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

DAY    2            ARRIVE IN MILAN - PADUA (2 NIGHTS)
Welcome to Italy! Upon arrival at the airport your Casterbridge Tour Manager/Guide will meet you and escort you to your private coach for transfer to your hotel. Upon arrival in Padua, we will visit the famous St. Anthony's Basilica for a special tour and Mass to officially begin our pilgrimage. St. Anthony is one of the most beloved saints in the world and thousands of pilgrimages visit his tomb to ask his prayerful support of their special intentions. After time to visit and pray, we will settle into our hotel with some free time before dinner. The evening is yours for relaxation and reflection.

DAY    3            DAY TRIP TO VENICE
Venice is set in languorous beauty on a shiny lagoon and the centre of this city, built on a myriad of wooden piles, is St. Mark's Square. We will walk up through the narthex to the Galleries to see the original Bronze Horses, which once adorned the facade, and to see the best view of St. Mark's Square from the original platform where their copies now stand. Next to St. Mark's is the superb Doges Palace and we will also see the 9th century Bell Tower, the Clock Tower and the old Law Courts on St. Mark's Square. Your guide will also help you discover galleries filled with masterpieces, churches, small squares, tortuous canals and humped bridges like the Bridge of Sighs. A short walk through the city's narrow passageways will take us to the most elegant and important bridge across the Grand Canal, the Ponte Rialto. The climax of our day will be a Gondola ride through the tranquil canals of the Castello quarter of the city.

DAY    4            PADUA - FLORENCE AREA (1 NIGHT)
Our day will begin at the Accademia Gallery to see Michelangelo's outstanding statue of David. We then continue to the Piazza del Duomo, where the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Tower and Baptistery display the traditions of Florentine art from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. We will view the Baptistery's bronze doors by Ghiberti, which Michelangelo said were worthy to be the "Gates of Paradise" and then visit the beautiful Gothic Duomo. After a brief visit inside the church, we will have the opportunity to do one of the following: ascend the Bell Tower, climb the narrow steps to the top of the Red Dome, or visit the spectacular interior of the Baptistery (One admission included). After lunch, we will explore the San Lorenzo area of the city where there will be free time to browse through the leather and craft market. Our afternoon will then be based around the Piazza della Signoria, the political stage of renaissance Florence and virtually an open-air museum of sculpture with its many statues. We will celebrate Mass at Santa Croce.

DAY    5            FLORENCE AREA - PISA - SIENA - ASSISI (3 NIGHTS)
We will drive to Pisa to view the breathtaking Piazza del Duomo, known in Italian as the 'Field of Miracles' for the beautiful ensemble of the Cathedral, Baptistery and the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. The tower was completed in 1350 after two centuries of construction, despite the sinking foundations. We take our leave from Pisa and make our way to Siena, home of St. Catherine. We will visit the Church of St. Domenic, and pause in the very chapel where this Doctor of the Church received her religious habit. Several miracles have been recorded here. We will then visit the Church of St. Francis and pray at the tabernacle containing the "Miracle Hosts". These hosts are over 250 years old and remain perfectly intact. They should have decayed a long time ago, but are as fresh as on the very day they were consecrated. We will celebrate Mass here. Our final stop is the Umbrian town of Assisi. It is beautifully nestled on the side of Mt. Subasio, and continues to be a special place of peace and serenity. Dinner this evening will be at our hotel.

DAY    6            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 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            DAY TRIP TO CASCIA AND LORETO
This morning we will travel to Cascia to visit the Shrine of St. Rita, one of the most popular Italian saints. She was a married woman, a mother, a widow, a nun, a stigmatist and even a mystic. Her incorrupt body rests in a glass coffin within the Shrine. The shrine is also home to a miraculous host that turned into real flesh and blood. We will have time to venerate this sacred gift and deepen our love for the Real Presence that sustained saints like Rita through difficulties and hardships. Our day continues as we travel to Loreto for a visit to the Holy House of Loreto. The story is that angels from Nazareth took the house to Croatia and then to Loreto in 1294. The house now rests inside the Basilica. We will celebrate Mass here before returning to Assisi.

DAY    8            ASSISI - ORVIETO - ROME (4 NIGHTS)
This morning we leave the tranquil surroundings of Assisi and make our way to the "Eternal City" of Rome. Along the way, we will stop at the town of Orvieto. Set atop a high volcanic plateau, Orvieto is hidden from the rolling farmlands of southern Umbria. Believed to have originally been a large Etruscan city of many temples, Orvieto is more famous today for its impressive Duomo and for its white wine. We will enjoy a Walking Tour around its medieval streets to the striking Duomo with its beautiful Gothic facade. Inside, the Cappella Nuova contains the fresco cycle that influenced Michelangelo, the 'End of the World,' and the Cappella del Corporale, housing a cloth on which the blood of Christ is supposed to have appeared miraculously in nearby Bolsena in 1263, a relic that is carried through the streets each June on the feast of Corpus Christi, a festival that originated in Orvieto. We will celebrate Mass here in the Duomo. We will then continue our journey to Rome. Upon arrival we will enjoy a brief orientation tour and a visit to the Piazza Navona. Here we will see the famous Four Rivers Fountain by Bernini and view the work of local artists and crafters. This is an ideal place to enjoy a gelato or relax absorbing the people and activity.

DAY    10          ROME (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 the magnificent Raphael Rooms and 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. The majesty and size of St. Peter's Basilica upon entry is unforgettable. Inside we will see The Pieta by Michelangelo, the tomb of St. Peter, and Bernini's magnificent Baldacchino. We may be able to arrange a Papal Audience (subject to availability and the Holy Father's schedule).

DAY    11          ROME (MAJOR CHRISTIAN SHRINES)
Today we travel to the Ancient Appian Way, the first and most important of the great roads, which 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 our return to Rome, we will visit the Church of St Peter in Chains where the chains that held St. Peter are on display. We will also visit the Church of Trinita dei Monti for an excellent panorama of the city and walk down the Spanish Steps. This evening we will enjoy a special farewell celebration, culminating with a stop at the Trevi Fountain. You will have the opportunity to throw coins into fountain to ensure you return to the Eternal City.

DAY    12          DEPARTURE FROM ROME
Your enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to an end as your Casterbridge Tour Manager/Guide accompanies you to the airport for the return flight.