June 19, Saturday, Day PT-1: DEPART USA – OVERNIGHT FLIGHT TO VENICE
Depart on an overnight flight bound for Venice. Dinner and breakfast are served on board. Pre-tour airfare is booked separately from the main group air block. Please coordinate flight arrangements with Jane Allison, the Select International Operations and Account Manager, who can advise on the best available options from your departure city.
June 20, Sunday, Day PT-2: ARRIVE VENICE – WELCOME TO PADUA
Arrive at Venice Marco Polo Airport, where we are met by our English-speaking Christian Tour Manager and assisted with boarding our private motorcoach for the approximately 45-minute transfer to Padua. In the afternoon, we visit the Abbey of Santa Giustina, a church rarely visited by American pilgrims but very important as a pilgrimage site, as it houses the relics of several early Christian martyrs and saints, including St. Luke the Evangelist and St. Justina of Padua. Here we celebrate Mass. After checking into our hotel and freshening up, we gather for a welcome dinner, the perfect occasion to meet our fellow pre-tour pilgrims and set the tone for the days ahead. Overnight in Padua. Meals: Welcome Dinner
June 21, Monday, Day PT-3: PADUA – SAINT ANTHONY AND THE CITY OF THE SAINT
This morning, we celebrate Mass at the magnificent Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua, one of the most visited pilgrimage churches in Christendom and the final resting place of the great Franciscan preacher and wonder-worker. We venerate the relics of St. Anthony, including his incorrupt tongue and vocal cords, preserved as a sign of his lifelong dedication to proclaiming the Word of God. We then visit the Oratory of St. George and the Scrovegni Chapel, whose interior is adorned with Giotto’s breathtaking 14th-century fresco cycle depicting the lives of Our Lady and Christ, among the most important works of art in the Western tradition. The afternoon is free to explore Padua’s lively market squares and medieval arcaded streets at our own pace. Dinner at leisure in Padua. Meals: B
June 22, Tuesday, Day PT-4: PADUA – VENICE
This morning, we travel by private coach to Venice, approximately 45 minutes from Padua. We step aboard a vaporetto for a cruise along the Grand Canal before exploring the heart of La Serenissima on foot. We celebrate Mass at Santa Maria della Salute (TBC), a historic Venetian church with a soaring dome, vast windows, and beautiful, glittering gold details, and visit the Basilica of St. Mark, whose gilded Byzantine mosaics and sacred relics have drawn pilgrims for more than a millennium. Venice is full of art and beautiful churches, and we recommend that, during our time at leisure, you visit the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in San Polo for paintings by Titian, or the Church of San Rocco and its museum if you are a fan of Tintoretto’s paintings. We also recommend a visit to the Church of San Zaccaria, where the impressive paintings by Venetian masters are on another level. Walk across the Rialto Bridge, wander the labyrinthine calli, and sample the city’s renowned cicchetti before returning to Padua by early evening. Dinner and overnight in Padua. Meals: B, D
June 23, Wednesday, Day PT-5: PADUA – MILAN – BERGAMO – SOTTO IL MONTE – JOIN THE MAIN GROUP
After breakfast, we check out of our Padua hotel and travel by private coach to Milan, approximately 3 hours west. Before arrival in Milan, we stop in the city of Bergamo to visit the striking Bergamo Cathedral and the Basilica of St. Mary Major in the walled city. We visit the Capella Colleoni with its magnificent frescoes and carvings. Departing Bergamo, we stop at Sotto il Monte, where we can see the birthplace of Pope John XXIII, before continuing to our hotel in Milan. Upon arrival, we check into the group hotel and settle in. This evening, we join the full pilgrimage group for the welcome dinner, a joyful gathering of pre-tour participants and newly arrived pilgrims, marking the official start of the main tour together. The full group itinerary begins tomorrow morning. Overnight in Milan. Mass will be celebrated. Meals: B, D