Private Group

Public registration is not available for this private group.

★ Hosted by Fr. Jared Cooke
Catholic Pilgrimage · 10 Days · Italy

Spring Break in Italy with Fr. Jared Cooke

Join Fr. Jared Cooke on a pilgrimage to Italy. This trip will visit Assisi, Orvieto, Rome, San Giovanni, Monte Cassino, and more!

Dates
March 12-21, 2027
Departs Austin
Duration
10 Days
Trip code 27JA03ITJC
From
$2,995
The Pilgrimage

Walk in the Footsteps of Faith

Fr. Jared Cooke
Your Host

Fr. Jared Cooke

Pastor and Director of Catholic Campus Ministry at Our Lady of Wisdom University Parish

Fr. Jared Cooke is a priest of the Diocese of Austin and pastor and director of Catholic Campus Ministry at Our Lady of Wisdom University Parish at Texas State University. His ministry centers the sacramental life, pastoral care, discipleship, and Catholic formation of university students and the wider parish community. As a pilgrimage chaplain, he brings together Scripture, Church history, prayer, and the celebration of the sacraments to help travelers deepen their relationship with Christ.

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Know Before You Go

What's included

✓ Included

  • ✓Round-trip airfare from Austin to Rome
  • ✓Airport taxes and fuel surcharges
  • ✓First-class 3 Star hotels for 8 nights
  • ✓Service charges and hotel taxes
  • ✓Buffet breakfast daily
  • ✓1 lunch in Orvieto
  • ✓6 hotel dinners (evening 3-course menu, beverages may be purchased at an additional cost)
  • ✓Farewell dinner in a local restaurant
  • ✓All transfers with a private A/C motor coach as per itinerary
  • ✓Professional English-speaking Christian tour guide throughout
  • ✓Entrance fees are included to 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

  • ×Trip Protection Insurance (highly recommended)
  • ×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 listed 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 at the airport at the same time as the group
  • ×Personal expenses
  • ×Electronic Travel Authorization fees (ETIAS) if applicable
  • ×Airline baggage charges
  • ×Baggage handling at the airports and hotels is limited to one suitcase per person.
  • ×Any charges incurred due to excessive luggage, including the cost of an additional baggage vehicle or porterage charges.

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.

Day by Day

Your pilgrimage, mapped out

Tap any day to explore. Meals: B breakfast · L lunch · D dinner.
Day 1March 12, 2027
DEPART FROM USA
+

We depart on an overnight flight from Austin to Rome. Dinner and breakfast will be served on the flights. Optional premium economy and business class upgrades are available upon request. We work with group airfares, which do not allow us to request specific seats on the flights. If this is an important feature of the trip, please book your own international airfare and reserve the land-only portion of the trip with us.

Day 2March 13, 2027
WELCOME TO ITALY – ROME
+

Our Italian pilgrimage manager greets us at the airport and assists us onto the bus. We arrive at our Rome hotel, enjoy dinner, and have our first night in Rome. Meals: D

D
Day 3March 14, 2027
PAPAL ANGELUS – ST. PETER’S BASILICA – ST. PAUL OUTSIDE THE WALLS – TRE FONTANE CONVENT
+

We reach St. Peter’s Basilica, where we can CONCELEBRATE the 10:30 am Mass. Following Mass, we hear the Angelus and are blessed by the Holy Father during his noon Sunday appearance in the window of the papal apartment. Following time to relax for lunch, we will visit the Basilica with the local guide. Next, we drive to the Tre Fontane Convent built on the spot of St. Paul’s beheading site, where three fountains sprang when the head bounced three times. Next, we stop at Saint Paul Outside the Walls, which is the burial place of Saint Paul and the second-largest church in the world, second only to St. Peter’s. We return to the hotel for dinner and overnight in Rome. Meals: B.D

BD
Day 4March 15, 2027
CHRISTIAN ROME – CITY CENTER
+

This morning we visit the Papal 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. We continue with a visit of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, where the Pope is installed and serves as the Bishop of Rome. Next, we cross the street to 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 this Staircase was brought to Rome by St. Helen in the 4th century. We may climb the steps on our knees to remember Christ’s agonizing Passion. We then walk over to the nearby Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, where we see the relics of the True Cross. In the afternoon, we visit Piazza Navona, where we see the magnificent fountains by Bernini. Next is a visit to Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, the resting place of St. Catherine of Siena, and the Pantheon. See the Trevi Fountain and enjoy time at leisure in the city center. Dinner is on our own tonight. Overnight in Rome. Meals: B

B
Day 5March 16, 2027
ROME – ORVIETO – ASSISI
+

This morning we depart Rome, on our way to Assisi, the city of birds and silence. Our first stop is the lovely hilltop town of Orvieto, where we see the magnificent Duomo. We celebrate Mass and enjoy lunch. Continue to Assisi, where we settle into our hotel and have a well-deserved night of rest. Overnight in Assisi. Meals: B.L.D

BLD
Day 6March 17, 2027
ASSISI
+

This morning we explore the Basilica of St. Clare and the Chapel of San Damiano, where St. Francis received his call to rebuild the Church and where St. Clare lived and died. We then visit a locally owned wine shop, Stelvietti, for a tasting and lesson on Italian wine. Our next stop is the Sanctuary of the Spoliation, where we will see the tomb of St. Carlo Acutis in the Church of St. Mary Major. We walk across town and downhill to the Basilica of St. Francis, first visiting the upper Basilica with Giotto’s frescoes representing the life of St. Francis, then the lower Basilica and the Tomb of St. Francis. Mass will be celebrated in one of the chapels of the magnificent Basilica. Dinner and overnight in Assisi. Meals: B.D

BD
Day 7March 18, 2027
LORETO – LANCIANO – SAN GIOVANNI
+

We drive along the coast to Loreto to see one of Europe’s most sacred and revered sanctuaries: the Holy House of Nazareth. It is most likely that the Crusaders brought this sacred relic along with many others from the Holy Land. Here we see the most reproduced Madonna in the world, the Black Madonna of Loreto. Continue to Lanciano, where we celebrate Mass and see the Miracles of the Eucharist of Lanciano. We arrive at San Giovanni late in the afternoon, check into our hotel, and enjoy dinner, followed by a visit to the Sanctuary of Padre Pio. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in San Giovanni. Meals: B.D

BD
Day 8March 19, 2027
SAN GIOVANNI
+

Today is dedicated to visiting the places associated with Padre Pio, including 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 drive to the Grotto of St. Michael the Archangel, where we celebrate Mass. Dinner and overnight in San Giovanni. Meals: B.D

BD
Day 9March 20, 2027
SAN GIOVANNI – MONTE CASSINO – FRASCATI
+

Departing San Giovanni in the morning, we drive towards Rome, stopping in Monte Cassino where we will visit the abbey, and celebrate Mass in the chapel where St. Augustin and his sister St. Scholastica are buried. In the afternoon we will reach the village of Frascati, on the hills east of Rome. We check in at our hotel and enjoy a special farewell dinner at a local restaurant. Meals: B. Special dinner

BD
Day 10March 21, 2027
RETURN TO USA
+

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. Meals: B

B
Pricing

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Base Price
$2,995per person

Base Price. Main trip package.

Base Price and Group Airfare from Austin
$3,995per person

Base Price and Group Airfare from Austin. Main trip package.

Solo Room (Additional Charge)
$495additional

Solo Room (Additional Charge). Additional supplement.

ETA Required
Confirm requirements with Select for this destination.
Deposit
A deposit of $500.00 per person should accompany your registration by November 22, 2026.
Final Payment
Final payment is due by January 11, 2027.
Passport Validity
Your passport must be valid through September 21, 2027.
Pilgrimage Information

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Private group pilgrimage

Private Group

Public registration is not available for this private group.