DAY    2            ARRIVE IN NAPLES - SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO (2 NIGHTS)
Welcome to Italy! We will be met at the airport by our Casterbridge Tour Manager/Guide and escorted to our private coach for transfer to our hotel. Upon arrival in San Giovanni Rotondo, we will visit the famous Basilica Church of Padre Pio for a special tour and Mass to officially begin our pilgrimage. These are precious days for Pilgrims who hold dear the life of Padre Pio, a Capuchin friar, mystic and stigmatic of the 20th century. Our visit will include the rare opportunity to venerate this mystical man of God as the Vatican exhumes his body. The Basilica Church of Padre Pio, designed by Renzo Piano, the Italian architect who designed the Georges Pompidou Center in Paris and the Osaka airport, is one of the most modern buildings in recent times. After time to visit and pray, we will settle into our hotel with some free time before dinner. The evening is ours for relaxation and reflection. (Arrival day sightseeing is necessarily subject to flight arrival time.)

DAY    3            MONTE SANT'ANGELO & SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO
This morning we will make a short journey to Monte Sant’Angelo to visit the Church of St Michele Arcangelo, located in the cave where the Archangel Michael appeared to St Lawrence, the local bishop, in 493. The church doors are located at the bottom of a stairwell and contain biblical scenes cast in bronze in Constantinople and where all sins are washed away. There will be plenty of time for prayer and exploration of this quiet town before returning to San Giovanni Rotondo. As we re-enter the city, we will stop to visit the church of Santa Maria della Grazie and the Capuchin Friary that served as the home of Padre Pio.

DAY    4            SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO - LANCIANO AREA (1 NIGHT)
We will make a leisurely start to our day as we travel north to Lanciano to visit the home of the Eucharistic Miracle preserved today at the Church of San Francesco. One day during services, a priest doubted whether the host existed in the Eucharist, when after consecrating the bread and wine he watched it turn into flesh and blood. We will celebrate Mass here with the most sacred Eucharist nearby. Then we will visit the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, dating from the 13th century and best known for its 14th century portal and a silver crucifixion by Nicola da Guardiagrele.

DAY    5            LANCIANO AREA - LORETO - ASSISI (2 NIGHTS)
This morning we will travel to Loreto to visit the Basilica and Holy House of Loreto. The story is that angels from Nazareth took the house in which Mary grew up to Croatia and then to a laurel grove, Loreto, in 1294. The house now rests inside the Basilica, designed by several Renaissance architects, including Bramante and Sansovino. We will celebrate Mass here and have plenty of time for prayer and reflection before continuing on to Assisi. As we approach Assisi, we will stop to visit the Basilica of St Mary of the Angels and the small Porziuncola Chapel inside the basilica that St Francis built with his own hands in a very simplistic style that was decorated upon his death in tribute to this great man.

DAY    6            ASSISI
Today we will explore the delightful walled city of Assisi, 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 co-founder 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. Our tour continues 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 and the upper and lower churches. Following dinner, the evening is at our leisure.

DAY    7            ASSISI - ORVIETO - ROME (3 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 our arrival in Rome, we will enjoy a brief orientation tour including visits to the Piazza Navona where we will see the famous Four Rivers Fountain by Bernini. Our walk continues to the Pantheon, one of the grandest and the best-preserved Roman monuments that today houses the tombs of Raphael, Vittorio Emmanuelle II and Queen Margherita.

DAY    8            ROME (CITY OF THE POPES)
Our day today will begin with a Papal Audience, where our group will be announced to and items blessed by the Holy Father (subject to availability and the Holy Father’s schedule). In the afternoon, 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. Then we will visit 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.

DAY    9            ROME (MAJOR CHRISTIAN SHRINES)
Today we travel along 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 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, where we will have the opportunity to throw coins into fountain to ensure our return to the Eternal City.

DAY    10            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.