Join Fr. Nicholas Voelker on a pilgrimage to Italy. This trip will visit Assisi, Siena, Florence, Orvieto, Rome and much more!
Fr. Nicholas Voelker and a Christian guide will meet your party at the airport and accompany you every step of the way as you explore Assisi, Siena, Florence, Orvieto, Rome and much more.
Fr. Nicholas Voelker is accompanying this pilgrimage to help lead the group in prayer, fellowship, and thoughtful engagement with each traveler.
See the official trip information for gratuities, shipping and handling, payment fees, and any optional-extension charges.
Depart on an overnight flight to Rome. Dinner and breakfast will be served on the flight. 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. Should you require any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact your trip Account Manager, who will be happy to assist you.
Upon arrival in Rome, we are greeted by our tour manager and escorted to the motorcoach that takes us to our home for the next five nights in the Tuscany region. En route, we stop at Montepulciano Winery for a visit. We enjoy a tour, lunch, and wine tasting. Mass will be celebrated at the resort. Enjoy dinner and a good night’s rest. Dinner and overnight at the Tuscan Villa Hotel. (L.D) *This day’s itinerary is dependent on the arrival schedule.
Following breakfast, which is included each morning, we enjoy a fullday excursion to Assisi, the city of birds and silence. Our first stop is the Basilica of St. Francis, we celebrate Mass, see Giotto’s frescoes depicting the life of St. Francis, and then visit the lower Basilica and the Tomb of St. Francis. We visit the Church of St. Clare to see her tomb. Private transfers will bring us to the Chapel of San Damiano, where St. Francis received his call to rebuild the Church and where St. Clare lived and died. Our next stop is the Sanctuary of the Spoliation, where we will see the tomb of St. Carlo Acutis in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore. Our last stop of the busy day is St. Mary of the Angels. Dinner and overnight at the Tuscan Villa Hotel.
This morning, we enjoy a scenic drive to the Tuscan city of Siena, where we celebrate Mass and venerate the relics of St. Catherine of Siena at the Basilica of St. Dominic. We have time to explore Siena on our own or perhaps visit the famous wine caves if you wish to enjoy local wines. Departing Siena, we drive to a local agriturismo to learn about their cheese and olive oil production and have a farm-to-table lunch. The rest of our day is at leisure at our resort to relax, enjoy a spa treatment, or read a book. Dinner and overnight at the Tuscan Villa Hotel. (B.Special Lunch.D)
Today we have the day at leisure to enjoy everything our resort offers. Enjoy the breathtaking views or take a stroll through the gardens. Take a trip to the walled city of San Gimignano or just relax with a good book and a glass of wine. Mass will be celebrated. Dinner and overnight at Tuscan Villa Hotel.
Today we depart for Florence. After a visit to Michelangelo Square for a magnificent view of the city, we start at the stunning cast-iron structure housing the San Lorenzo market, where we can pick up lunch before meeting the local guide for our 90-minute walking tour of Florence. We see the iconic Duomo, with Brunelleschi’s famous dome, Giotto’s bell tower, the baptistry with Giotto’s Doors of Paradise (from the outside), and Signoria Square, along with the Church of the Holy Cross, where Michelangelo and Galileo worshipped and are now buried. In the afternoon, we visit the Accademia to see Michelangelo’s famous sculpture of David. Mass will be celebrated. Return to the resort for dinner and overnight.
We depart from our resort and head towards the beautiful town of Frascati. En route, we stop at the magnificent hilltop town of Orvieto, famous for its wine and the cathedral, considered one of Italy’s most beautiful. Upon arrival in the city, we see the dodecagon, a rare and unique twelve-sided figure, at Sant’Andrea Church on Piazza Repubblica, in the form of a twelve-sided bell tower. We visit the Cathedral, which houses the Miracle of the Eucharist of Bolsena*. We celebrate Mass at the Basilica. Our day includes an excellent lunch at a local winery with an opportunity to taste the famous Orvieto Classico wine for which this region is renowned. We continue to Rome and settle into our hotel for dinner and overnight. (B.Special Lunch.D) *The Miracle of Bolsena is now only displayed between Easter and Pentecost.
We start the day with a Mass at St. Mary Major Basilica. Our visit continues with a visit to St. John Lateran, the Holy Stairs and Holy Cross in Jerusalem Basilica to see relics from the Holy Land. Following lunch, we visit St. Paul Outside the Walls and Tre Fontane Convent, where St. Paul was beheaded. Overnight in Rome.
This morning we visit St. Peter’s Basilica, where will celebrate Mass. Our day continues with a tour of the Vatican Museum, where we see some of the world’s greatest works of art, and end our visit with the incomparable Sistine Chapel. After visiting St. Peter’s Basilica, we have a tour of the Scavi tunnels (TBC). The rest of the day is at leisure to explore Rome on your own. Dinner is at leisure. Overnight in Rome.
We make our way to the Vatican this morning and take our seats in St. Peter’s Square as we wait for Pope Leo to appear in the Popemobile and bless us during the Papal Audience. Following the Papal Audience, we celebrate Mass. The rest of the day is ours to explore the city at our own pace. We can visit areas that interest us or explore one of the many museums. Be sure to purchase tickets online in advance and do some research to ensure our time is well spent enjoying the city. Tonight we have a farewell dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight in Rome. (B. Special dinner with wine)
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.
Base Price. Main trip package.
Solo Room (Additional Charge). Additional supplement.
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