Arrive at Fiumicino International Airport-Leonardo da Vinci in Rome where you proceed to Baggage Claim and to the Arrivals Hall. Here, you are greeted by our local Trinity Tours Travel Tour Guide and Driver who will accompany you throughout the pilgrimage. From the airport, travel to Assisi (2.5 hours) with lunch on your own en route. Upon arrival, we visit The Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels. This is where St. Francis spent most of his life in Assisi. The basilica is made up of two structures:

The Porziuncola San Damiano, where we see the Byzantine crucifix that “spoke” to St. Francis (It is here where the young Francis of Assisi renounced all worldliness and chose to live in poverty among the poorest and most marginalized - This is known to be the starting place of the Franciscan movement) and the Capella del Transito, the place of St. Francis’ death.  We visit the Rose Garden where he and his fellow friars lived as well as the cave where the saint spent much time in prayer. A visit to the gift shop prior to Mass.

Check-in, dinner and overnight in Assisi.

Following breakfast at the hotel we begin a walking tour of Assisi with our first stop: The Basilica Santa Chiara. Honoring St. Clare, foundress of the Poor Sister of Clare, this basilica houses her incorrupt body which has only blackened with age. This saint followed the teachings of St. Francis closely, also living a life of profound poverty and humility. We proceed to Santuario della Spogliazione to see the tomb of (Saint) Carlo Acutis, the first millennial to be deemed Blessed and to be canonized by the Catholic Church. Our tour continues as we walk through this picturesque village, seeing the birthplace of St. Francis and then on to the majestic Basilica of St. Francis.  At the basilica, we see the magnificent frescos of Giotto which depict the life of the saint. In the lower basilica, we visit the tomb of St. Francis and have time for personal prayer and reflection. Lunch on your own with a free afternoon to explore Assisi and its quaint shops and cafes.  Mass in Assisi this day.

Dinner and overnight in Assisi.

Following an early breakfast and a fasting hour, Mass is celebrated in Assisi prior to our day trip to Norcia (province of Perugia) birthplace of Sts. Scholastica and Benedict (1 hour).  We visit the Church of St. Benedict which has been rebuilt after the nave was destroyed in the earthquake of 2016. We drive uphill to Monte to visit Monastero di San Benedetto, perched above the ancient town of Norcia. This monastery is home to the Monks of Norcia who continue to live by the rule of St. Benedict: Ora et Labora (“Live and Work”). Living by prayer and the work of their hands, the monks helped fund the reconstruction of the church through the sales of their award-winning beer at the brewery of “The Birra Nursia”! An unforgettable lunch (included) and beer tasting here and time to walk the serene hilltop grounds. Return to Assisi for a free evening.

Dinner and overnight in Assisi.

An early breakfast and we embark on yet another memorable day trip traveling through the beautiful Umbrian Mountains. (2 hours). La Verna was visited by St. Francis 7 times throughout his life, the last in 1224 when he received the stigmata there. Mass is celebrated here this day with time for prayer in the Chapel of the Stigmata. Lunch (included) is served in the Foresteria (guest house). We travel to Gubbio (2 hours), the medieval town that was freed by St. Francis from a fierce, menacing wolf according to Catholic tradition. Gubbio is known as one the largest and best-preserved medieval towns in Europe and its charm is highlighted by its labyrinth of alleys and narrow streets. It is known as the “City of Stone” as it appears to be painted onto the hills of Mount Ingino. Return to Assisi with free time schedule permitting.

Dinner and overnight in Assisi.

Following breakfast, we travel east this day to Loreto (3 hours). A brief walk through the town and lunch on your own. We visit the breathtaking Marian Shrine, Basilica della Santa Casa, where Mass is celebrated this day. Within the huge basilica, we see the Madonna of Loreto and visit the Holy House of Nazareth. Tradition maintains that this is the small house where Mary was born, raised, and was greeted by the angel Gabriel. It is here where “The Word was made Flesh”. It is also said that this is where Our Lady proclaimed the Magnificat, is the home in which Jesus was raised as a small child, and where the Holy Family lived together. It is said that angels carried the Holy House to its current location to keep it safe from harm during wartime in the Holy Land. We travel south to San Giovanni Rotondo (3 hours).

Check-in, dinner and overnight in San Giovanni Rotondo.

Following breakfast, we see Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza (“Home for the Relief of Suffering”), founded by Padre Pio in 1956. It was Padre Pio’s dream to establish a “hospital city”, offering free services to the poor. It is considered one of the best hospitals in Italy to this day. We proceed to Padre Pio’s original church, Santa Maria della Grazie, and see the Confessional where the saint committed himself daily to hours of hearing Confession. It is said that the saint could “read souls” and pilgrims have long been known to leave tiny slips of paper with intentions near his Confessional. We visit the Sanctuary of Padre Pio which houses many of the saint’s personal belongings, his living quarters, and his incorrupt body. We travel to Monte Sant’Angelo in the Gargano Peninsula (half hour) to visit the Grotto of St. Michael where it is said the Archangel appeared in the years 490, 492 & 493. Lunch on your own, free time, and Mass here this day. Return to San Giovanni Rotondo for the 9:00pm Candlelight Procession (optional).

Dinner and overnight in San Giovanni Rotondo.

Early breakfast and we travel to Bari (1.5 hours). A unique port city on the Adriatic Sea, Bari boasts a stunning coastline, a vibrant local culture, charming courtyards, beautiful churches, and is known as the City of St. Nicholas! The Pontifical Basilica of St. Nicholas was built between 1087-1197 and houses the remains of the saint who chose Bari as his burial place while passing the city on his way to Rome. The saint’s tomb has created a not so easily explicable phenomenon, known as the “manna of St. Nicholas”. Once commonly called an oil, a watery liquid oozing from the saint’s bones was found to be water. This “water” is believed to have healing properties and in most likelihood is due to the tomb’s location underground in this port city. Mass is celebrated followed by a visit to Old Bari, lunch on your own, and a tour of the Cathedral Basilica of Bari. 

Check-in, dinner, and overnight in Bari.

Breakfast and departure to Monte Cassino (3.5 hours). We travel an extraordinary scenic route to the Roman town of Cassium. Lunch on your own en route as we approach the magnificent Monte Cassino, a rocky hillside known as the first house of the Benedictine Order, established by St. Benedictine of Nursia around 529. We tour the breathtaking abbey where siblings, St. Scholastica and St. Benedict are buried. Mass is celebrated prior to our drive to Rome (2 hours).

Check-in, dinner and overnight in Rome.

Following breakfast, we drive to the Appian Way, the earliest road of ancient Rome, to reach the catacombs and the Basilica of St. Sebastian where Mass is celebrated this day. We visit the Church of Domine Quo Vadis where according to tradition, the apostle Peter, fleeing the city to avoid martyrdom, met the Resurrected Jesus and asked “Domine, quo vadis?” (Lord where are you going?) to which the Lord replied, “Venio Romam iterum crucifigi” (I am coming to Rome to be crucified again). Understanding the rebuke, Peter went back to face his fate and Jesus disappeared, leaving His footprints on the road. As evidence of what happened, inside the church on the center floor, is a stone with the imprints of His holy feet (a copy, as the original is kept in the Basilica of San Sebastiano). We visit the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls where St. Paul is buried, to walk through the first Holy Door of our Jubilee Year of Hope pilgrimage. Mass is celebrated here this day.

Gift shop opportunity at the basilica followed by lunch on your own. Free afternoon in Rome.

Dinner and overnight in Rome.

A very early breakfast and we proceed to the Papal Audience in St. Peter’s Square (9:00am when schedule permits and the pope is in Rome). Pilgrims are encouraged to bring small religious items to be blessed, as following the pope’s themed speech and prayer, he offers a blessing. Mass is celebrated nearby after the audience. Leisure time for strolling through St. Peter’s Square and for lunch on your own nearby. We then walk a short distance to Castel Sant’ Angelo where we begin our procession to reach St. Peter’s Basilica and enter the second Holy Door of our pilgrimage. Time to walk through the basilica, built on the site where St. Peter, Bishop of Rome, was martyred. We see Michelangelo’s Pieta and pray at the tombs of St. Peter and St. Pope John Paul II.

Dinner and overnight in Rome.

Following breakfast, we begin a busy day celebrating Mass at St. Mary Major walking through the third Holy Door of our pilgrimage. This basilica is one of the oldest and most important shrines in the world dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is one of the four papal basilicas and under its high altar is the Crypt of the Nativity. Encased in a crystal reliquary, pilgrims can view what is said to be the wood relics of the Holy Crib of the Nativity of Jesus. This basilica also houses the relics of St. Jerome, Doctor of the Church, who translated the bible into Latin. We visit the Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, another papal basilica, which houses several relics of the Passion of Jesus, (including a rusted nail from the Crucifixion, pieces of True Cross, thorns from the Crown and the sign above His Cross), and the doubting finger of St. Thomas. Lunch on your own and a visit to the Papal Basilica of St. John Lateran. Known as the “Mother of all Churches in the World” and the cathedral of Rome, this basilica was founded in 324. It contains magnificent artwork and marble carvings. It also houses wood from the table used at The Last Supper. Here, we enter through the fourth Holy Door of our pilgrimage. From here, we walk to the Scala Sancta (The Holy Stairs), the marble staircase which led to the praetorium of Pontius Pilate. It is on these stairs that Jesus climbed to meet Pilate on His way to trial during His Passion. Mass is celebrated in Rome this day.

Dinner and overnight in Rome.

An early breakfast before a day trip to Subiaco (1.5 hours). Considered to be one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, we explore this quaint town with a walking tour. We visit The Shrine of the Sacred Cave and first monastery of St. Benedict of Norcia.  It is here that the young St. Benedict lived in solitude during the early 6th century, following the example of the hermit Desert Fathers. Western monasticism is said to have taken root here, through the saint’s spirituality birthed in the harsh and wild terrain. We also visit the Monastery of St. Scholastica, foundress of the Benedictine nuns and sister of St. Benedict. Mass is celebrated in Subiaco this day. Return to Rome to visit San Andrea della Fratte, where Our Lady appeared (1842) as Our Lady of the Miracle to a staunch anti-Catholic Austrian Jew named Marie Alphonse Ratisbonne. His hatred of the faith stemmed from his brother’s conversion (who eventually became a Catholic priest). Wearing the Miraculous Medal as a “simple test” and challenged to say the Memorare daily to prove the ineffectiveness of “ridiculous superstitions”, Ratisbonne encountered a vision of the Virgin Mary while wandering through the artwork of this beautiful church. Our Lady appeared to him brilliantly with her hands extended which according to him, “expressed the secrets of the Divine Pity”. She did not speak, but Ratisbonne felt that he understood it all in an instant. He fell to his knees sobbing and instantly converted.

Dinner near the Spanish Steps and overnight in Rome

Following our final breakfast at the hotel, we bid farewell to this beautiful and holy part of the world during the Jubilee Year of Hope and transfer to Fiumicino International Airport for our return flight home.