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★ Hosted by Emily and Chris Chapman
Catholic Pilgrimage · 10 Days · Italy

A Jubilee Christmastime Pilgrimage in Rome with Emily and Chris Chapman

Join Emily and Chris Chapman on a family friendly Jubilee Christmastime pilgrimage to Rome. This trip visits Orvieto, Rome, Castel Gandolfo, and more!

Dates
December 26, 2025 – January 4, 2026
Departs New York JFK
Duration
10 Days
Trip code 25JA12ITEC-SB
From
$3,995
The Pilgrimage

Walk in the Footsteps of Faith

Join Emily and Chris Chapman on a family friendly Jubilee Christmastime pilgrimage to Rome. This pilgrimage will visit Orvieto, Rome, Castel Gandolfo, and more!

Emily and Chris Chapman
Your Host

Emily and Chris Chapman

Catholic family pilgrimage leaders

Emily Stimpson Chapman is an award-winning Catholic writer and the author of books, essays, children’s stories, and faith-formation resources. She writes about Catholic theology, culture, home, beauty, suffering, and the Christian life. Together with her husband, Chris Chapman, she leads faith-centered pilgrimages that connect Catholic history, prayer, culture, and the life of the Church.

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Know Before You Go

What's included

✓ Included

  • ✓Round-trip airfare from NY JFK/Rome
  • ✓Airport taxes and fuel surcharges
  • ✓First-class (four-star hotel) for eight nights
  • ✓Service charges and hotel taxes
  • ✓Buffet breakfast daily
  • ✓Three restaurant lunches
  • ✓Five Hotel dinners (standard 3-course menu; beverages may be purchased at an additional cost)
  • ✓New Year’s Eve dinner with wine at the hotel
  • ✓New Year’s Day restaurant dinner with wine
  • ✓Visit to an olive oil and wine Estate in Orvieto with a wine-tasting
  • ✓All transfers with a private A/C motor coach as per the itinerary
  • ✓Professional English-speaking Christian tour guide throughout
  • ✓Entrance fees are included for sites specifically listed (outside view means no entrance is included)
  • ✓Luggage handling at hotels (one piece per person in/out)
  • ✓Select International Tours Travel Portfolio
  • ✓Confirmation of daily private Mass
  • ✓Whisper sets

× Not included

  • ×Travel protection -we recommend you consider purchasing CFAR Travel Protection
  • ×Tipping /Gratuities for the guide(s), driver, and wait staff (please refer to the suggestions we will provide for you with your final documents).
  • ×Suggested budget $ 200- $ 220.00
  • ×Any items not explicitly mentioned in the list of inclusions
  • ×Beverages at meals, unless otherwise noted
  • ×Meals not specifically listed at the end of each day (B.L.D.)
  • ×Church donations (budget $ 2.00 - $ 5.00 per Mass)
  • ×Airport transfers for land-only passengers unless they are at the airport at the same time as the group
  • ×Personal expenses
  • ×Mandatory children’s bus seats (extra fee if you don’t bring your own)
  • ×Any airline baggage charges
  • ×Baggage handling at train stations, airports, and hotels in excess of one suitcase per person
  • ×Any charges incurred due to excessive luggage including the cost of an additional baggage vehicle or porterage charges

See the official trip information for gratuities, shipping and handling, payment fees, and any optional-extension charges.

Day by Day

Your pilgrimage, mapped out

Tap any day to explore. Meals: B breakfast · L lunch · D dinner.
Day 1December 26, 2025
DEPART FROM THE USA
+

Depart on an overnight flight to Rome. Dinner and breakfast are served on the plane. Quotes for add-on flights and optional Premium Economy and Business Class upgrades are available upon request starting 120 days before departure. Due to group air restrictions, we cannot request specific seats on the flight. If specific seating on flights is important to you, we suggest purchasing the land-only option with us and booking your airline tickets on your own.

Day 2December 27, 2025
ROME
+

Welcome to Italy. Upon arrival in Rome, we are greeted by our Italian tour manager, who will assist us onto our bus. Our first stop is St. Paul Outside the Walls, where we celebrate Mass and walk through the Holy Door just before it closes at the conclusion of the Jubilee Year. We visit the nearby Tre Fontane Convent, the site of Paul’s beheading, and have lunch at a local restaurant. Following lunch, we check into our hotel, where we have time to unpack, enjoy dinner, and a well-deserved overnight in Rome.

LD
Day 3December 28, 2025
ANCIENT TREASURES
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We visit the Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains), where we celebrate Mass. Descending Oppio Hill, we reach San Clemente, where we visit the Scavi and the church. Our next stop is the Forum and the Colosseum for a guided tour. Following a break for lunch (not included), we enjoy a walking tour and see Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, the Pantheon (outside view), and finally, the Gesu Church, where at 5:00 PM, we take our seats to admire the Macchina Barocca (the light show) before we return to the hotel for dinner and an overnight.

BD
Day 4December 29, 2025
VATICAN TREASURES AND THE HOLY DOOR
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This morning, we celebrate Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica (TBC), walk through the Holy Door open until Epiphany, and explore St. Peter’s Basilica. You may wish to visit the Vatican Museum (be sure to purchase tickets from the Vatican Museum site well in advance) and admire the nativity scenes that line St. Peter’s Square, as the afternoon is at leisure. Nearby is Piazza Navona, with its magnificent Bernini fountains and festive Christmas Markets. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

BD
Day 5December 30, 2025
ROME
+

After breakfast, we visit St. John the Lateran, the Holy Stairs, and the nearby Holy Cross in Jerusalem. At St. Mary Major Basilica, we celebrate Mass, then walk over to the nearby St. Prasside Church. After a lunch break (not included), we visit the Bone Church, ending our day at the Spanish Steps, where we have time to walk around the area and explore independently. Nearby is the Trevi Fountain, and on the opposite side of the Spanish Steps is Piazza del Popolo. Dinner is at leisure, to choose one of the many restaurants in the area. We suggest something novel, the Canova Restaurant near Piazza del Popolo, for dinner, as it’s housed in the former studio of the sculptor Antonio Canova. Here, you can dine surrounded by larger-than-life white sculptures that glow in the late afternoon light. In the back of the restaurant, you will see the artist’s tools, and there is a quieter dining room upstairs that the kids can enjoy. Overnight in Rome.

B
Day 6December 31, 2025
ROME AT LEISURE – VESPERS SERVICE AT ST. PETER’S BASILICA
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We have the day at leisure to explore the city. We suggest visiting the Children’s Museum or the magical Christmas World at Borghese Gardens. This evening, we attend New Year’s Eve Vespers at St. Peter’s Basilica (TBC), followed by a festive dinner at the hotel around 8:00 PM. Overnight in Rome. (B.Special dinner)

BD
Day 7January 1, 2026
ROME – HAPPY NEW YEAR
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We attend New Year’s Day Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in the morning (TBC). Later in the day, our destination is the Bohemian section of Rome. In Trastevere, we visit Santa Cecilia and Santa Maria Churches, and the children will have time to play in the local park. We may also have an opportunity to see the ‘ trame di luce” (Christmas light and art show) https://tramediluce.it/en/. We have a New Year’s Day dinner celebration in a local restaurant tonight. Overnight in Rome. (B. Special dinner)

BD
Day 8January 2, 2026
ROME – ORVIETO – FULL DAY EXCURSION
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Following breakfast, we travel to Orvieto to visit the magnificent Duomo, where we celebrate Mass and where the Miracle of the Eucharist of Bolsena is housed. Following our included lunch at a local restaurant, we visit Le Velette Estate for a history lesson about olive oil and wine production. We return to Rome for dinner and overnight.

BLD
Day 9January 3, 2026
CASTEL GANDOLFO
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We drive outside of Rome to visit the lovely little town of Castel Gandolfo, where we tour the Papal Summer Residence with small buses and see the Papal Farms and Gardens. We celebrate Mass in town, followed by lunch in a lakeside restaurant. We return to Rome for dinner and overnight.

BLD
Day 10January 4, 2026
RETURN TO USA
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This morning, we are transferred to the airport for our flights back to the United States.

B
Pricing

Choose how you travel

Land and Air
$4,895per person

Land and Air. Main trip package.

Most popular
Land Only
$3,995per person

Land Only. Main trip package.

Single Room Supplement
$1,095additional

Single Room Supplement. Additional supplement.

Infants 0-23 Months
$500per person

Infants 0-23 Months. Brochure-listed discount.

Children Ages 2-12 will receive a
$500per person

Children Ages 2-12 will receive a. Brochure-listed discount.

ETA Required
Confirm requirements with Select for this destination.
Deposit
A deposit of $750.00 per person should accompany your registration by September 20, 2025.
Final Payment
Final payment is due by October 27, 2005.
Passport Validity
Your passport must be valid through July 4, 2026.
Pilgrimage Information

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This pilgrimage has ended

Completed

This departure has ended. Registration is closed.