Pilgrimage to Italy with Fr. Ralph D’Elia and Keith Galley

We depart on an overnight flight out of Tampa 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 and will be provided starting 120 days before departure. Group air restrictions (for ten passengers traveling together) do not permit specific seating requests on flights. We recommend purchasing your own airline tickets and land-only packages with us if seat confirmation is essential to your trip. If you need additional information, please contact your trip Account Manager, who will be happy to assist you.

Welcome to Italy! Upon arrival, we are greeted by our English-speaking tour manager, who will be with the group during our entire stay in Italy. We board the private deluxe bus and depart for Rome. We visit St. Paul Outside the Walls and the nearby Tre Fontane Convent to see where St. Paul was beheaded. Mass will be celebrated. We check into our hotel and relax before dinner at our hotel. Overnight in Rome.

This morning, we rise early and head over to St. Peter’s Basilica for the Papal Audience, where Pope Leo blesses us; what a treat today will be for all of us as we have the privilege to see the first American Holy Father. Following the Audience, we enjoy the rest of the day at leisure, exploring Rome on our own. Perhaps go to the city center to visit one of the many museums (tickets should be purchased online in advance), do some shopping, or just walk around and take in the great sights of Rome. Mass will be celebrated. Dinner is at leisure. Overnight in Rome.

This morning we visit the Basilica of St. Mary Major. During our visit to St. Mary Major, we will be able to venerate many sacred relics, including the Manger of the Infant Jesus, the Madonna Salus Populi Romani (Rome’s most important Marian image), and the tomb of Pope Saint Pius V. We celebrate Mass at St. Mary Major. Following we visit the beautiful Basilica of St. John Lateran. Nearby we visit the Holy Stairs. Tradition states that this staircase is from Pontius Pilate’s palace in Jerusalem during the time of Jesus. It is also said that St. Helen brought this staircase to Rome in the 4th century. Time permitting we may climb the steps on our knees to remember Christ’s agonizing Passion. In the afternoon, we visit Piazza Navona, where we see the magnificent fountains by Bernini. Following an early dinner in a local restaurant, we visit the Gesu Church, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, the resting place of St. Catherine of Siena, and the Pantheon (*outside view). Dinner is in a local restaurant with wine. Overnight in Rome.

This morning, we celebrate Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica (TBC) followed by a tour including the facade and Piazza. There will be free time to pray in one of the chapels, ascend to the top of the cupola, visit the Basilica’s treasury, or shop for souvenirs. We continue with a visit to the Vatican Museum. Here we see the magnificent rooms painted by Raphael, as well as the Sistine Chapel. Following lunch on our own, we begin our tour of the Scavi (TBC), also known as the Vatican Necropolis, the excavations under St. Peter’s, where St. Peter was buried after his martyrdom. In the afternoon, we drive to the Catacombs of St. Sebastian to venerate the martyrs’ tombs and see some of the earliest examples of Christian art. Dinner and overnight in Rome. Meals: B.D

We depart Rome this morning and make our way north to Assisi, the charming city of birds and silence — home to St. Francis, St. Clare, and our newest saint, Carlo Acutis. Our first stop is Santa Maria degli Angeli, the magnificent basilica built over the little chapel known as the Porziuncola, where St. Francis breathed his last. We celebrate Mass and pause to admire the miraculous thornless rose bush, which legend holds sprang up where Francis rolled in the snow to overcome temptation. Afterward, we check into our hotel for dinner and a well-deserved night of rest. Dinner and overnight in Assisi.

We begin the day celebrating Mass at the Basilica of St. Francis. The upper Basilica with Giotto’s frescoes representing the life of St. Francis, then the lower Basilica and the Tomb of St. Francis. We proceed to the Basilica of St. Clare. After a break for lunch on our own, we are transferred by vans to the Convent of San Damiano, where St. Francis received his call to rebuild the Church and where St. Clare lived and died. We have time at leisure before dinner and overnight in Assisi.

We check out of our hotel and depart for Florence. After a visit to Michelangelo Square for a magnificent view of the city, we have a break for lunch on our own, at the stunning cast-iron structure housing the San Lorenzo market, where we can pick up lunch. We celebrate Mass at Santa Croce Church and have time at leisure before checking into the hotel for dinner and an overnight stay in Florence.

We have a full-day tour of the Renaissance city, starting with the Convent of San Marco. The priory, now a museum, was home to two famous Dominicans of the fifteenth century, the fiery preacher Savonarola and the saintly artist, Fra Angelico, whose frescoes adorn the convent’s walls. Next, we visit the Accademia Gallery, home to one of the most famous sculptures in the world, Michelangelo’s David. After lunch on our own, we see the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, representing Tuscan Gothic Architecture (outside view). Brunelleschi designed the church’s giant dome. We see Giotto’s Bell Tower, a 14th-century masterpiece that rises to a height of 292 feet, and the Baptistry of San Giovanni, with its East Door, called the “Gates of Paradise,” which took the artist Ghiberti 27 years to complete (outside view). We visit Santa Maria Novella, see the famous Trinity by Masaccio, and celebrate Mass. We also see the ancient pharmacy of the Basilica, now a famous perfume shop with its lovely little cafe in the back courtyard. Tonight we will enjoy a farewell dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight in Florence.

Today marks the end of our pilgrimage. We say farewell to a country and a trip that will last in our memory forever. We are transferred to the airport for our return flight home.