Depart the USA for Italy 

Upon arrival at Rome Airport, we will be greeted by our English-speaking tour manager, who will be with the group throughout our stay in Italy. We will board the private deluxe bus and transfer to the city center. We will enjoy a relaxing walk on Palatino Hill to visit the Church of St Bonaventura al Palatino to celebrate Mass. Then we will settle into our hotel. Dinner and overnight. (D) 

Today, early in the morning, we will return to the Vatican City to attend the Papal Audience in St Peter’s Square with Pope Francis. After lunch, we will visit the old quarter of Trastevere and the Church of St Francis a Ripa, which is the first church in Rome dedicated to the Saint. It was here that Saint Francis stayed during his visit to Rome. We will be able to see the cell where he slept and the rock he used as a pillow. Then we will visit the Basilica of St Lawrence Outside the Walls, which contains the relics of St Lawrence, who was martyred on August 10, 258. The emperor Valerian sentenced him to die by roasting him on a gridiron. Overnight in Rome. (B, D) 

Breakfast at the hotel. The morning is dedicated to our spiritual retreat. In the afternoon, we will start our tour with a visit to the Vatican Museums, where we will see the magnificent rooms painted by Raphael, as well as the Sistine Chapel, followed by a tour of the Basilica of St. Peter. Celebrate Mass. Return to the hotel for dinner and an overnight. (B, D) 

Breakfast at the hotel – The morning is dedicated to our spiritual retreat. Following lunch, we will visit St. Mary Major, the Holy Stairs, and St. John in Lateran. Just outside this Basilica is a large statue of St. Francis and his friars, commemorating the Saint’s profound link to Pope Innocent III and to the Papal Archbasilica of St. John Lateran. (B, D)

After breakfast and check out, we will drive to the Franciscan Sanctuary of Poggio Bustone. According to the tradition, in this place, St Francis, as he reached the village at the foot of the Apennines for the first time, greeted the inhabitants with his famous exclamation: “Good morning, good people”. Then we will drive to Greccio to visit the Franciscan Sanctuary set on the rocky ridge of the mountain. The Sanctuary is famous worldwide for being chosen by St Francis as the stage for the first re-enactment of the Bethlehem Nativity in the history of Christianity, which took place on the night of Christmas 1223. Then we will continue to Assisi. Dinner and overnight at our hotel. (B, D) 

Following breakfast, we will enjoy a relaxing walk through the streets of Spoleto and a visit to the Duomo, with its magnificent façade, in which one of the very rare original letters written by St Francis is kept. In the afternoon, we will reach the city of Perugia to see its historical center, where St Francis was imprisoned after the battle of Collestrada in 1202. Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Assisi. (B, D) 

This morning, we will start the last stage of the St.Francis’ Way (Northern Way). It is called the “Perfect Joy” leg. In fact, on the way from Perugia to Santa Maria degli Angeli, St Francis explained to Friar Leone what the “perfect joy” was and how to achieve it. The route starts in Perugia’s old town center and descends into the valley. We will first reach the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels. This Basilica is where St. Francis spent most of his life and is composed of two structures: the Porziuncola, where St. Francis founded his order of the Friars Minor (Franciscans), and the Capella del Transito, where St. Francis died. This afternoon we will visit. The Convent of St Damiano, where St Francis received his miraculous calling in 1205, and where in 1253 St Clare died. Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Assisi. (B, D) 

Today we will enjoy a full day of touring the hometown of St Francis. First, we will visit the Basilica of St Clare, the foundress of the Poor Clare Sisters. She closely followed the teachings of St. Francis, also living a life of poverty and humility. Finally, we will visit the Basilica of St Francis. The upper Basilica with Giotto’s frescoes represents the life of St Francis. We will have time to pray at the Tomb of St Francis and celebrate Mass. In the afternoon, we visit the Carceri Hermitage to see the natural caves once used by the friars as cells. We will visit the small oratory where they gathered for common prayers. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight. (B, D)

After breakfast this morning, we will drive to the Franciscan Sanctuary of La Verna. This is the place where St. Francis, over the years, has been seven times, and where, in 1224, he received the stigmata. Here we will be able to pray in the Chapel of the Stigmata. After lunch at the Pilgrim’s refectory, we celebrate Mass. We will spend the night at the foresteria in La Verna. dinner and overnight. (B, L, D)

After breakfast this morning, we depart La Verna and drive back to the Umbria region to visit the city of Gubbio, where we will see sites related to the life of the wolf of Assisi. In the afternoon, we will continue to Castel Gandolfo, where we will spend the night. Dinner at the hotel. (B, D) 

Return to the USA