Holy Year & Miracles of the Eucharist Pilgrimage to Italy with Fr. Kevin Gallagher and Fr. John Donia

We depart on an overnight flight from Philadelphia to Rome. Dinner and breakfast are served on the plane. Quotes for optional Premium Economy and Business Class upgrades are available upon request, starting 120 days before departure. We work with group airfare which does not permit us to assign specific seats on the airplane. If this is an important feature to you, please reserve your own air and book the Land Only option with us.

Upon arrival at Rome airport, we are greeted by the Select International Tours tour manager, who assists us with boarding the motorcoach. We embark on a wonderful spiritual journey to the most sacred sites in Italy. We are on our way to Florence. Our first stop is the hilltop town of Orvieto. At the Cathedral of Orvieto, we see where the Miracle of the Eucharist of Bolsena is housed, and we celebrate Mass. We enjoy lunch with a taste of the local wine and visit an amazing winery. Then our motorcoach takes us to Florence, where we settle into our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Florence is graced with majestic monuments, magnificent churches, and unparalleled works of art. The morning tour of Michelangelo’s city includes a visit to the Accademia to see the Statue of David, “Gates of Paradise” at the Baptistery and the Duomo (outside views), Giotto’s Bell Tower, Signoria Square, and Santa Croce Church, where we celebrate Mass. In the afternoon, you may visit the famous Uffizi Gallery or the Medici Chapel on your own. Lunch and dinner are at leisure. Overnight in Florence.

Following breakfast, we depart for Siena. We visit the Cathedral of St. Catherine, where we celebrate Mass and see the holy relics of the Saint displayed in the crypt. As we continue, our drive takes us through the magnificent countryside to Assisi, the city of birds and silence. Our stop before we check into our hotels is at the magnificent Basilica of Santa Maria Degli Angeli (St. Mary of the Angels) to explore the basilica, including the Porziuncola where St. Francis started his order. Dinner and overnight in Assisi.

Today, our visit to the city includes the Shrine of Renunciation at St. Mary Major church. This shrine was built to commemorate where St. Francis renounced his wealth and family and began his life of poverty and service to the Lord. It is now where the tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis lies. Blessed Carlo – the first millennial saint – dedicated part of his short life to cataloging Eucharistic Miracles worldwide. We visit the Church of St. Clare and San Damiano to see the chapel where Jesus spoke to St. Francis from the crucifix. Our visit continues to the Basilica of St. Francis, where we celebrate Mass. Dinner and overnight in Assisi.

This morning, we depart for Cascia, home of the beloved St. Rita and Miracle of the Eucharist. We see the Basilica of St. Rita with her incorrupt body, relics from her life, and the stained glass windows surrounding the main altar depicting the Eucharistic Miracle of Siena, which shows an open book with two red round stains facing each other. Today, a special monstrance holds the pages that reveal the blood stains in the lower chapel of the Basilica. In the stains is the perfect portrait outline of Christ’s face. Mass is celebrated at the Cathedral of St. Rita. Return to Assisi for dinner and overnight.

We depart for Loreto to see the Holy House of Nazareth, transported here from the Holy Land according to tradition. In it, we view the most reproduced Madonna in the world: the Black Madonna of Loreto. We drive to the sanctuary of the 8th-century Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano. We have time for adoration and a visit to the museum, which details the history of the miracle. Here, we celebrate Mass. Dinner and overnight in San Giovanni.

Today, our pilgrimage is dedicated to visiting the places associated with Padre Pio: his tomb and cell, the old church where he received the stigmata, his confessional, and the new church of Santa Maria Delle Grazie. In the afternoon, we see the Grotto of St. Michael the Archangel and celebrate Mass. Dinner and overnight in San Giovanni.

This morning, we depart San Giovanni and drive to Rome, stopping en route to visit the Monastery of Monte Cassino, which was originally built by St. Benedict, destroyed by bombing in WWII, and rebuilt after the war. We celebrate Mass and visit the magnificent Abbey and the library. Then continue to Rome, where we settle into our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Today, after breakfast, we depart the hotel and drive along the Appian Way. We stop at the Chapel of Quo Vadis where we take a few steps on the ancient road which St. Peter and St. Paul would have walked on their way to the Eternal City. The next stop is at St. Sebastian and the Catacombs, where the early Christians secretly buried their dead and worshiped. After lunch at leisure, we enjoy a walking tour through Piazza Navona to view the magnificent Four Rivers fountain by Bernini and then walk to the Pantheon. On this route, we also visit Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, the only true Gothic church in Rome, where we see the tomb of St. Catherine of Siena. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

This morning, we attend the Papal Audience with Pope Francis at St Peter’s Square. Following lunch in a local restaurant, we visit St. Paul Outside the Walls to celebrate Mass and walk through the first Holy Door of our pilgrimage. We visit the Tre Fontane Convent next door and the nearby Church of Our Lady of Revelation. In the afternoon, we have some time to enjoy exploring the area, including a possible visit to the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. We continue with a drive to Castel Gandolfo, the lovely town with the Papal summer residence. We have more time to explore on our own before our beautiful farewell dinner with wine and views of lake Albano. Overnight in Rome (B.L. Farewell dinner).

Today we visit St. Peter’s Basilica and walk through the second Holy Door of our pilgrimage. We are amazed at the magnificence of the largest church in the world. Following lunch, we visit the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, the third Holy Door, where we celebrate Mass before driving to St. John Lateran, our pilgrimage’s fourth and final Holy Door. Nearby, we see Jerusalem’s Holy Stairs and the Basilica of the Holy Cross. The rest of the day is at leisure to explore Rome on your own. Enjoy dinner at leisure. Overnight in Rome.

After breakfast, we are transferred to Rome airport for our flight home.