Join Us a Pilgrimage To...
The Shrines of Italy
& The Shroud of
Turin
April 19-30, 2010
with TBA
$3,499 per person from Nashville
plus Airport Taxes and Fuel Surcharges (add-ons available from major US cities)
$ 2,779 per person - Land Only
Group Coordinators: Richard and Luba Richard
† Roundtrip economy class airfare
† 10 Nights Accommodations at 3 and 4* hotels follows (or similar):
Apr 20-23 (3 nights) Rome: Hotel Michelangelo
Apr 23-25 (2 nights) San Giovanni Rotondo: Hotel Savoia
Apr 25-28 (3 nights) Assisi: Hotel Giotto
Apr 28-30 (2 nights) Turin: Hotel Genova or Mercure
† Breakfast and Dinner daily
† Transportation by air conditioned motor coach
† Tour Escort throughout
† Professionally guided sightseeing as per itinerary
† Headsets for included sightseeing in Rome and Assisi
† Tickets/Arrangements for Exhibition of the Shroud
† Admission fees as per itinerary
† Catholic Preist & Mass Daily
† Luggage handling (1 piece per person)
† Flight bag & portfolio of all travel documents
Not included: Airport Tax, Fuel and Security charges by the airlines (approx $400, subject to change until tickets are issued). Lunches, drinks. Travel insurance optional at $165 per person. Items of a personal nature. 3.5% credit card processing fee
Sample Day-by-Day Itinerary:
Day 1: April 19, Monday, Nashville or Atlanta to Italy
Depart for our overnight flights to Rome . Dinner and breakfast are served on board.
Day 2: April 20, Tuesday, Arrive Rome
Upon arrival your escort will warmly greet you this morning and welcome you to Italy. Transfer to your hotel and enjoy a free afternoon for rest, relaxation, or exploration. You tour escort can suggest sights or walks for you to enjoy
Day 3: April 21,
Wednesday,
Rome (Papal
Audience and Vatican Museum Tour)
Wake up in Eternal City, one of the greatest centers of
Western Civilization and the first truly cosmopolitan city on earth! It
is also spiritual capital for all the Catholics around the
world. Today is truly a day we will have in our minds for many years
to come. This morning we go to Vatican City to attend the weekly Papal
Audience or Blessing given by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
(pending papal schedule).
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. We'll 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. We will also visit the grave
of Pope John Paul II located at the Vatican (time permitting). 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 4: April 22, Thursday, Rome
This morning we depart for a sightseeing tour with focus on "Christian Rome" Touring we will see many important cultural and monumental sights around Rome. Stop for a visit at 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. St Paul Outside the Walls, which houses the remains of St Paul under its main altar. We 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. We’ll continue afterward with
visits to major ancient Roman attractions, some of which include the Roman Forum, the Coliseum and Palatine Hill. We will also enjoy a visit to the Trevi fountain. Dinner in Rome.
Day 5: April 23,
Friday,
Rome - Monte Cassino - San Giovanni Rotondo
We leave Rome, the Eternal City, for San Giovanni Rotondo. Stop in Monte
Cassino, a beautiful town founded by St. Benedict in 529. Dinner and
overnight in San Giovanni Rotondo.
Day 6: April 24, Saturday, San Giovanni Rotondo - Monte Sant’Angelo
After celebrating Mass at the tomb of Padre Pio, we tour the sanctuary, see the old church and 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, and a restful overnight.
Day 7: April 25, Sunday, San Giovanni Rotondo - Lanciano - Loreto - Assisi
We will have breakfast at our hotel before we embark on a drive up the Adriatic coast to Lanciano where we will see the Eucharistic Miracle and celebrate Mass. We then continue on 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 first prayed the Magnificat, in which Jesus grew to manhood, and in which the Holy Family lived. Continue to Assisi for dinner and overnight.
Day 8: April 26, Monday, Assisi
Visit the 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 the saint's 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. We will visit these two saints' tombs before dinner and retiring for the evening.
Day 9: April 27, Tuesday, Assisi - Sienna
We 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: April 28, Wednesday, Assisi - Turin
After breakfast at our hotel, we’ll depart Assisi for Turin by motorcoach. We’ll enjoy the panorama and landscape of this part of Italy on our way. We’ll enjoy a panoramic tour of Genova enroute, and make a stop for lunch (on your own). Later this afternoon, we’ll arrive in Turin for dinner and overnight.
Day 11: April 29, Thursday, Turin & the Holy Shroud
After breakfast we will be met by our tour guide and depart on our full day tour of Turin and visit to the Holy Shroud. During our tour of Turin we will see Piazza San Carlo, Po Street, and Mount of the Capuchin Monks. We then have the opportunity to view the Shroud of Turin in the St. John the Baptist Cathedral. Reputed to be the burial cloth of Christ, it is an amazing sight. It is a linen cloth 14 feet, 3 inches long by 3 feet, 7 inches wide bearing the distinct image of a crucified man. The last time the shroud was displayed publicly was during the Jubilee Year of 2000 and was not originally due to be displayed again until 2025. Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has authorized it to be displayed for a brief period in 2010. We will have what is perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view the Shroud. We return to the hotel in time for dinner and a restful overnight!
Day 12: April 30, Friday, Departure
After breakfast we transfer to the airport for our departure flights back to the US with fond memories to remember for a lifetime.
For Additional Information & Travel Tips Please Visit:
What to Know Before You Go to Italy
For more information contact:
Richard & Luba Richard
Or to book contact:
Sandra or Amanda
sandra@206tours.com, Amanda@206tours.com
