0916AA5 - Holy Year Catholic Italy Pilgrimage 11 days from Orlando

Today we depart from Orlando to connect with our overnight flight to Rome aboard a wide-bodied jet. We enjoy in-flight movies, dinner, and breakfast aloft.

This morning, we arrive in Rome where we are met by our Unitours Tour Manager as we board our motorcoach for our ride to Tuscany. Following lunch on our own, we arrive in the delightful spa town of Montecatini Terme, where we celebrate our welcome Mass at one of its churches. The balance of the day is at leisure to stroll through the inviting streets of this charming town. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Today, we drive to Florence where our first stop is “Piazzale Michelangelo” for the best panoramic view of this spectacular city one could ask for. We proceed with a tour of the Academia Gallery or Medici Chapels. We continue with the celebration of Mass and a visit to the Duomo (also known as the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore), in the heart of the city, and the fourth largest in the world! We break for a leisurely lunch on our own at one of the many trattorias along Florence’s Arno River. In the afternoon we will meet the guide in Piazza della Repubblica and we will begin our afternoon tour, passing Palazzo Strozzi (external), we will continue along Via Tornabuoni up to Piazza Santa Trinità. We will cross the bridge from which we will be able to admire all the beauty of Ponte Vecchio from a distance and continue the walk in Oltrarno. Visit to the church of Santo Spirito and the magnificent Crucifix by Michelangelo. We continue our walk passing Palazzo Pitti (external) and we will finally reach Ponte Vecchio where we will be free for shopping and/or to enjoy a delicious Italian ice cream. We return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

This morning, we return to Florence to spend more time in this beautiful city and visit the beautiful Basilica of Santa Croce, where we celebrate Mass. Among the most famous Italians interred here, lie Galileo, Rossini, Michelangelo, and Machiavelli. We continue our tour of Florence with the Piazza Della Signoria, dominated by the Palazzo Vecchio and its embattlement crowned tower. Across from the Palace, we visit the Loggia Dei Lanzi with the statues of the Perseus by Cellini; Giambologna’s the “Rape of the Sabines” and “Hercules.” Following a break for lunch on our own, we enjoy free time for shopping, a visit to any of the art museums or a leisurely walk along the Arno River admiring the world-famous Ponte Vecchio. This evening, our dinner location will be one of the restaurants of this city. After our included dinner we return at our hotel for overnight.

Today, we journey through the Italian countryside arriving in the magnificent city of Siena, which invites us to stroll through its Gothic streets. After we celebrate Mass at the Dominican Church commemorating St. Catherine, to the famous Piazza del Campo. This shell shaped square is the dramatic setting for the annual Palio bareback horserace. The piazza's focal point is the Palazzo Pubblico, the public palace, which dates back to 1250. We continue uphill to visit the monumental Cathedral dedicated to the Virgin Mary. We enjoy free time for lunch on our own. In the afternoon we continue south through Umbria to the hilltop village of Assisi, the home of St. Francis for dinner and overnight at our hotel.

We begin our day in Assisi with a Mass at the Basilica of St. Francesco, where St. Francis is buried. We enjoy a walking tour of the village with visits to the Church of St. Clare to view the famous San Damiano crucifix. From this cross, Christ spoke to St. Francis telling him to “rebuild my Church”. After lunch on our own, we visit the resting place of newly beatified Blessed Carlo Acutis who was 15-years old when he died in 2006 from leukemia. Acutis' tomb is located in Assisi's Sanctuary of the Renunciation, the spot where a young St. Francis of Assisi is said to have cast off his rich clothes in favor of a poor habit. This afternoon, our taxis take us up to the Hermitage of the Carceri where Francis and his Friars retreated from the world to pray and fast. Here the grotto of St. Francis can also be seen. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Today, we depart Assisi, our first stop is in the lower town for a visit to the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, and the Portiuncula, Francis' Church of the Little Portion. We celebrate Mass here before we travel south to Rome where this afternoon we tour her sites, including a walking tour to the Roman Fora passing the Arch of Constantine and Flavian Amphitheater, more commonly known as” the Coliseum.” Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Today, we visit Vatican City where we celebrate Mass below St. Peters, passing through the 1st of the “Holy Doors” during our Holy Year Pilgrimage. Afterwards, we view the treasures of St. Peter’s and the Vatican Museum including Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel as well as the famous Bernini altar columns in St. Peter’s. One altar column contains the spear of St. Longinus, the Roman centurion who pierced the side of our Savior and was healed by the blood and water that flowed from it! This afternoon, following a break for lunch on our own, we tour Santa Prassede with its 9th Century mosaics and the Chapel of San Zeno, which holds a relic of the column on which Jesus was scourged. Bring a coin to light up the chapel, revealing the grandeur of the decorations. We finish our day with a wonderful visit to the Basilica of St. Mary Major and pass through the 2nd set of “Holy Doors”. St. Mary’s holds relics of Christ’s Holy Manger from Bethlehem and a piece of the true cross from Golgotha. The golden ceiling of St. Mary’s is decorated by the first gold brought back from the New World by Christopher Colombus. The Spanish Catholic Kings—Ferdinand and Isabel—gave the gold as a gift to the Pope. Following our time at St. Mary’s, the largest church dedicated to Mary in the west, we depart for dinner at local restaurant and overnight at our hotel.

This morning, we make our way to St. Peter's for an audience with Pope Francis, if he is in residence. This afternoon, following a stop for lunch on our own, we visit the Holy Stairs and Basilica of St. John Lateran, the site of our 3rd set of “Holy Doors”. We continue to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls to pass through our 4th and last set of “Holy Doors. This imposing Basilica, second only to St. Peter’s in size, contains an unusual gallery of 268 papal portraits including Pope Francis. We conclude our day at one of the Catacombs, the burial place of early Christians. We celebrate Mass here and view the 2nd and 3rd century fresco paintings. We can explore the culinary delights of Rome tonight as dinner is on our own. Overnight at our hotel.

We leave Rome this morning and travel south for a guided tour of one of the most fascinating sites in the world—Pompeii, a city destroyed and yet preserved by the ash of the exploding Mt. Vesuvius volcano in 79 AD. We celebrate Mass at the church of the Holy Rosary visited by Pope John Paul II. Holy Rosary includes a miraculous painting of Our Lady, associated with many healings, hanging above the main altar. After Mass, we return to Rome for dinner and overnight.

This morning, we make our way home with memories of a lifetime.