Itinerary*

Day 1: USA / ROME
Depart the States on your overnight flight to Italy. You'll appreciate the attentive Swissair service while complimentary drinks and meals are served aloft.

Day 2: ARRIVE ROME
After a morning arrival in the "Eternal City," you will meet your tour escort who will be with you throughout your stay. The city of Rome exerts a compelling fascination for travelers, as there is arguably more to see here than in any other city in the world. (D)

Day 3: ROME
We'll begin our day in Rome with Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, followed by a tour including the Pieta and Adoration Chapel which our Holy Father opened in 1981. We'll then tour the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museum, focusing especially on Eucharistic art and artifacts. In the afternoon we'll visit St. Paul's outside the Walls, originally built by Constantine in the fourth century over the site of St. Paul's tomb. We'll see the Holy Stairs, the Basilica of St. John Lateran, and the Catacombs, leaving ample time for adoration in the Blessed Sacrament chapel. (B/D)

Day 4: ROME
This morning we attend the weekly Papal audience given by His Holiness, Pope John Paul II. Then we'll head to the Mamertine Prison where St. Paul was kept in chains, view the Forum and Coliseum and stop at St. Clement's, to see the second century dwelling of Pope St. Clement, the third successor of St. Peter, and the original fresco depicting St. Clement celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. This fresco gives us a picture of Eucharistic worship at the end of the first century or beginning of the second. Stop at St. Peter in Chains to view Michelangelo's magnificent Moses. Continue to the Basilica of San Andrea del Fratte, where Alphonse Ratisbonne was instantly converted when Our Lady appeared to him. This is where St. Maximilian Kolbe said his first Mass and where Our Lady also appeared to St. John Bosco. We'll walk a few blocks to the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. (B/D)

Day 5: ROME / SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO
Depart Rome for Monte Cassino and visit the famous Benedictine Abbey founded in 529 by St. Benedict. Continue to Pompeii, where you will visit the famous ruins of a once flourishing and prosperous town. It was taken by surprise in 79 A.D. and buried by the ashes of the Vesuvius Volcano. Continue across the Appennes to San Giovanni Rotondo, the birthplace and home of Padre Pio. Stay in nearby Foggia for the night. (B/D)

Day 6: SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO / LANCIANO
Spend the morning touring this quaint 11th century town where the famous Padre spent most of his life. You will have the opportunity to visit the Shrine for Mitigating Suffering, which he founded. After viewing the tomb of Padre Pio, visit the sanctuary where one of the fathers who knew Padre Pio, will be your guide. Following Mass at Padre Pio's Tomb, enjoy a breathtaking view of the Cargano Peninsula and a visit to the Grotto of Michael the Archangel. This afternoon, drive northward to Lanciano, site of the 8th century Miracle of the Eucharist, where bread and wine became real flesh and blood. (B/D)

Day 7: LANCIANO / CASCIA / ASSISI
Following Mass, depart Lanciano. Our travels today first take us to Cascia, the home of Saint Rita, "the saint of the impossible." We'll visit her Basilica and view her incorrupt body and pray in the chapel containing the Eucharistic miracle of Cascia. There will be time for adoration. We'll tour Saint Rita's convent where she received the thorn from Christ's crown. Continue our drive through the beautiful Umbrian countryside to Assisi, a town which welcomes you in the spirit of St. Francis and St. Clare into its peaceful interior. Dinner and overnight. (B/D)

Day 8: ASSISI / ORVIETO
This morning we'll visit St. Mary of the Angels Basilica, site of the Porziuncola, the tiny church in the woods where St. Francis began his ministry and where he consecrated St. Clare. We'll tour the Convent of San Damiano where the miracle of the Eucharist of 1211 took place and visit the chapel where Jesus spoke to St. Francis from the crucifix. We'll visit the Basilica of St. Clare and view her incorrupt body. Depart Assisi for Orvieto where we'll visit the Cathedral of Orvieto and venerate the sacred Eucharistic miracle. There will be time for prayer and adoration. See the steps of the Papal summer residence where Pope Urban IV held up the blood-stained corporal and announced his intention to institute the Feast of Corpus Christi. (B/D)

Day 9: ORVIETO / SIENA
This morning, depart Orvieto and drive to Bolsena, a lovely lake town where we will pray at the altar where a Eucharistic miracle occurred in 1263. Venerate the blood stained marble stones involved in the miracle. Continue to Siena, home of St. Catherine. Our first stop this morning and a highlight of our tour will be the Basilica of St. Francis where we'll venerate the Eucharistic miracle of Siena. Hosts which have remained incorrupt since 1730. Then we'll go to St. Dominic's, St. Catherine of Siena's parish church where she attended daily Mass and went into ecstacy. Adjacent to the church is her home, which we'll tour and see the cell where she fasted and prayed. Then we'll stroll the ancient Gothic streets which converge on the Piazza del Campo, one of the most beautiful squares in the world where we can stop for lunch. Driving north through the beautiful Italian countryside you'll reach your final destination of the day, the "Cradle of the Italian Renaissance," Florence. (B/D)

Day 10: FLORENCE
After Mass, tour Florence is an artful experience as you take in the Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, and the Baptistery with its renowned bronze doors. Continue to the Academy of Fine Arts, home to Michelangelo's famous sculpture "David," and then to Santa Maria Novella Church. The remainder of the afternoon is free to discover this fascinating city on your own. (B/D)

Day 11: FLORENCE / PADUA / VENICE
Drive to Ferrera, the Este's city, which you will visit during your stop. Further on is Padua, the home of St. Anthony. Visit the Basilica of St. Anthony in whose treasury you can see, in a precious reliquary, the tongue and larynx of St. Anthony of Padua. After Mass in the Basilica built in his honor, we hear the amazing story of the Patron Saint of so many miracles, including raising people from the dead. Continue to the Chapel of the Madonna del'Arena which contains some of the most fascinating paintings from the Renaissance period. Drive on to Venice, Italy's most colorful city. The city of Venice was built on 118 islands crisscrossed by 160 canals and linked by 400 footbridges. There are no roads, only canals; no traffic, only water taxis and gondolas. (B/D)

Day 12: VENICE
Enjoy a morning sightseeing tour of Venice by foot, first visiting St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco) and the St. Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco), built to house the remains of St. Mark. See the magnificent Byzantine-style Cathedral, whose interior is lined with gold mosaics and precious marble. Continue to the elaborate pink and white marble Doge's Palace, residence of the rulers of Venice and seat of the Government. See the State Apartments and the Great Council Hall which house the "Paradise" by Tintoretto. Walk across the Bridge of Sighs to the former prison where Casanova was incarcerated. The balance of the day is free. (B/D)

Day 13: VENICE / USA
Drive to the airport for your return flight home.

*Please note that this is only a sample itinerary. Actual trip itinerary may vary slightly in length and in activities. For specific information please contact:

Tekton Ministries
Pilgrimage Office
9924 Cedar Ridge Dr.
Carmel, IN 46032
toll free (866) 905-3787