DAY    1            DEPARTURE FROM NORTH AMERICA
Enjoy full meal service on your scheduled wide-bodied flight to Rome.

DAY    2            ARRIVE ROME (6 NIGHTS)
We will be met at the airport by our Casterbridge Tour Manager/Guide, where we will board our own private coach and transfer into Rome, "The Eternal City." This afternoon we will take an introductory Walking Tour, commencing outside Castel Sant' Angelo. We will then cross the Tiber River and walk to Piazza Navona, which was built on the foundations of Domitian's Circus. This magnificent square, designed in the 17th century by Bernini, is full of life and is highlighted by one of Rome's most spectacular fountains, the fountain of the Four Rivers. The square is often filled with local artists, and the surrounding neighborhood is one of the best places in Rome to get a tasty tartufo or gelato ice cream.

DAY    3            ROME (THE CITY OF THE CAESARS)
Today we will explore Rome's most spectacular remains from the powerful Roman Empire, commencing with a specialist guided tour of the Colosseum, considered the symbol of Rome's eternity. Completed under Titus in 80 A.D., over 55,000 spectators could watch the gladiatorial games. We continue with a walk through the ruins and excavations of the Roman Forum, featuring the remains of magnificent temples, basilicas and triumphal arches, which once formed the heart of the Empire. Our tour continues with a visit to the Mamertine Prison, once reserved for those that posed a threat to the security of Rome including Saints Peter and Paul, before viewing Trajan's Column and Markets and the grandiose Vittorio Emmanuelle Monument. Our afternoon commences at the Church of St. Peter in Chains, which houses the chains used to hold St Peter in Rome. Our afternoon concludes with a visit to the Pantheon, one of the grandest and the best-preserved Roman monuments, transformed from a Pagan temple into a unique Christian church.

DAY    4            ROME (THE CITY OF THE POPES)
Today we will visit the Vatican, the world's smallest independent nation, and the religious center of the Roman Catholic Church. Our day begins with a specialist-guided tour of the Vatican Museums, which house one of the most impressive collections of art in the world. Our tour will include the map rooms, the tapestry rooms, and the magnificent Raphael Rooms, as well as the spectacular Sistine Chapel, highlighted by Michelangelo's ceiling and his Last Judgment. We continue with a visit to St. Peter's Basilica, the largest church in the western world and the most important point of pilgrimage in the Catholic world. Highlights of our visit will include: The Pieta by Michelangelo, the tomb of St. Peter and Bernini's magnificent Baldacchino. If possible, we will arrange a Papal Audience (subject to availability and the Holy Father's schedule). We will also visit the Necropolis to see the original Tomb of St. Peter (subject to availability).

DAY    5            ROME (CATHEDRALS OF ROME)
Our day will begin with a visit to St. John Lateran and the Holy Steps, which, according to tradition, were brought back by St. Helena from the Holy Land and are the steps that Christ ascended when He was condemned by Pilate. The morning continues with a visit to the Victorian-Gothic Church of San Alfonso and the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The icon was originally venerated on the Island of Crete. A merchant allegedly took the picture to hide it from the ensuing Turkish forces. It was first venerated in Rome in 1499 AD. Ample time will be provided here for personal prayer and meditation. In the afternoon, we will visit Santa Maria Maggiore (Saint Mary Major), one of Rome's four patriarchal basilicas that dates back to the 5th century. The main facade was added in the 18th century, preserving the glorious 13th century mosaics of the earlier facade. With a Baroque interior and a Romanesque bell tower, the basilica's most notable feature is a cycle of mosaics from the 5th century that decorates the arch and nave, depicting biblical scenes.

DAY    6            DAY TRIP TO ASSISI
Today we will journey to Assisi. This delightful walled city is largely associated with one of the world's most beloved saints, St. Francis. The city has actually changed very little since his time, and the spirit of St. Francis still permeates the area. Our first stop will be the Church of St. Clare, dedicated to the foundress of the Order of the Poor Clares. She worked closely with Francis throughout her life and was also called to a lifestyle of community, prayer, and service to the poor. Inside the Church we will see the Byzantine style Cross of San Damiano. Legend has it that Christ spoke to Francis from this very cross and called him to "rebuild my church". We will have time to visit the undercroft and pray at the bones of this holy woman. The tour moves on with a visit to the Basilica of St. Francis. This "Double Basilica" combines the wishes of the St. Francis for a simple and unassuming burial place, and the desire of the city to celebrate the life and legacy of one of its own. It is now two superimposed churches resting on a series of arches. The lower church hold's true to the saint's wishes and is simple and somber. The upper Basilica is a Gothic work, with a tall and graceful nave and walls adorned with a cycle of Fresco's by Giotto. We will have time to visit his tomb, the Chapel of the Transitus, and the upper and lower churches. Time permitting we will visit the Basilica of St Mary of the Angels and the small Porziuncola Chapel inside the basilica. We return to our hotel in Rome for the evening.

DAY    7            ROME
This morning we travel just outside of Rome for a visit to the Catacombs of St. Callixtus, funerary tunnels which represent the first known cemetery of the Christian community of Rome. There are many sepulchral chambers and almost half a million tombs of early Christians, along with paintings, sculptures, and epigraphs, which provide invaluable material for the study of the life and customs of the ancient Christians. Our day continues with a Walking Tour past the Temples of Apollo, Fortuna and Virilis and the Theater of Marcellus, ending with a visit to the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. This church is famous for having the Mouth of Truth on the porch, a representation of an ancient pagan God to whom the truth was sworn. On our final evening in Rome, we will walk to the Spanish Steps, the stairway of the Church of Trinita dei Monti, and "the sitting room" of the city. Our evening concludes at the spectacular Trevi Fountain, where it is traditional to toss a coin into the fountain to ensure a safe return to the Eternal City.

DAY    8            DEPARTURE FROM ROME
Our enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to an end as our Casterbridge Tour Manager/Guide accompanies us to the airport for the return flight home.