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

DAY    2            ARRIVE ROME - SIENA AREA (3 NIGHTS)
We will be met at the airport by our Casterbridge Tour Manager/Guide where we board our own private coach and transfer to Tuscany. En route, we stop in Siena, one of Italy's best-preserved medieval cities, which is dominated by its unique Duomo (Cathedral) and its striped Bell Tower. At the Duomo, we will the see the beautiful Piccolomini Library, designed to house the churches collection of illuminated manuscripts. The magnificent room features an unrivaled ceiling and large frescoes depicting the important events in the life of Pope Pius II. In Siena we will also visit the Sanctuary of St. Catherine, which was the home to one of the greatest female mystics who ever lived, having had her first mystical experience at the age of 6. St. Catherine was graced with many spiritual gifts, such as the stigmata, and was a counselor to two popes.

DAY    3            DAY TRIP TO ASSISI
This morning we travel to Assisi, a city forever associated with St. Francis. Our sightseeing commences with a visit to the grandiose, gorgeously embellished Basilica di San Francesco, an incongruous memorial to a man who preached and lived an utterly simple life - one of poverty, abstinence, and renunciation of worldly goods in search of greater spirituality. We will explore the bi-level basilica including: the Lower Church, the Crypt, and the Upper Church, with the famous 28 scenes of the Life of St. Francis, frescoed by Giotto. We continue with a visit to the Church of Santa Chiara, the resting place for St. Clare's bones, as well as the home of Francis's miraculous crucifix. Our visit will include the neo-Gothic Crypt, and the Oratorio del Crocifisso, preserving the venerated 12th-century crucifix that spoke to St. Francis at San Damiano and set him on his holy path. We will also have Mass at St. Francis Basilica.

DAY    4            DAY TRIP TO FLORENCE
This morning we travel to Florence, the "Cradle of the Renaissance," and one of the most beautiful cities in the world. We begin with a visit to the Piazza del Duomo, where the Cathedral, Tower and Baptistery display the traditions of Florentine art from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. We will view the massive and detailed façade of the Duomo before viewing the Baptistery's bronze doors by Ghiberti, which Michelangelo commented were worthy to be the "Gates of Paradise." Our afternoon begins in the Piazza della Signoria, the political stage of Renaissance Florence and virtually an open-air museum of sculpture. We will have Mass today at Santa Croce.

DAY    5            SIENA - APPIAN WAY - ROME (4 NIGHTS)
Today we journey to Rome via the Ancient Appian Way, the first and most important of the great roads that the Romans built. Here we will visit the little Chiesa di Santa Maria in Palmis, or Chiesa del Domine Quo Vadis, where, according to tradition, St. Peter spoke with Jesus when St. Peter was fleeing Rome in order to escape Nero's persecution. Peter asked "Domine, quo vadis?" meaning "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus reproached him, inviting him to retrace his steps, even if it meant he would be crucified. Then we will explore the Catacombs where the Early Christians of ancient Rome were buried underground. Upon arrival in Rome, we will visit the Church of St Peter in Chains where the chains that held St. Peter are on display.

DAY    6            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 AD, 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 in Bernini's Piazza Navona, 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. 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    7            ROME (THE CITY OF THE POPES)
Today we will explore the Vatican, the world's smallest independent nation, and the center of the Christian world. 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 attempt to arrange a visit to the Necropolis to see the original Tomb of St. Peter. We will have Mass today at St. Peter's Basilica.

DAY    8            ROME (THE GREAT CHURCHES AND CHRISTIAN SHRINES)
Today we visit the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the ecumenical mother church and official seat of the Pope. Then we will walk past the Holy Steps that according to tradition were used by Jesus during his Passion. We will also visit the Shrine of our Lady of Perpetual Help, where ample time will be provided for personal prayer and meditation. This afternoon we visit Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the four major basilicas in Rome and the largest dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Then we will stroll through the Villa Borghese, a large and beautiful park containing the Museo Galleria Borghese, as well as fountains and sculptures in the Gardens Borghese. This evening, we will walk to the Spanish Steps and follow the narrow streets leading to the famous Trevi Fountain. We will attend Mass today at St. John Lateran.

DAY    9            DEPART ROME
Your enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to an end as our Casterbridge Tour Manager / Guide accompanies you to the airport for the return flight.