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Travel with Bishop Erik Pohlmeier on a pilgrimage to Italy. You will visit Lanciano, San Giovanni, Rome, Monte Cassino and much more.
Bishop Erik Pohlmeier and a Christian guide will meet your party at the airport and accompany you every step of the way as you explore Lanciano, San Giovanni, Rome, Monte Cassino and much more.
Bishop Erik Pohlmeier is accompanying this pilgrimage to help lead the group in prayer, fellowship, and thoughtful engagement with each traveler.
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.
We depart on an overnight flight from Jacksonville to Rome. Dinner and breakfast will be served on the flights. Optional premium economy and business class quotes are available upon request. Group tickets do not permit individual seat requests. If the airline seat location is a priority, please purchase your own air ticket and a land-only package from us.
We arrive in Rome in the morning and are greeted at the airport by our English-speaking tour guide, who will accompany us during the pilgrimage. We board our bus and drive to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. Here we celebrate Mass (TBC) and walk through the first of the four Holy Doors, which are open only during the Jubilee Year, as proclaimed by the Holy Father. After lunch, we visit Tre Fontane Convent, built on St. Paul’s beheading site, where three fountains sprung when the Apostle’s head bounced three times. Settle into our hotel and unpack before we meet for a welcome drink and dinner at our hotel. Overnight in Rome. (L. Dinner with a welcome drink)
Following breakfast, which is included each morning, we visit the Basilica of St. John the Lateran. This Basilica is where the Pope is installed and officiates as the Bishop of Rome. Here, we pass through the second Holy Door. Across the street, we visit the Holy Stairs. Tradition tells us that this staircase is from the palace of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem, brought to Rome by St. Helena in the 4th century. We may climb the steps on our knees to remember Christ’s agonizing Passion. We walk over to the nearby Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme to see the relics of the True Cross. Our next stop is the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where we walk through the third Holy Door of our Pilgrimage. The Basilica contains a relic from the Manager of the Infant Jesus. We celebrate Mass at St. Mary Major. Tonight, enjoy dinner with wine at a local restaurant. Overnight in Rome. (B. Special dinner)
Early this morning, we are transferred to St. Peter’s Square for the Papal Audience with the Holy Father. We stop at the Vatican post office, where we can post and mail prayer petitions for the Holy Father to pray over. Following lunch, we have a guided walking tour of Ancient Rome, including the area called Velabro, the site of the birth of Rome. We see the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, with its impressive Bell Tower. Entering this church, we might be welcomed by the Gregorian Chants performed by the Greek Orthodox community, which worships orthodox rites. Here, we see the famous La Bocca della Verita, the Mouth of the Truth, and the skull of St. Valentine, the patron saint of love. In the crypt of the church are relics from the Catacombs. We visit the thousand-year-old Basilica of St. Bartholomew on Tiber Island to see the relics of St. Bartholomew the Apostle. Continue passing by the Teatro Marcello (one of the best preserved Roman theaters) to Capitol Hill, where we have a great view of the valley of the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill. We then meet our tour bus for a transfer to the Basilica of St. Lawrence Outside the Walls, where St. Lawrence is buried. Here at one of the five “Papal Basilicas,” we celebrate Mass. Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Rome.
We walk to St. Peter’s Basilica for an early morning Mass and a guided tour of St. Peter’s Basilica, including the Vatican Museums. The Basilica was built on the site where St. Peter, the first Pope and Bishop of Rome, was martyred. Here, we view Michelangelo’s Pieta and pray at the tombs of St. Peter and Pope St. John Paul II. We pass through this fourth and final of the Holy Doors. Following lunch, we walk past Castel St. Angelo, over the Bridge of Angels to Piazza Navona, where we see the magnificent fountain by Bernini. Next is a visit to Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, the resting place of St. Catherine of Siena and the Pantheon. The rest of the day is at leisure to explore Rome on our own, perhaps to visit the nearby Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. Dinner is at leisure tonight, with the opportunity to taste some great Italian food in local restaurants. Overnight in Rome.
Following breakfast and hotel check-out, we board our bus and enjoy the scenic route drive to Monte Cassino, which passes through the Roman countryside known for its villas and vineyards. During the bus ride, our tour escort will share interesting information regarding Italy’s spiritual, historical, and cultural history. Monte Cassino, the principal monastery of the Benedictine Order, was founded by Saint Benedict around 530 A.D. We tour the monastery and have an opportunity to visit the gift shop before we celebrate Mass. Upon arrival in San Giovanni Rotondo, we check in at our hotel and enjoy dinner and a comfortable night of rest.
Following breakfast at the hotel, we walk to the nearby Santa Maria delle Grazie to visit the church and confessional where Padre Pio committed himself to hours of hearing Confessions. It was said that he could read souls, and pilgrims came to leave prayer intentions near his confessional. We see the incorrupt body of this great saint, along with his living quarters. Next, we board the bus to travel along the beautiful Gargano Peninsula to Monte Sant Angelo (grotto of St. Michael), where St. Michael appeared in the years 490, 492, and 493. Mass will be celebrated. Enjoy time for lunch on our own in this charming and quaint area before returning to the hotel. Dinner and overnight in San Giovanni Rotondo.
We depart the hotel following breakfast for a drive along the Adriatic coast. Our destination is Termoli, a city in Molise, one of the smallest Italian Regions. We visit the Cathedral, which contains the skull of Saint Timothy, who met St. Paul around the year 49 during the Apostle’s 2nd missionary journey and helped the Apostle spread the Gospel. His relics were discovered here in 1945 during restoration work on the cathedral’s crypt. The workers found a marble tombstone with an inscription: “In the year of the Lord 1239. Here rests in peace the body of the blessed Timothy, disciple of the blessed Apostle.” We celebrate Mass in this sacred spot. Our lunch today is based on delicious local fish recipes. Continue to Pescara, where we will spend the next two nights. Dinner and overnight are at the hotel in Pescara. (B.L.D)
We depart the hotel early today on a short bus ride to Lanciano to visit the Church of St. Longinus, the site of the Eucharistic Miracle. After Mass, we drive along the path of San Tommaso. En route we stop at Montepulciano Winery for a visit. We see the fountain of wine, where pilgrims from all over the world could be refreshed after the fatigue of the journey. We enjoy a tour, lunch, and wine tasting. This afternoon, we visit the Cathedral in Ortona, which houses the bones of St Thomas the Apostle. Return to Pescara for dinner and overnight. (B. Special lunch. D)
This morning, we drive towards Rome, stopping en route in Manoppello to visit the Basilica Sanctuary of the Holy Face, where we celebrate Mass. We continue to L’Aquila, where after a lunch break, we visit the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio, known for its Holy Door, which is opened once a year in celebration of Forgiveness, called “ Perdonanza.” This is the site of the original Papal Jubilee established in 1294 by Pope Celestine V, who is buried here. It is fitting that our Jubilee Year pilgrimage began with a visit to the Holy Door and ends with the visit to the original Holy Door opened for the first Jubilee Year. Later in the afternoon, we will reach our hotel in Tivoli. Farewell dinner with wine and overnight in Tivoli. (B. L. Farewell dinner)
We are transferred to the airport for our flight home.
Land and Air. Main trip package.
Land Only. Main trip package.
Single Room Supplement. Additional supplement.
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