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Spiritual Highlights of Italy – Faith-Based Travel (5300)

9 Day Tour from Rome to Rome

2021 Tour Details2022 Tour Details »2023 Tour Details »

On this inspirational tour, you’ll have the opportunity to attend the Papal Audience, learn about some of Italy’s beloved Saints, and attend Mass. Learn about St. Pio of Pietrelcina, a modern-day saint; visit the Shrine of Monte Sant’Angelo; see the Eucharistic Miracle in Lanciano; reflect in the Holy House of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Loreto; and visit the Basilicas of St. Francis and St. Clare in Assisi. Italy is a must for Catholic travelers and art lovers.

To know more about the visas for this vacation, click here

 Tour Highlights

Sightseeing:

ROME
Papal audience in the Vatican (subject to availability), visit the four Major Basilicas of Rome, the Scala Sancta, and the Papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo.

PIETRELCINA and SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO
Follow in the footsteps of St. Pio

MONTE SANT’ANGELO
Visit the Shrine

LANCIANO and LORETO
Visit the Sanctuary of the Eucharistic Miracle and the Holy House

ASSISI
Familiarize yourself with the life of St. Francis

CASCIA
Visit the Sanctuary

[M] MASS SERVICES:
Rome, San Giovanni Rotondo, Lanciano, Assisi (all in local language and venues subject to change).

Guides:

Local Guides for city sightseeing in Rome and Assisi; services of a professional Tour Director while touring

Scenic Highlights:

Mass:
Rome, San Giovanni Rotondo, Lanciano, Assisi (subject to change)

Notes:

May 21 Departure St. Pio's feast day ( May 25)
September 19 Departure Anniversary of the passing of St. Pio (September 23) – No Papal audience on this departure.

UNESCO World Heritage

The following UNESCO World Heritage Sites can be seen or visited on this vacation:

  • Assisi, the Basilica of San Francesco
  • Assisi, the Basilica of St. Francis
  • Historic Centre of Rome – various properties Vatican City
Transportation:

Touring by private, first-class, air-conditioned motorcoach with free Wi-Fi

 Meals

 Meals & Itinerary

Buffet breakfasts daily, 4 dinners

 Itinerary

Inside visits and special features are shown in UPPERCASE in the tour description.

Day 1

ARRIVE IN ROME, ITALYWelcome to Italy! Check into your hotel, with rest of the day free to explore on your own. This afternoon, meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers, and prepare for your upcoming spiritual journey. Later this evening, a welcome dinner awaits at your hotel.
Dinner Dinner

Day 2

ROMEThis morning, attend the Papal Audience (subject to availability) for the chance to see the Pope and receive the Papal Blessing. Later, with a Local Guide visit St. Paul Outside the Walls, burial place of St. Paul the Apostle and one of Rome’s four major Papal basilicas, along with St. John Lateran Basilica. Next, visit the Scala Sancta (Holy Stairs), transported from Jerusalem to Rome around 326 AD by St. Helena, Emperor Constantine’s mother. These 28 marble steps are traditionally ascended in a kneeling position with a prayer recital dedicated to Jesus Christ. Then, visit the impressive St. Mary Major Basilica and attend [M] Mass.
Breakfast Breakfast

Day 3

ROME. EXCURSION TO CASTEL GANDOLFOA different, quite unique experience is offered today. We will take an included excursion to Castel Gandolfo, a quaint village in the hills outside Rome, to visit the Papal Summer Residence and Gardens with a Local Guide. Visit the rooms that have been occupied by many Popes over the centuries and enjoy the opportunity to reflect and meditate in quiet and relaxing surroundings. In the afternoon, enjoy time at leisure in Rome or join the optional excursion to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, world famous for Michelangelo’s impressive fresco, The Last Judgment.
Today's Distance: 50 mi / 80 km
Breakfast Breakfast

Day 4

ROME–PIETRELCINA–SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO On your way south, stop in quaint Pietrelcina, to visit the house where the beloved St. Pio was born, before heading towards San Giovanni Rotondo on the east coast, the Saint’s home from 1916 until his death in 1968.
Today's Distance: 258 mi / 415 km
Breakfast Breakfast Dinner Dinner

Day 5

SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO. EXCURSION TO MONTE SANT’ANGELOAttend [M] Mass this morning at Santa Maria delle Grazie (Old Church), then visit the friary of Padre Pio, including his tomb, cell, confessional, and the Padre Pio Pilgrimage Church (New Church). Afterwards, take a short drive to the nearby Shrine of Monte Sant’Angelo, one of Christendom’s most celebrated shrines, where St. Michael the Archangel appeared in 490, 492, and 1656. Tonight, attend the evening candlelight procession in San Giovanni Rotondo. This evening, attend the candlelight procession.
Today's Distance: 43 mi / 70 km
Breakfast Breakfast Dinner Dinner

Day 6

SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO–LANCIANO–LORETO–ASSISI AREAVisit St. Francis’ Church in Lanciano, home of the Sanctuary of the Eucharistic Miracle, and attend morning [M] Mass. Continue to the Sanctuary of Loreto, including the Holy House, where, according to tradition, angels transported the home of the blessed Virgin Mary. Arrive at the hilltop village of Assisi, home of St. Francis and St. Clare.
Today's Distance: 298 mi / 480 km
Breakfast Breakfast Dinner Dinner

Day 7

ASSISIToday, learn more about St. Francis, patron saint of animals and the environment. Attend early morning [M] Mass at St. Francis Basilica, famous for its 14th-century Giotto paintings depicting the life of St. Francis. Meet your Local Guide and visit the Upper and Lower Basilicas of St. Francis and the Basilica of St. Clare, founder of the Order of Poor Clares. Next, visit the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, situated at the foot of Assisi’s hills and protecting the Porziuncola, where St. Francis is said to have founded the Order of Friars Minor in 1209, and the Cappella del Transito, where the saint died in 1226.
Breakfast Breakfast

Day 8

ASSISI AREA–CASCIA–ROMETravel to Cascia this morning, situated in Umbria and home of St. Rita, the “Patron Saint of Impossible Causes.” Visit the Sanctuary and see the Major Basilica, the chapel that houses the tomb of St. Rita. Also, see the Minor Basilica, home of the Eucharistic Miracle that is commemorated each year with the Feast of Corpus Christi. Return to Rome for a final overnight stay.
Today's Distance: 149 mi / 240 km
Breakfast Breakfast

Day 9

ROMEYour vacation ends with breakfast this morning.
Breakfast Breakfast

 Tour Director

With Cosmos, there’s no better way to get to know your destination than through the eyes of your Tour Director. Averaging over a decade... we’d like you to meet a Tour Director, who is representative of the type of expert that will be with you on your vacation.

GIUSEPPE MOZZONI

Escorting tours for more than 10 years

"There's sage travel advice that "When in Rome, do as the Romans do!" That's my goal...to help every traveler experience Italy (and the Mediterranean) through an Italian perspective. We'll get to the heart and soul of each town-the sights, sounds, and flavors that make each place so unique. You'll definitely come away with a better understanding of why we say, "Italians do it better!""

Tour Director - GIUSEPPE MOZZONI

JORGE LOZANO LEITAO

Escorting tours for more than 5 years

"I'm a daily pilgrim, taking each day as a new opportunity to discover & share about life, people & places. Whilst I now live in Italy, I'm originally from Galicia in Spain and have double nationality due to my Portuguese father. I'm proud to consider Catholic faith-based travelling my specialist field. As I always explain to the pilgrims I'm glad to meet on our way, these experiences transcend the simpler sense of vacation touring as we do not only travel in search of shopping, exploring, leisure, relax or entertainment, but we travel to meet what, somehow, has been part of us from the very beginning of our existence through our identity, our family or cultural heritage: that's pilgrimating, a journey that takes us to redefine our existence according to our beliefs through those sites where these have happened or been commemorated."

Tour Director - JORGE LOZANO LEITAO

 Accommodations

ASSISI AREA
ROME
SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO

 Optional Excursions

Contact your Travel Consultant for more information.
Price Ranges

$ ($50 USD and under)
$$ ($51 - $100 USD)
$$$ ($101 - $150 USD)
$$$$ (Over $150)



* The "Starting at" or listed price is based on the lowest price available to book. Price is per passenger based on double occupancy and does not include airfare; additional fees/charges are not included. If a price is crossed out, the new price includes a limited time promotional offer(s) – please review current promotions or deals for additional information. Some tours require intra-vacation flights (and in some cases intra-vacation segments must be purchased from Cosmos).