Father Michael Powell of St Edmund Catholic Church in Watseka would like to personally invite you to join him on this special trip as he leads this pilgrimage to Italy through Rome and Vatican City, Florence, Assisi,Padua,Cascia, Siena and Venice. In Rome, you will visit the sacred sites of the Sistine Chapel,the Basilicas of St Peter and Paul and , if possible, a general audience with the Pope. A Roman city tour and the historic sites of the Colisseum and the Forum are also included. You will have the opportunity to celebrate Mass regularly as you see, walk and pray at locations where St Francis,St Clare,St Anthony and many others came closer to God.
This will be a fun vacations as well as the great addition of being a unique pilgrimage of faith.
October 15 Depart the US on overnight flight to Rome.
October 16 Arrive Rome, meet your tour director and free time before included dinner at a local restaurant.
October 17 Visit St Paul outside the walls and the Catacombs. Next visit St John Lateran Basilica,the Holy Stairs and the impressive St Mary Major Basilica. A general audience with the Pope is scheduled this day depending on availablity. (breakfast)
October 18 Enjoy a guided tour of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. Continue to St Peter’s Square and Basilica.Cross the Tiber River and visit the Coloseum and the Roman Forum. (breakfast)
October 19 Travel to Umbria and stop in Cascia to explore the life of St Rita, known as the “saint of the impossible”. Visit Major Basilica, the chapel that houses the tomb of St Rita and the Minor Basilica, home of Eucharistic Miracle, which is commemorated each year with the Feast of Corpus Christi. Arrive at the hilltop village of Assisi, home of St Francis and St Clare. Here, visit St Mary of the Angels Basilica,whre St Francis consecreted St Clare as the “Bride of Christ” and the Portiuncola, where he founded the Order of Friars Minor in 1209. ( brakfast, dinner)
October 20 Celebrate Mass and enjoy a walking tour of Assisi. Then a short trip to Carceri Hermitage,where St Francis came to meditate and pray in the woods of Mount Subasio. Finally, visit the Monesatry of St Damian.(breakfast)
October 21 Attend Mass this morning in Assisi and enjoy the rest of the day to relax and explore. (breakfast, dinner)
October 22 Leave Assisi and enter Tuscany. Stop in Siena and visit the Basilica of St Dominic and the Sanctuary of St Catherine. Enjoy a walk with a local expert through the ancient narrow lanes to Piazza Del Campo. Afternoon in Florence,”Cradle of the Renaissance”(breakfast,dinner)
October 23 Follow your local guide to the Academy of Fine Arts with Michelangelo’s celebrated David and the magnificent cathedral. Admire Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Bapistry’s heavy bronze “Gate of Paradise”, and the sculpture-laden Signoria Square. End your walking tour in Santa Croce Square.(breakfast)
October 24 Depart for Padua and meet your local guide. Visit the Basilica of St Anthony to see the tomb and reliquaries of this miracle working saint and patron of lost and stolen articles,enjoy Mass. Journey on to Venice. (breakfast)
October 25 Enter Venice in style by private boat and start your sightseeing with a local guide. Visit St Mark’s Square and its Basilica,lavish Doge’s Palace and the Bridge of Sighs. Watch skilled glassblowers at work. Time to explore this unique city on your own. (breakfast and dinner)
October 26 Your Italian pilgrimage comes to an end as you board your flight back to the US.(breakfast)
Cost for this trip for land only is $2569.00 per person based on double occupancy.
Airfare will be available and priced just after the first of the year.
For more information contact us at:
Travel Discoveries 815-432-6121 Watseka or 219-474-6666 Kentland
