Miracles and Saint Jubilee Pilgrimage to Italy with the Julie and Patric Storr and Fr Esquiliano

Depart on an overnight flight from Omaha to Rome. Dinner and breakfast will be served on the flight. Add-on flights, premium economy and business class upgrades can be quoted upon request.

Welcome to Italy! We arrive in the Eternal City, and our professional English/Spanish-speaking guide greets us at the airport to assist with luggage and boarding our bus. En route to Rome, we stop at St. Paul Outside the Walls to walk through the first Holy Door of our pilgrimage. Nearby we visit Tre Fontane Convent to see where St. Paul was beheaded. We celebrate Mass will be celebrated in the pilgrimage Church of St. Sebastian and see the Appian Way and the Chapel of Quo Vadis. We check into our hotel and enjoy dinner with a welcome glass of wine to celebrate our arrival in Rome. (D.)

This morning, we travel to St. Peter’s Square, where we are blessed by the Holy Father during the Papal Audience. We enjoy lunch in a local restaurant followed by a tour of Christian Rome, including a visit to the Holy Stairs and the Basilica of St. John the Lateran, where we walk through the second Holy Door. We also visit the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where we celebrate Mass and walk through the third Holy Door during our visit. Dinner and overnight in Rome. (B. Special Lunch. D.)

Following breakfast, and Mass, enjoy a day at leisure to explore the city on your own, see the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Vatican Museum (tickets must be purchased online well in advance from the official Vatican website https://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en.html ).We recommend you plan your day by exploring many excellent online resources about things to do and see in Rome. The day will depend on your interests and ability to walk, as Rome is a walking city. Dinner is at leisure. Overnight in Rome. (B.)

This morning, we celebrate Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica (TBC) where we walk through our pilgrimage’s fourth and final door. We explore the Scavi (TBC), the underground tunnels beneath St. Peter’s Basilica. Unsurpassed in beauty, a monument to the long history of the Catholic Church to which pilgrims come from around the world, St Peter’s is the grandest of the world’s churches. Our visit includes headsets, so each pilgrim can benefit from a clear explanation of what we see. Following lunch, we walk to see the Pantheon, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva Church, Piazza Navona and the Church of St. Augustine. (approximately 2-3 hours walking in the afternoon). Tonight enjoy dinner in a local restaurant where we taste the beer made by the Monks from Norcia. Overnight in Rome. (B. L. Special Dinner.)

Today we depart Rome and drive to Assisi, the city of birds and silence. On the way, we stop in Orvieto to visit the magnificent Duomo and view the Miracle of the Eucharist of Bolsena. Following lunch at a local restaurant with an opportunity to taste the famous wine from this region, we visit Le Velette Estate for a history lesson about wine and olive oil production and a wine tasting. Next proceed to Santa Maria of the Angels Church and celebrate Mass (TBC) before checking into our hotel in Assisi for dinner and overnight. (B. Special Lunch. D.)

This morning, we visit the Basilica of St. Francis - the upper basilica with Giotto’s frescoes representing the life of St. Francis and the lower basilica and the Tomb of St. Francis. Mass will be celebrated. Proceed to 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. The afternoon is at leisure. We visit the church where soon-to-be saint Blessed Carlo Acutis is buried. Dinner and overnight in Assisi. (B. D.)

We depart Assisi on a full-day excursion driving to Cascia where we visit the Basilica of St. Rita to celebrate Mass and see the Saint’s incorrupt body. In the afternoon we return to Assisi for a relaxing afternoon in the beautiful city of birds and silence. Tonight we have wine tasting and dinner in a winery near Assisi. Overnight in Assisi. (B.Special dinner)

We depart for San Giovanni Rotondo, home of St. Padre Pio this morning. En route, we stop in Loreto to see the Holy House of Nazareth, the last dwelling place of the Blessed Mother. We then visit Lanciano to see the Miracle of the Eucharist and celebrate Mass. Later in the day we arrive in San Giovanni, where we settle into the hotel for dinner and overnight. (B. D.)

This morning, after breakfast, we visit the Old Church to celebrate Mass. After Mass, we tour the sanctuary to see the crucifix where St. Pio received the stigmata and visit the confessional where St. Pio spent innumerable hours listening to confessions. Next, we board our bus and travel along the beautiful Gargano Peninsula to the Grotto of St. Michael the Archangel, a shrine consecrated by St. Michael. St. Michael appeared to a Bishop at this grotto to assure him that his diocese would not be annihilated as he feared. Following our visit to the grotto, we have time to explore independently. On the way back to San Giovanni Rotondo, we enjoy the breathtaking ocean and surrounding countryside views. Upon arrival, we have time for devotion and reflection. Dinner and overnight in San Giovanni. (B. D.)

This morning, we depart after breakfast towards the north. On the way, we stop in Monte Cassino to visit the Abbey founded by Saint Benedict, where he and his sister, St Scholastica, are buried. Mass will be celebrated.  Continue to Frascati, where we will spend the last night and enjoy a winery farewell dinner and overnight in Frascati. (B.Special Dinner)

 

After breakfast, we depart for the airport in Rome for our flights back home. (B)