Pilgrimage to Italy

• Depart the U.S. on your overnight flight to Rome

• Arrive at Rome airport and transfer to the hotel to check-in
• Gather at the hotel and transfer to the Basilica of St Mary Major, home of the relic of the Bethlehem Manger and tomb of Pope Francis
• Celebrate an Opening Mass, followed by a Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant
• Overnight in Rome

Accommodations: Hotel Emmaus
Meals Included: Dinner

• Start your day with a tour the Catacombs of San Sebastiano, ending in the Basilica and at the tomb of St Sebastian
• Transfer to St Paul Outside the Walls to celebrate Mass and pray at the tomb of St Paul
• Visit the Abbey of St Paul Outside the Walls, the abbey of Benedictine monks who look after the Basilica and have been at that site since the 8th century
• Continue on to the Abbey of Tre Fontane, a monastery of Trappist monks who formerly tended sheep
• Return to Rome for a free afternoon and evening
• Consider visiting Santa Maria sopra Minerva to pray at the tomb of St Catherine of Siena, whose feast is today
• Overnight in Rome

Accommodations: Hotel Emmaus
Meals Included: Breakfast

• Free morning
  – Consider visiting the sites of Ancient Rome, including the Colosseum and Roman Forum
• In the afternoon, celebrate Mass at the Basilica of San Clemente, run by Irish Dominicans (pending availability)
• Enjoy an afternoon tour by Liz Lev (pending availability) of San Clemente, continuing on to the Papal Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Lateran Baptistery, and the Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme
• Time for dinner and a free evening
  – Consider walking up the Aventine Hill to Santa Sabina, the mother church of the Dominican order, next to an
• Orange Garden offering beautiful views of Rome
• Overnight in Rome

Accommodations: Hotel Emmaus
Meals Included: Breakfast

• Mass in the Crypt at St. Peter’s Basilica, followed by a tour of the Basilica, including time to pray at the tomb of Pope St. John Paul II and to see Michelangelo’s Pieta
  – While in the Crypt for Mass, pray at the tomb of Benedict XVI
• Scavi Tour by a NAC seminarian (pending availability)
• After free time for lunch, enjoy a guided walking tour of the churches and piazzas of central Rome
  – Stops can include Piazza Navona, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Santa
• Maria sopra Minerva (with the tomb of St Catherine of Siena), the Gesu (the mother church of the Jesuits with the tomb of St Ignatius), Sant’Agostino (with the tomb of St Monica), Chiesa Nuova (with the tomb of St Philip Neri), Sant’Ignazio (with the tomb of Sts Aloysius Gonzaga and Robert Bellarmine), and San Luigi dei Francesi (Caravaggio’s St. Matthew Cycle)
• Overnight in Rome

Accommodations: Hotel Emmaus
Meals Included: Breakfast

• Transfer to Monte Cassino
• Stop en route at Roccasecca, the birthplace of St Thomas Aquinas
• See the ruined castle of the Aquino noble family
• Mass in the first church dedicated to St Thomas (pending availability)
• Continue on to Monte Cassino for lunch
• Have a tour of the Abbey and learn about the birth of Western Monasticism, as well as visiting the military cemetery
• Return to Rome
• Overnight in Rome

Accommodations: Hotel Emmaus
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

• Morning visit to the North American Seminary, followed by Mass (arranged by group)
• Join the Pope in St Peter’s Square to pray the Angelus (pending the Holy Father’s schedule)
• Free time for lunch
• In the afternoon, enjoy a self-guided walking tour of the historic churches of Trastevere, with time to pray at San Benedetto in Piscinula, which marks the site where St Benedict lived while studying in Rome (also famous for having
  the smallest bell tower in Rome)
  – Other stops can include Santa Cecilia in Trastevere (marking the site of the house, execution, and tomb of St. Cecilia), Santa Maria in Trastevere (one of the oldest churches in Rome), San Crisogono, San Bartolomeo on
  the Tiber, and San Paolo alla Regola
• Overnight in Rome

Accommodations: Hotel Emmaus
Meals Included: Breakfast

• Transfer to Assisi
• Stop en route at Subiaco and visit Sacro Speco di San Benedetto, the Holy Cave where St Benedict lived as a hermit
• Continue on to Assisi
• Dinner at a local restaurant
• Overnight in Assisi

Accommodations: Hotel Posta Panoramic
Meals Provided: Breakfast, Dinner

• Mass at the Basilica of St. Francis, where St Francis is buried and decorated with murals by Giotto
• Guided tour of the Old City of Assisi, including the Basilica of St. Francis and Basilica of St. Clare, where the San Damiano Crucifix is held along with the tomb of St Clare
• Free afternoon in Assisi to explore the peaceful medieval town and visit Santa Maria Maggiore and the tomb of St. Carlo Acutis, San Damiano Monastery, the Cathedral of San Rufino, Chiesa Nuova, or the fortress of Rocca Maggiore
• Overnight in Assisi

Accommodations: Hotel Posta Panoramic
Meals Provided: Breakfast

• Depart Assisi for Norcia
• Visit the Abbey of San Benedetto in Monte, perched above the town of Norcia, and celebrate Mass (pending availability)
  – Try Birria Nursia, the beer made by the Benedictines of the Abbey (available from the Abbey gift shop)
• Walk around the city center of Norcia, the birthplace of Sts Benedict and Scholastica, which suffered a major earthquake in 2016, destroying the monastery and Basilica of St Benedict (renovation efforts are underway)
• Time for lunch
• Transfer back to Rome-Fiuminico area
• Conclude the pilgrimage with a Farewell Dinner at a local restaurant
• Overnight in Rome (Fiumicino) near the airport

Accommodations: B&B Fiumicino
Meals Provided: Breakfast, Dinner

• Transfer to Rome airport and depart on your journey home

Meals included: Breakfast