St. Peter
St. Peter’s & the Vatican
Mass in the basilica, the Scavi excavations down through a Roman necropolis to the Apostle’s tomb, the Sistine Chapel, and a Papal Audience when the calendar allows.
Destinations / Italy
at the tomb of St. Peter
A Catholic Pilgrimage
to Italy
Rome, Assisi, and the saints of the peninsula — built from scratch for your parish, school, or diocese.
Italy is where most groups begin, and for good reason: nowhere else can a parish pray at the tomb of an Apostle in the morning and stand in the cell of St. Francis by the end of the week.
A ProRome pilgrimage to Italy is built around daily Mass at the sites themselves — at the four major basilicas of Rome, at the altar above St. Peter’s tomb, in the crypt at Assisi, in the church at San Giovanni Rotondo where Padre Pio heard confessions for fifty years. Our Rome office handles the church reservations, the sacristy arrangements, and the timing, so your priest simply vests and offers Mass.
We have run more Italy pilgrimages than any other destination — for parishes, Catholic high schools, dioceses, and religious communities. A group of twenty-five is worth doing well, and we do them every year. So is a group of five hundred: each spring we bring more than five hundred students and chaperones from the Chesterton Schools Network to Italy across successive weeks. Tell us your group’s patron, your calendar, and your budget, and we build the itinerary around them.
9
Nights Abroad
Recommended
Daily
Mass at
Sacred Sites
3
Lodging Styles
To Choose From
25–500+
Pilgrims
Per Group
Where You Will Pray
The places that make an Italian pilgrimage
The four major basilicas
Rome, from the roof
St. Peter’s, St. Mary Major, St. John Lateran and St. Paul Outside the Walls — four churches that between them hold an Apostle, a relic of the manger, and the cathedral of the Pope himself.
The martyrs of the early Church
Ancient Rome & the Catacombs
The Forum and the Colosseum, the Holy Stairs, and Mass underground in the catacombs where the Church buried its dead when being Christian was a capital offence.
St. Francis
Assisi
A hill town in Umbria that has not much changed, the Basilica of St. Francis built into its western end, and San Damiano below where the crucifix spoke to him.
St. Clare · the Porziuncola
The tomb of St. Francis
Mass at the tomb in the crypt, the Giotto cycle in the Upper Basilica, the incorrupt body of St. Clare, and the little chapel inside St. Mary of the Angels where the Franciscans began.
St. Pio of Pietrelcina
San Giovanni Rotondo
The second most visited Catholic shrine in the world. Padre Pio’s cell, the confessional where he sat for fifty years, the crucifix from which he received the stigmata, and his body.
The Ground You Cover
Italy, shrine by shrine
Click any marker to see what is there and how long groups usually stay.
Legend
- The classic route
- Add-on shrines
- Northern Italy
Nowhere is off limits
These are the sites groups ask for most — not a list of where we can go. In more than a decade we have brought pilgrims to hundreds of towns across Italy, from cathedral cities to hill villages with one church and one relic. If there is a shrine, a saint, or a story your group cares about, tell us and we will build the road to it.
A Sample Nine Nights
The ProRome Classic
Nine nights abroad is what we recommend for Italy — long enough to pray without rushing, short enough that a parish can fill it. Six nights in Rome, three in Assisi. Every day of it is negotiable.
Day 1
Depart the United States
Overnight transatlantic flight. We contract the group airfare directly and travel with your group.
Day 2
Arrive in Rome
Private coach from Fiumicino, hotel check-in, opening Mass, and a first walk through the city as a group.
Day 3
St. Peter’s and the Vatican
Mass in the basilica, the Scavi excavations down to the tomb of St. Peter, the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel.
Day 4
Papal Audience & St. Mary Major
The Wednesday audience in St. Peter’s Square when the Holy Father is in residence, then the basilica of St. Mary Major and the Holy Stairs.
Day 5
Ancient Rome & the Catacombs
St. John Lateran, the Colosseum and Forum, and Mass in the catacombs where the early Church buried its martyrs.
Day 6
St. Paul Outside the Walls
The fourth major basilica and the Apostle’s tomb, with the afternoon free for confession, shopping, or rest.
Day 7
Rome, at your own pace
A free morning, or a day trip to Orvieto and its Eucharistic miracle. Sixth and final night in Rome.
Day 8
Rome to Assisi
Coach north through Umbria, arriving in Assisi in time for Mass and the evening in the town.
Day 9
St. Francis & St. Clare
Mass at the tomb of St. Francis, the Basilica of St. Clare, San Damiano, and the Porziuncola inside St. Mary of the Angels.
Day 10
The hermitage, and a last evening
The Carceri hermitage on Mount Subasio, free time in Assisi, then a closing Mass and group dinner. Ninth and final night abroad.
Day 11
Return home
Transfer to Rome and the flight back, with your tour manager through to the airport.
This is a starting point, not a package. Groups regularly add Florence and Siena, San Giovanni Rotondo, Loreto, Monte Cassino, or Subiaco — or build something with no resemblance to it at all.
What it costs
$3,000–$3,500
Student groups · per pilgrim, land only
$3,800–$4,500
Adult groups · per pilgrim, land only
Both ranges are all-inclusive on the ground and vary with the season you travel. Airfare is quoted separately — see the FAQ below for how that works.
- Lodging matched to your group — religious guesthouse, four-star hotel, or five-star
- Daily breakfast and most dinners
- Private motorcoach and all ground transfers
- Catholic guides throughout
- All entrance fees and site reservations
- Daily Mass arranged and reserved
- A ProRome tour manager for the full trip
Where you stay
Religious guesthouses. Run by orders, often inside the historic centre and sometimes attached to the shrine itself. Simple rooms, real hospitality, and the lowest cost of the three.
Four-star hotels. More space, more amenities, and the option most parish groups choose.
Five-star. For groups who want it, we build it — and we will tell you honestly what it adds and what it does not.
The choice is yours on every pilgrimage, and it moves the price more than any other decision.
When to go
April to early June and September to early November are the sweet spots — mild weather, and the shrines busy but not overwhelmed.
July and August are hot and crowded, though school groups often have no alternative and we plan around it with early starts.
Winter is quiet, inexpensive, and underrated. Rome in January is a different city.
Feast days are worth building around — St. Francis on 4 October, the Assumption, or your parish’s own patron. Tell us the date and we will work backward from it.
What Sets Us Apart
Your guide is a missionary, not a tour guide
ProRome guides are trained missionaries with degrees from Catholic universities. They are not working from a script, and they are not reciting dates from a plaque.
They can explain why the Scavi matters, what the Church teaches about relics, and who St. Catherine was — and then pray the Rosary with your group on the coach afterward. Pilgrims tell us this is the part they remember.
Common Questions
Planning an Italy pilgrimage
How long should a Catholic pilgrimage to Italy be?
Nine nights abroad is what we recommend, which works out to about eleven days door to door with the overnight flights on either end. For Italy that is typically six nights in Rome and three in Assisi. It is long enough to pray at the major sites without racing between them, and short enough that a parish or school can realistically fill it. Groups regularly extend to twelve or thirteen nights to add Florence and Siena, San Giovanni Rotondo, or Loreto.
How much does a pilgrimage to Italy cost?
Student groups typically run $3,000 to $3,500 per pilgrim and adult groups $3,800 to $4,500, land only and all-inclusive on the ground, varying with the season you travel. That covers lodging, daily breakfast and most dinners, private motorcoach transport, Catholic guides, all entrance fees, daily Mass arranged and reserved, and a ProRome tour manager for the length of the trip. Airfare is quoted separately because airlines do not release group fares until roughly eleven months before your return date.
How does airfare work?
Airlines do not release group fares until roughly eleven months before your return date, so airfare is quoted separately from the land price. That gives you two ways to launch. You can launch land-only now, start registering pilgrims at the land price, and add airfare once it opens — the usual choice when a group wants a long recruiting window. Or you can wait until the eleven-month mark, let us contract the air, and launch one all-inclusive price, which is simpler for pilgrims but shortens the time you have to fill the trip. We will tell you which fits your group when we talk.
How large can a group be?
Twenty-five pilgrims is a comfortable minimum, and there is effectively no ceiling. Each spring we bring more than five hundred students and chaperones from the Chesterton Schools Network to Italy, staged across successive weeks so that every group still gets its own coach, its own guide, and Mass at the sites rather than a crowd moving through them. Whether you are a parish of thirty or a network of schools sending hundreds, the operation is built around the group rather than the group squeezed into the operation.
Where do groups stay in Italy?
That is your choice, and it changes both the character and the cost of the pilgrimage. Many groups stay in religious guesthouses run by orders — simple, often inside the historic centre, and frequently steps from the shrine you came to pray at. Others prefer four-star hotels with more space and amenities. We also build five-star itineraries for groups who want them. We will walk you through the trade-offs for your dates and your budget before anything is booked.
Can we attend a Papal Audience?
Usually, yes. The general audience is held on Wednesdays in St. Peter’s Square when the Holy Father is in Rome, and our Rome office requests tickets on your group’s behalf. Audiences are suspended when the Pope travels or during parts of the summer, so we plan the week around the calendar once your dates are set.
Can our priest offer Mass at the major basilicas?
Yes. Daily Mass at sacred sites is arranged on every ProRome pilgrimage, and our Rome office handles the church reservations, sacristy arrangements, and timing. We regularly secure altars at St. Peter’s, St. Mary Major, St. John Lateran, and St. Paul Outside the Walls, as well as in the catacombs and at the tomb of St. Francis in Assisi.
What is the Scavi tour?
The Scavi are the excavations beneath St. Peter’s Basilica — a Roman necropolis running directly under the high altar, ending at the bones the Church venerates as those of St. Peter. Group sizes are strictly limited by the Vatican and tickets are released months ahead, so it must be requested early. We request it for every Italy group that wants it.
How far in advance should we start planning?
Twelve to eighteen months is ideal. That gives us room to secure the best group airfare, hold the right hotels, request the Scavi and a Papal Audience, and give your pilgrims time to register and pay in installments. We regularly build pilgrimages on shorter timelines, but availability during peak season is limited.
Is Italy suitable for a Catholic high school group?
It is our most requested school destination. We run Italy pilgrimages every spring for Catholic high schools and academies, with itineraries built for students rather than adapted from an adult trip — more walking, more structure, chaperone ratios worked out in advance, and guides who know how to hold a teenager’s attention in a basilica.
Let’s build your Italy pilgrimage
Tell us your group, your dates, and what is on your parish’s heart. We will come back with an itinerary and a price — no obligation, and no template.
Request a Custom Proposal →