A Pilgrimage to Italy

Our pilgrimage begins as pilgrims gather at Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport (MSP) for our overnight transatlantic flight to Rome. We depart on Delta Flight 298 at 8:20 PM, arriving at Rome Fiumicino the following afternoon. Full group flight details are listed in the Group Flight Information section below.

Morning arrival at Rome Fiumicino (FCO), where we are met by our ProRome tour manager and transferred by private motorcoach. If arrival time permits, we enjoy a guided visit of Ostia Antica, the remarkably preserved harbor city of ancient Rome, where the streets, baths, and temples still trace the daily life of the early Empire. We then continue to our guesthouse for check-in, followed by our Welcome Mass and a group dinner. (Should flight delays make Ostia impractical, the group will proceed directly to the guesthouse.)

After an early breakfast we make our way to St. Peter’s Square for the Papal General Audience, the Wednesday tradition in which the Holy Father addresses pilgrims from around the world. In the afternoon we set out on a walking pilgrimage through Trastevere, the medieval heart of Rome with its winding cobblestone streets, where we celebrate Mass in the Basilica of Santa Cecilia. After time to freshen up, the evening brings a memorable after-hours tour of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, free of the daytime crowds. Group dinner.

After breakfast we celebrate Mass and enjoy a guided visit of St. Peter’s Basilica, with the option to ascend the cupola for those who wish (not included). Following free time for lunch, we explore the historic center on foot: the Bridge of the Angels and the Via dei Coronari, Piazza Navona with the church of Sant’Agnese in Agone, the Pantheon (now the Basilica of Santa Maria ad Martyres and the best-preserved building of antiquity), San Luigi dei Francesi, and Sant’Agostino. Group dinner near the Chiesa Nuova.

After breakfast we visit the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the four papal basilicas, along with the nearby Basilica of Santa Prassede and Sant’Alfonso. We then travel to the Catacombs of San Callisto, the burial place of the early Christians, with a pizza lunch along the Appian Way or at San Paolo. The afternoon brings the Basilica of San Paolo Fuori le Mura, the second-largest basilica in Rome, followed by time for Holy Hours. Free evening.

After breakfast we walk to Santa Maria in Ara Coeli for morning Mass, then begin a guided tour of Ancient Rome: the Roman Forum and the Colosseum viewed from without. After lunch on own in the Monti neighborhood, we visit the Basilica of San Clemente, with its layers of Christian history descending into the Roman past; the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, the Cathedral of Rome; the Scala Santa, the stairs of Pilate’s praetorium traditionally climbed on the knees; and the Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, home to relics of the True Cross. Group dinner.

After breakfast we gather in St. Peter’s Square for the Divine Mercy Papal Mass, followed by the Sunday Angelus with the Holy Father. After lunch on own, we set out on an afternoon walking pilgrimage through the historic center: the Gesù, mother church of the Jesuits; Sant’Ignazio, with its breathtaking illusionistic ceiling; and Sant’Andrea delle Fratte before pausing at the Trevi Fountain. Group dinner.

After an early breakfast and check-out, we celebrate Mass at a basilica on our way out of Rome, then travel north into Tuscany, with a stop for lunch on own en route. Arriving in Siena by mid-afternoon, we check in and set out on a walking pilgrimage to the sites of St. Catherine of Siena: the Basilica of San Domenico, which holds her head and relics, and the Sanctuary House of St. Catherine, her family home. We close the day at the Basilica of San Francesco, home of the Eucharistic Miracle of Siena, with a Holy Hour. Group dinner in Siena.

After breakfast we visit the Piazza del Campo, one of the most beautiful squares in Europe, and celebrate Mass at the magnificent striped marble Duomo di Siena. We then depart toward Assisi by way of Perugia, where we visit San Pietro in Vincoli (the Carcere di San Francesco), site of St. Francis’ imprisonment in 1202, with the possibility of a tour and tasting at the Perugina chocolate factory (pending availability). We continue to Santa Maria degli Angeli in the valley below Assisi to visit the Portiuncula, the little chapel St. Francis rebuilt with his own hands, and the Cappella del Transito, where the saint died in 1226. Arrival in Assisi, check-in, and group dinner.

After breakfast we celebrate Mass and enjoy a guided tour of the Basilica of San Francesco, with its sublime Cimabue and Giotto frescoes and the tomb of St. Francis. We visit San Damiano, where the crucifix spoke to St. Francis, then break for lunch on own. The afternoon unfolds in the upper town: the Basilica of Santa Chiara, resting place of St. Clare and the San Damiano Crucifix; the Cathedral of San Rufino; the Piazza del Comune and the Chiesa Nuova; and a Holy Hour at Santa Maria Maggiore, where St. Carlo Acutis is laid to rest. Group dinner in Assisi.

After breakfast we travel by motorcoach to Foligno to visit the Cathedral of San Feliciano, tomb of the martyr St. Feliciano, with a walk through its historic center. We continue to Montefalco, known as the balcony of Umbria for its sweeping views, to see the Church of San Francesco with Benozzo Gozzoli’s radiant fresco cycle of the life of St. Francis, and the Sanctuary of Santa Chiara da Montefalco, home to the incorrupt body of St. Clare of the Cross. We return to Assisi by mid-afternoon for a free afternoon of exploration, shopping, prayer, or rest, gathering in the evening for a farewell dinner.

After an early breakfast and check-out we celebrate a final Mass in Assisi, with timing determined by the flight schedule. We transfer by private motorcoach to Rome FCO Airport, approximately 2.5 hours south, for our return flights to the USA. We depart on Delta Flight 207 at 9:00 AM, connecting in Detroit, and arrive home at Minneapolis–St. Paul that same evening, carrying with us the graces and memories of our pilgrimage. Full return details are in the Group Flight Information section below.