Join us on our nine day spiritual journey through Italy. Visit Venice, Padova and the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua and Florence. Enjoy a night in the peaceful village of Assisi where we visit the Basilica of St. Francis and the Basilica of Santa Chiara with the tomb of Saint Clare. Visit the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel in Rome where we spend three nights. Occasionally the Pope is called away from Rome, but a Papal Audience will be scheduled. Breakfast and dinner will be included daily from dinner on arrival day in Venice to breakfast on our departure day from Rome.

Day 1 – Depart the USA. Meals in flight

Day 2 – Venice – Mestre
Mid morning arrival into the Marco Polo Airport of Venice where we meet our tour escort. Transfer by private motor launch for a 45 minute ride on the canals to St. Marks Square. Walking tour of the square and its immediate surroundings. After some free time, we board our launch to transfer back to our coach. Dinner awaits at our hotel in the nearby town of Mestre where we spend the night. D

Day 3- Mestre – Padova – Florence – Montecatini Terme
Enjoy a buffet breakfast before transferring to your motor coach and on to Padova for Mass at the Basilica of Saint Anthony. Drive through this old city, famous for its university, and depart toward Florence where we spend two nights in nearby Montecatini Terme. Visit the Old Bridge on the Arno River and the Piazza della Signoria with its Loggia. Also visit the Straw Market. B, D

Day 4 – Florence
All day to tour the cosmopolitan city of Florence. City tour includes a visit to the Academy of Fine Arts with the original statue of David, a masterpiece of Michelangelo. Free time to shop before returning to our hotel. B, D

Day 5 – Montecatini Terme to Assisi
Journey to Assisi for a walking tour of the town. The town is dominated by the three level Basilica of St Francis which we will visit. You will see the worn sandals and the tattered robe that St. Francis wore. Also visit the Basilica of Santa Chiara dedicated to Saint Clare. Return to our hotel. B, D

Day 6 – Assisi to Rome
Arrive Rome around noon. Here we spend the next three nights in this very special city. Our tour this afternoon includes a visit to the Basilica of Saint John in Lateran, the Scala Sancta and the impressive Saint Paul Outside the Walls before we check in to our hotel. B, D

Day 7 – Rome
We will have a full day of sightseeing today as we visit the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. See the tomb of John Paul II. You will also visit Saint Peter in Chains and the Church of Saint Mary Major. Those of you who have visited the El Roble in Monterrey, Mexico will notice the similarity of design in the Church of Saint Mary Major. B, D

Day 8 – ROME
Leave early for the Papal Audience – it’s a first come, first serve on seating. In the afternoon, visit one of the many catacombs surrounding the city. Then return to our hotel for our last night in Rome. B, D

Day 9 – Rome to the USA
Arrival back into the USA will be the same day as departure. B