Depart on flight LH455 at 2:40 PM to Frankfurt.

Arrive in Frankfurt at 10:25 AM. Transfer to flight LH236 at 3:55 PM. Upon arrival in Rome at 5:45 PM, meet our English-speaking Tour Manager and board our motor coach. Drive to the hotel for check-in, dinner, and overnight stay.

Early morning wake-up call. Travel to Vatican City with Pope Francis to attend the Papal Audience in St. Peter’s Square. After lunch, visit the Basilica of St. John Lateran and walk through the first Holy Door of the trip. This Basilica, the Bishop of Rome’s (the Pope) seat, houses magnificent artwork and wood from the Last Supper table above the Blessed Sacrament Chapel near the Papal altar. From here, walk to the Shrine of the Holy Stairs, the steps believed to have led to the praetorium of Pontius Pilate. Enjoy some leisure time before returning to the hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.

In the morning, drive to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls to walk through the second Holy Door of the Jubilee Year Pilgrimage and celebrate Mass. Enjoy a walking tour of Imperial Rome, starting at the Colosseum (outside visit). Continue to the Roman Forum, ancient Rome’s religious, political, and commercial center. See the Arches of Constantine and Titus and visit the Church of St. Francesca Romana (Santa Maria Nova) between the Roman Forum and the Temple of Venus and Rome. According to tradition, this is where Simon Magus died, and a commemorative stone marks the spot, bearing the imprints of Peter’s knees in prayer. Visit the Mamertine Prison, where St. Peter was incarcerated. In the late afternoon, drive to the Basilica of St. Mary Major to walk through the third Holy Door. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

After breakfast, visit the Vatican Museum, home to world-famous masterpieces, including the Sistine Chapel. Continue to St. Peter’s Basilica, where we walk through the fourth Holy Door and enjoy a guided tour of the Basilica, built on the site of St. Peter’s martyrdom. See Michelangelo’s Pietà and pray at the tombs of St. Peter and Pope St. John Paul II. In the afternoon, tour Baroque Rome, visiting Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps. Spend some leisure time shopping before returning to the hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.

After breakfast, drive south for approximately two hours to Montecassino to visit the Abbey and celebrate Mass in the chapel where St. Benedict and his sister St. Scholastica are buried. Tour the abbey’s museum before lunch. Continue to San Giovanni Rotondo. Check-in at the hotel, followed by dinner and overnight stay.

In the morning, honor St. Padre Pio by visiting his tomb, cell, confessional, and the Capuchin Monastery of Our Lady of Grace, where Mass will be celebrated. Visit the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie and the Home for the Relief of the Suffering. In the afternoon, visit the Grotto of St. Michael the Archangel. Overnight stay in San Giovanni Rotondo.

After breakfast, check out and drive to Lanciano to visit the Church of St. Francis, the site of the eighth-century Eucharistic Miracle. Celebrate Mass. After lunch, continue to Loreto to see the Holy House of Nazareth, which is believed to have been transported by divine intervention. Celebrate Mass and visit the shrine before driving to Assisi. Check-in at the hotel, followed by dinner and overnight stay.

After an early breakfast, visit the Basilica of St. Francis and celebrate Mass at the Tomb of St. Francis. Explore the Basilica complex, which includes the crypt, the Lower Basilica (richly decorated with stained glass and 13th- and 14th-century artwork), and the Upper Basilica, home to Giotto’s monumental frescoes depicting St. Francis’s life. Continue to the Basilica of St. Clare to view her remains and the miraculous crucifix. After an independent lunch, enjoy leisure time for shopping or personal activities. In the afternoon, visit the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, which houses the “Porziuncola,” the chapel central to the Franciscan order. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

Depart Assisi early in the morning and drive approximately two hours to Orvieto to visit the Gothic Cathedral, which houses the holy relics of the Eucharistic Miracle of Orvieto. This miracle inspired St. Thomas Aquinas’s famous hymn Tantum Ergo. After lunch, continue to Castel Gandolfo for a farewell dinner at a hotel overlooking the lake.

In the morning, transfer to Rome’s airport. Depart Rome on flight LH1865 at 11:00 AM to Munich, arriving at 12:35 PM. Transfer to flight LH458 at 3:50 PM to San Francisco, arriving at 7:45 PM.