Grand Tour of Catholic Italy – Venice, Padua, Florence, Assisi, Rome

Sightseeing Highlights Included

• Venice
  • Cruise to Piazza San Marco
  • Discover the “Calli”, which are the narrow Venetian alleys that join together with characteristic bridges over the canals, souvenir shops, up to the Grand Canal, and the Rialto Bridge.
  • Cruise to the islands of Burano, the most picturesque and colorful of the lagoon islands, then to Murano with a visit to a furnace where the skill of glass artisans forges objects that are famous all over the world.
• Padua
  • En-route stop at the Basilica of St. Anthony with the possibility of celebrating Holy Mass.
  • Visit the Basilica of Santa Giustina.
  • Visit the Scrovegni Chapel, a small jewel, a masterpiece completely frescoed by Giotto.
• Florence
  • Guided tour of this wonderful Cradle of the Renaissance, allowing us to see many unforgettable sights such as the Cathedral of Florence Santa Maria del Fiore, Giotto’s Bell Tower, Bronze “gate of Paradise of St. John’s Baptistery, Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio and the David Michelangelo’s sculpture.
• Siena – Assisi
  • Visit Siena, a medieval city where you are enchanted by so much beauty, by the history and by the architecture of the city.
  • Explore the central square, called Campo (Piazza del Campo) with its shell-shaped format, here two times a year the Palio takes place, an equestrian race, where horses and jockeys, each representing a district of the city with their banner, compete in a wild race around the square.
  • Visit the Duomo complex, the city’s Cathedral, a 13th-century masterpiece dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta and the Baptistery with its splendid baptismal font.
• Assisi – Rome
  • Ascent to the Basilica of St. Francis, to visit the Upper Basilica frescoed on the walls by Giotto’s frescoes of Saint Francis and to descend into the lower basilica, an atmosphere of spirituality that will involve you in front of the tomb of the Poverello (poor one) of Assisi
  • Go down to Santa Maria degli Angeli, the grandiose Basilica that contains the “Porziuncola”, the small church restored by St. Francis
  • Individual tour of this historic center in Rome.
  • The guided tour begins with the Imperial Forums, Circus Maximus, and Colosseum, the most famous of the Roman amphitheaters of the ancient world.
  • Visit the Church of San Pietro in Vincoli (Saint Peter, in Chains) to admire one of Michelangelo’s masterpieces, Moses.
  • Visit the Catacombs of Saint Sebastiano, a place of burial and refuge for Christians, then the great Basilica of San Paolo Fuori le Mura (Saint Paul Outside the Walls), and then, stop at the Abbey of the Three Fountains, the place of martyrdom of Saint. Paul.
  • Attend the Papal Audience of the Holy Father in St. Peter’s Square (or in the Paul VI Hall (depending on the season). — The Audience is celebrated every Wednesday, presided over by the Holy Father (to be reconfirmed).
  • Visit of St. Peter’s Basilica
  • Climb to the first level to the dome, inside the tombs of the Popes and the Pietà of Michelangelo
  • Discover Cathedral of Rome that is San Giovanni (Saint John) in Laterano, Saint John Lateran is the seat of the Diocese of Rome, near the Holy Staircase. Then the Marian Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore dedicated to Santa Maria della Neve is reached as an ancient Roman tradition.
• Monte Sant’Angelo
  • A medieval village overlooking the sea on the Gargano, a visit to the Sanctuary of San Michele Arcangelo, a destination for pilgrims since the Middle Ages.
  • Visit the places of Padre Pio, the ancient church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, the Convent, the new grandiose Sanctuary, built on a project by the architect Renzo Piano, and the Crypt that contains the remains of the Saint (possible celebration of Holy Mass).