24 0610 June 10 – 19, 2024 $4699
RI24 0708 July 08 – 17, 2024 $4,699
RI24 0916 September 16 – 25, 2024 $4499
RI24 1028 October 28 – November 3, 2024 $4,499

Optional Florence, Venice, and Padua Pilgrimage Extension  $1,399

Single Supplement for the Shrines of Italy $889
Single Supplement for the Florence, Venice, and Padua Extension Only $550

  Departures from other cities are available.  Add-on Fares are available from your hometown.  Click here.

Would you like to lead your parish or group on this pilgrimage?  Click Here to get started.

 

Travel Insurance for Vatican Rome Shrines of Italy Pilgrimage Tour
If you encounter a flight cancellation, baggage delay, medical emergency or more during your trip, travel insurance is here to help.

Travel Insurance is available in Italy and Vatican City and – is recommended!

Click here for information on insurance plans!

Travelex

FAQ for Vatican Rome Shrines of Italy Pilgrimage Tour
Rome · Vatican · Monte Cassino · Padre Pio · Monte Sant'Angelo · Lanciano · Loreto · Assisi · Sienna

Hotel information coming soon.

Would you like to lead your parish or group on this pilgrimage?  Click Here to get started.

3 Reviews
Sort By:RatingDate

Brissette

Couple Traveller

We wanted to let you know that we arrived home this past
Wednesday night and are still in the clouds. This trip is absolutely
memorable to all of us. We had an amazing, fantastic, wonderful,
marvelous, lovely, beautiful trip that we would love to do again.
We made many new friends and all of our tour guides, drivers, and
group members were awesome. Thank you again for all your help.

October 16, 2018

Edwin McGillick

Couple Traveller

Dear CatholicJourneys.com,
We had a great time! Fr. Jim and Alessandro (tour guide) were outstanding. As a result, we may take another religious pilgrimage in the future.
Thanks!

March 1, 2018

Dorcas O.

Couple Traveller

Margaret and I enjoyed the pilgrimage. I was awed by the Eucharistic Miracle of the monk who had doubts about the presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Seeing the five globules of coagulated blood and the flesh was life-changing for me. Padre Pio’s old and new churches in San Giovanni Rotondo were impressive and so were St. Francis and St.Care’s Basilicas. The hotels were great and the food was super. You were awesome Thank you and God Bless.

August 7, 2015
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