Arrive in Tel Aviv, where we meet our tour escort and transfer to our hotel.

We will visit Old Jaffa and the Church of St. Peter this morning. On to ancient Caesarea to view the ruins and take pictures at the aqueduct. Continue to Mount Carmel in Haifa, visit the chapel of the Prophet Elisha, and take photos of the beautiful view of the city. Continue to Nazareth and visit the Church of the Annunciation and St. Joseph’s Church.

Today, we will stop in Cana and visit the Church where Jesus performed His first public miracle at the wedding. Continue to the city of Tiberias and see the sites around the Sea of Galilee - Capernaum with St. Peter’s House, Mount of Beatitudes, and Tabgha. We will also enjoy a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee before returning to our hotel.

We depart Nazareth through the Jordan Valley to Jericho to see the ruins and take the cable car to the Mount of Temptation. Continue to the River Jordan to renew our baptismal vows and Then to the Dead Sea to feel the warm and salty water. On our way to our hotel in Bethlehem, we will stop at Bethany to visit the church built on the traditional house of Mary, Martha, and their brother, Lazarus.

Drive to the Mount of Olives for a fantastic view of the Old City of Jerusalem. Travel down to Dominus Flevit, where the Lord wept. Passing by the Russian Orthodox Church, we arrive at the Garden of Gethsemane, where we see the old trees and visit the Basilica of All Nations. Drive to Ein Karem and visit the Church of the Visitation. Then, onto Shepherds’ Field and the Church of the Nativity, the Holy Manger, the Chapel of St. Jerome, and the Milk Grotto

Early in the morning, we drive to the Old City and start our walking tour at St. Anne’s, Pools of Bethesda, and walk the 14 Stations of the Cross until the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to visit the empty tomb of Jesus and Mount Calvary. Breakfast at the hotel in Jerusalem and Then, back to the Old City to see the Wailing Wall, Mount Zion, the Upper Room, and the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu.

Depart Tel Aviv to Rome. Time permitting, we will stop at the Basilica of Saint Paul outside the walls to celebrate Mass. Continue to the city center for a panoramic tour of Imperial Rome. Check-in at the hotel for dinner and overnight.

This morning, we will visit the Vatican Museums. After our visit to St. Peter’s Square, we will break for lunch on our own. Our day will end as we visit the place dedicated to Saint Johnny Bosco. We will visit the “Camerette” museum dedicated to the Saint in the Church of the Sacred Heart. Here, we will celebrate Mass. Dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, we begin our day at St. Mary Major Church and celebrate Mass. Then, continue to Saint John Lateran Church. We will also visit the Holy Stairs, steps that led up to the praetorium of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem, which Jesus Christ stood on during his Passion on his way to trial. Enjoy time at leisure and lunch on your own at the Trevi Fountain. Dinner and overnight.

We will have an early morning departure to San Peter’s Square. Today, we meet the thousands of pilgrims coming from all over the world to attend the Papal Audience and Blessing. We will board our bus and drive to Assisi. Break for lunch on the way. Upon arrival in Assisi, we will enjoy a guided tour of the village, the birthplace of the beloved St. Francis. We will visit the Church of Santa Chiara, where St. Francis was born, and then see the house where he spent his childhood. Continue to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where the blessed Carlo Acutis is venerated. We reach the heart of the town, the Piazza del Commune (Town Hall square), with its Roman and medieval buildings, continuing towards the ancient city walls to the Basilica of St. Francis, built above the inspiring final resting place of the saint. The interiors of the basilica are intricately decorated with frescoes from the 12th and 13th centuries, depicting the saint’s life and spiritual transformation to a life of poverty and dedication to the poor. Continue to the hotel to check in and enjoy dinner.

After breakfast, check out. Before leaving Assisi, we will visit the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels, which, within the Basilica’s rose garden, is the Rose Chapel (Cappella delle Rose) built over the place where Francis lived in his later years. Celebrate Mass. Drive to Turin and check in at the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Today, we begin with a panoramic tour of the city. The Basilica of Santa Maria Ausilicatrice (Our Lady Help of Christians) is where we see the tombs of Saint John Bosco and Saint Mary Mazzarello. We can visit the “rooms” at Valdocco; then we proceed to visit the Church of St. John the Evangelist, where Don Bosco started his second oratory in the city. Even today, the rhetoric is the refuge for the poorest young people of Turin. Here, we celebrate Mass. In the afternoon, transfer to “Colle Don Bosco.” St. John Bosco was born on this hill on August 16, 1815. Visiting these surroundings means rediscovering the origins of that extraordinary personality we know as Don Bosco and his worldwide work. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Depart Turin after breakfast to Milan. Enjoy a guided tour of this city. This is Italy’s business hub and a great draw to many throughout history, from St. Ambrose and Leonardo da Vinci. We will visit the world’s most significant Gothic and second-largest Catholic cathedral - The Duomo di Milano. Celebrate Mass and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure—dinner at the hotel and overnight.

Return to the USA