Our pilgrimage begins as you depart the USA on your international flight.

On arrival at the Rome airport, you will be met by our representative and transferred to your coach. This afternoon, enjoy a visit to the Forum and the Colosseum, once the heart of ancient Rome and a place of martyrdom for the early saints. Check into your hotel in Rome. (D)

After breakfast, enjoy the opportunity to join in prayer with the Pope and receive his greeting, blessing, and prayers. Then, walk through St. Peter’s Basilica and celebrate Mass here. 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. (B, D)

This morning, visit the Basilica of Santi Cosma e Damiano. Christianized in 527 AD, it honors two brothers who were physicians and are now the patron saints of doctors. See the Bocca della Veritá, the Mouth of Truth, at the entrance to the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. Continue to the Forum Boarium (once the ancient cattle market)and see the temples that have been restored there. See the remains of the Circus Maximus, once the ancient hippodrome for chariot and horse racing. Finish the day in the Jewish Quarter hidden in the heart of the city. From ancient ruins and synagogues to shops and restaurants, it reflects the darker times for the Jewish people in Rome. (B, D)

Begin the day with a visit to 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. Continue your pilgrim journey to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Maria Maggiore). 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. (B, D)

Enjoy a guided tour of the Vatican’s Museums and the Sistine Chapel. Built by connecting portions of the old papal residence with newer structures, the museum houses a world-renowned collection of art and antiquities. Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel between 1508 and 1512 and later painted The Last Judgment between 1535 and 1541 for Pope  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 elect a new pope. Continue to the Pantheon, built by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus (27 BC to 14 AD). Emperor Hadrian rebuilt it around 126 AD. The building was given to Pope Boniface IV who converted it into a church, Saint Mary and the Martyrs (Santa Maria Rotonda). Mass continues to be celebrated here. Continue to the Trinitarian church of Santissima Trinitá a Via Condotti, built by Spanish Trinitarians in the 1700’s. Next, visit the Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. Built in the late 1200s by the Dominicans, it is home to the statue Christ the Redeemer by Michaelangelo. Explore the romance of Rome as you stop at the famous Trevi Fountain. Legend says those who toss a coin into the fountain will one day return to Rome to toss another into the waters of Trevi. Visit the historic Plaza Navona with it’s shops and restaurants. (B, D)

This morning, you will begin your day at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. The present structure stands over the place where Constantine built the first church over Saint Paul’s grave. The church features a portrait of every pope who has served the church. Step beneath the surface into the Catacombs of Callixtus, built along the Appian Way. Here, sixteen popes from the 2nd through 4th centuries were interred, though they have been removed to various churches over the centuries. Depending on the schedule, enjoy Mass or evening prayers at the Community of Sant’Egidio, Santa Maria in Trastevere. According to tradition, it was at this church that Masses were first heard in Rome. (B, D)

En route to Assisi, stop in Greccio to visit the Sanctuary. Set within the rock like an eagle’s nest, the Greccio hermitage is an extraordinary fusion of architecture and nature. The Sanctuary is famous because Saint Francis of Assisi chose it as the backdrop to one of the highest and most lyrical moments in his life: the first recreation of the Bethlehem Nativity in Christianity on Christmas Eve, 1223. Check into your Assisi accommodations and begin your immersion in the town of St. Francis of Assisi. (B, D)

This morning, wake up to the atmospheric sounds of chapel bells, cobblestone footsteps, and a tangible spirit of St. Francis preserved within the walls of this holy town. In the morning, you will visit the lower city. The Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels stands at the foot of the hill of Assisi over the Portiuncula, Saint Francis’ Church, given to him  by the Benedictine monks. The Church and Convent of St. Damiano is where, in 1205, St. Francis received his calling to “Rebuild My Church.” St. Claire would later lead her Order of the Poor Ladies from here until her death in 1253. You will have time for private devotion and leisure before returning to your hotel for overnight. (B, D)

After breakfast, you will walk to the Papal Basilica of St. Francis, the mother church of the Franciscan Order and burial place of St. Francis. This Basilica, which was begun in 1228, is built on the side of a hill and comprises an Upper and Lower church. These are decorated with numerous frescoes by late medieval painters, including Giotto. Continue your guided pilgrimage of the town’s highlights featuring the Basilica of St. Clare, where you can kneel before the famous crucifix from which Jesus spoke to St. Francis. Continue to the Cathedral of San Rufino. Saint Francis of Assisi and St. Clare were baptized here. The church was dedicated in 1253 AD. (B, D)

This morning, the pilgrimage concludes with a retreat and Mass, during which you will have time to reflect and integrate the pilgrimage experience before traveling back to Rome.

Return to the USA.