Our Italian adventure begins as you depart the USA on your international flight.

Your guide will greet you and escort you to your motor coach for your drive through the countryside to Turin (Torino) for dinner and overnight. (D) 

Enjoy a tour of Turin today, including a stop at the Palatine Gate from Roman Times.  You walk through the cathedral where the Shroud of Turin is kept in the Chapel of the Holy Shroud.  You will spend time in the Piazza Castello and see such buildings as the Savoy Royal House while walking there.  This afternoon, you will drive to Pisa for an overnight stay.  Dinner is on your own in the city.  (B) 

This morning, you can take your photo in front of the famous Leaning Tower. This 180-foot round tower is over 10 degrees out of perpendicular. The tower began to lean during its construction in 1173 and corrective efforts failed. You will visit the Duomo next door before heading to Florence.  After lunch, you’ll see the Piazza della Signoria with its Neptune Fountain and Vecchio Palace. Also, see the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, which houses Michelangelo’s unfinished Pietá, the Baptistry, which features Ghiberti’s famous Gates of Paradise and the Academy, where you can view some of Michelangelo’s finished and unfinished work, including the awe-inspiring David.  Check into your hotel in Assisi for a late dinner and overnight.  (B, D)

This morning, wake up to the atmospheric sounds of chapel bells, cobblestone footsteps and a tangible spirit of St. Francis preserved within the walls of this holy town. In the morning, you will visit the lower city. The Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels stands at the foot of the hill of Assisi over the Porziuncola, Saint Francis’ Church, given to him by the Benedictine monks. The Church and Convent of St. Damiano is where, in 1205, St. Francis received his calling to “Rebuild My Church.” St. Claire would later lead her Order of the Poor Ladies from here until her death in 1253. You will have time for private devotion and leisure before returning to your hotel for an overnight stay. Dinner is on your own tonight. (B)

After breakfast, you will walk to the Papal Basilica of St Francis, the mother church of the Franciscan Order and burial place of St Francis. This basilica, which was begun in 1228, is built on the side of a hill and comprises an Upper and Lower church. These are decorated with numerous frescoes by late medieval painters including Giotto. Celebrate Mass here. Continue your guided pilgrimage of the town’s highlights featuring the Basilica of St. Clare, where you can kneel before the famous crucifix from which Jesus spoke to St Francis. This afternoon, travel to Rome and enjoy a visit to the Forum and the Colosseum, once the heart of ancient Rome and a place of martyrdom for the early saints. Explore the romance of Rome as you stop at the famous Trevi Fountain. Legend says those who toss a coin into the fountain will one day return to Rome to toss another into the waters of Trevi. Check into your Rome hotel for an overnight stay.  (B)

Enjoy a guided tour of the Vatican’s Museums and the Sistine Chapel. Built by connecting portions of the old papal residence with newer structures, the museum houses a world-renowned collection of art and antiquities. Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel between 1508 and 1512 and later painted The Last Judgment between 1535 and 1541 for Popes Clement VII and Paul III. The primary function of the chapel is the Papal Conclave, providing the place where the College of Cardinals of the church gathers to elect a new pope. Then, walk through St. Peter’s Basilica and celebrate Mass here. The present structure, completed in 1590, was built over the Byzantine and Middle Ages structures that marked the tomb of Saint Peter. There are more than 100 tombs within the basilica, including, most recently, Saint John Paul II. Finish the day at the Pantheon, built by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus (27 BC to 14 AD). Emperor Hadrian rebuilt it around 126 AD. The building was given to Pope Boniface IV who converted it into a church - Saint Mary and the Martyrs (Santa Maria Rotunda). Mass continues to be celebrated here. Enjoy a visit to the Forum and the Colosseum, once the heart of ancient Rome and a place of martyrdom for the early saints. You will explore the romance of Rome as you stop at the famous Trevi Fountain. Legend says those who toss a coin into the fountain will one day return to Rome to toss another into the waters of Trevi. Return to your hotel for an overnight stay. Dinner is on your own this evening. (B)

After breakfast, enjoy the opportunity to join in prayer with Pope Francis and receive his greeting, blessing, and prayers (when the Pope is in Rome). Begin your afternoon with a visit to the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran. Six popes are entombed here. Next door is the Holy Staircase (Scala Santa), brought from Pilate’s Palace in Jerusalem by Saint Helena in the fourth century. Climbing the stairs on your knees is a devotion that many pilgrims perform, and a plenary indulgence is granted for completing this feat. Next is the Basilica of Saint Lawrence Outside the Walls (San Lorenzo). Saint Lawrence was one of the first seven deacons of Rome who were martyred in 258. The Church is built next to catacombs that lead down to his grave. The relics of Saints Justin Martyr and Stephen are also enshrined here. Continue your pilgrim journey to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Maria Maggiore). This is the largest Marian church in Rome. Its construction began after the Council of Ephesus in 431 proclaimed that Mary was the Mother of God. Saint Jerome, translator of the Bible into the Latin Vulgate, is buried here. Celebrate Mass in one of the churches. Dinner is on your own this evening. (B)

This morning begins another day of pilgrimage at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. The present structure stands over the place where Constantine built the first church, which is over Saint Paul’s grave. The church features a portrait of every pope who has served the church, with the face of Pope Francis I illuminated as the present pontiff. Step beneath the surface into the Catacombs of Callixtus, built along the Appian Way. Here, 16 popes from the 2nd through 4th centuries were interred though they have been removed to various churches over the centuries. San Sebastian Outside the Walls is another of the seven pilgrimage churches built over the Catacombs of Saint Sebastian. The remains of Peter and Paul were temporarily protected here during the Valerian Persecution of 258. Our seventh and final pilgrimage stop is the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. Saint Helena brought Passion relics here, and the floor was covered with soil from Jerusalem. Relics here include the index finger of Thomas that touched the wounds of Christ after His resurrection and a piece of the Good Thief’s Cross. Those who want to complete the seven-church pilgrimage as declared by Saint John Paul II in 2000 can continue with one more stop at the Shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love. Here, a pilgrim pursued by dogs appealed to Our Lady and she intervened for his safety. Pilgrims began to frequent the site and a chapel was built here in 1745. Celebrate Mass in one of the churches. Enjoy a farewell dinner and opera performance this evening. (B, D)

Return home with memories of the people and places of Italy.