We will begin our second day in Italy with Mass at the tomb of St. Francis. It is a leisurely walk downhill through the streets of Assisi to the Basilica of St. Francis. We will be greeted by our friends who oversee the basilica, the Franciscan Friars. They will give us a guided tour of the basilica after a private Mass. Following our visit, there will be free time for shopping and exploration before lunch overlooking the Basilica of St. Francis.

Your afternoon will be free to rest, shop or explore Assisi on your own. As dusk approaches, we will gather in a private room in the St. Anthony's Guesthouse. This room has large picturesque windows on all sides, allowing for a beautiful view of Assisi as the sun sets. This will become our discussion room as we read and digest with Dr. Robert Moynihan the rich readings for the Easter Vigil Mass.

Afterwards, we will visit the Basilica of St. Clare before dinner at another one of our favorite restaurants in the Piazza del Comune, the main piazza in the city center and one of the most beautiful piazzas in Italy. There we will share local wine, wonderful local food and our thoughts about the day. 

Overnight in Assisi. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.

Our second day in Assisi will begin with Mass at Our Lady of the Angels church (built over the Portiuncola that was built by St. Francis).  Brother Eunan always welcomes us with his beautiful smile, joined, with insight stories about St. Francis.  We then continue onto to the Sanctuary of San Damiano, where St. Clare lived and died and where the crucifix that spoke to St. Francis is located. After lunch in the center of Assisi, will take a walking tour through the historic center of Assisi and enter several important churches along the way, including San Rufino where both St. Francis and St. Clare were baptized. 

Thereafter, we will meet with the Bishop of Assisi, if available, in his residence. Dinner will be at another one of our favorite restaurants in Assisi.  

Overnight in Assisi.  Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.

The morning will be time for you to rest, pray or spend time exploring Assisi by yourself.  Lunch will be on your own, after which we will depart for Norcia —- the drive is less than one hour.

Norcia, with its rugged mountains and steep valleys, continues to attract those seeking the solitude of a contemplative, monastic life.  During the time of St. Augustine (354-430 A.D.), the decades before the birth of St. Benedict, Norcia became home to dozens of monks, some living a solitary life and others, living in small, communal groups that provided an early model for what would become the communal life of St. Benedict’s monks.  Today, that tradition has returned in the community begun by an American monk, Father Cassian Folsom, whom we will visit. 

The Palazzo Seneca will be our home in Norcia for the next two nights and is located only 50 yards from the main piazza. The palace that houses Palazzo Seneca was originally built in the 16th century and was completely renovated a few years ago by our friends, Carlo and Anna Bianconi. Quiet time in the Palazzo can be spent sitting in the beautiful library or in the garden room, enjoying a cup of afternoon tea. The family-owned hotel is simple yet elegant, ancient yet luxurious, which is why it was awarded the prestigious Relais & Châteaux award — an exclusive honor recognizing the finest hotels and gourmet restaurants in 55 countries around the world.

In the early evening of Holy Thursday, we will go outside the walled city into the hills surrounding Norcia to participate in the Liturgy of The Lord’s Supper with the Benedictine Monks of Norcia. 

Afterwards, we will have dinner at a restaurant, next to our hotel, with a huge iron wood-burning grill at one end of the dining room. In mid-spring, when we come here, the fire provides needed warmth. However, you may find that you appreciate the fireplace for its ambiance even more than for its warmth. Our meal will be made entirely of local products; we especially recommend their one-of-a-kind lentil soup, which tastes like no other lentil soup in the world. Sometimes one of the monks, often Father Cassian, comes out of the monastery to join us for dinner. These dinners are times for thoughtful conversation in the heart of Italy.

Overnight in Norcia.  Breakfast and Dinner included.

We wake to the most solemn day in the Church year.  Although some may choose to fast, there will be a delicious breakfast spread in the quaint garden room filled with the morning light. Fresh fruits, local cheeses, eggs cooked to order and a variety of breads—all food is local and prepared to order.

From Norcia, it is 20 minutes to Roccaporena, St. Rita’s birthplace. It is fitting to visit a shrine to St. Rita, the “Patroness of the Impossible,” on Good Friday, since she received the stigmata on this very day.  We will pray the Stations of the Cross as we climb the Rock of St. Rita. This is believed to be the place where St. Rita often prayed. 

Late morning we travel on to Cascia, only seven minutes away, to visit St. Rita’s Basilica, which houses her incorrupt body. In the lower Basilica we also venerate the Eucharistic Miracle preserved since 1330. 

We return to Norcia for a bowl of soup before preparing to participate in Good Friday liturgy with the monks in their new chapel outside the city.  Their relocated home is on the side of a mountain, built next to the ruins of an old monastery.  The monks chant the liturgy in Latin. It is a solemn moment, truly an extraordinary experience—but in an ordinary way, for this is how the monks worship every day. We will have Latin-English missals so that you can follow everything without confusion. We will have our evening meal before the warm glow of the wood-burning grill reflecting upon and sharing our impressions of the day.

On Good Friday, at 9:00 p.m., we will begin our short walk to one of the piazzas inside the ancient walled city of Norcia. Once we have arrived at the piazza, we will take our places alongside the many Italians who journey here year after year from all over Italy to witness, participate in, and, in a way, relive, the poignant events of the first Good Friday. Everyone gathers here for the living Stations of the Cross, including the local people of Norcia, many of whom are actors with roles in the sacred performance, as well as visitors, pilgrims, religious and clergy. The crowd grows with the presence of the horses that will carry the Roman soldiers as they trot into the procession. For many, it feels as if Jerusalem has been transported to Norcia, and the experience borders on the extraordinary. The sacred drama begins with the conferring of a priestly blessing. We see — but more than that, we experience — the touching, key scenes of the Stations, portraying Jesus Christ making His way to Calvary.

At the same time, we, too, make our walk outside the walls of the city. As we stop at each of the Stations depicted, we find ourselves perhaps stepping back in time to that Night of Nights, two millennia ago. From His arrest and appearance before Pilate, to meeting His sorrowful Mother, to encountering the weeping women of Jerusalem, and culminating at the hill of the Cross, we pilgrims witness the Passion of Christ as few Christians can. Though only an hour and a half in duration, this moving experience is the memory of a lifetime.

Overnight in Norcia. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.

We wake to our last meal in Norcia, followed by a reflection given by Father Cassian, prior emeritus of the Benedictine Monastery of Norcia.

In the last 12 years, Father Cassian not only has battled a debilitating form of blood cancer, but he also continued with his great efforts of re-founding and building this new Benedictine Monastery. In 2016, after the earthquake in Norcia, Father Cassian stepped down as prior.  Yes, he still meets with our small groups of pilgrims.  His suffering has only deepened his spiritual vision — he always has profound insights to impart to us — and some are beginning to say in and around Norcia that he is a living saint. Thus, we feel exceptionally privileged to spend this time with our old friend who has done and continues to do so much for the Church.

After we spend time with Father Cassian, we depart, at last, for Rome, and for the Vatican City State, the heart of the Church, where we will attend the Easter Vigil Mass celebrated by Pope Francis.

We will stop for a light lunch on our drive into the Eternal City. Lunch will be at an Italian Autogrill, known for good Italian snacks and meals.  

After lunch, we arrive at Hotel Michelangelo, our home for the next 5 nights. We plan to have enough time for a brief rest before dinner.  After dinner, we depart for St. Peter’s Basilica for the Easter Vigil Mass with Pope Francis. The enormous basilica is in total blackness when the Pope lights the Paschal candle. Then, one by one, the candles of all the faithful are lit, and the entire basilica glows with candlelight as the Pope comes down the aisle and a cantor sings hauntingly of the return of the light, of the return to life of the Lord.  Suddenly, the Basilica's lights come on, and light floods over everyone. It is one of the most impressive liturgical experiences in the world.  

Overnight in Rome. Breakfast and Dinner included.

We begin this joyous day with breakfast. Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Piazza is a jubilant celebration.  The piazza is filled with flowers and music.

Pope Francis will deliver his Urbi et Orbi blessing immediately following the Easter Sunday Liturgy. Our Easter Sunday Feast will be at one of our favorite restaurants near the Vatican. Our afternoon will be quiet, allowing time for pilgrims to reflect, rest or explore Rome. 

Overnight in Rome. Breakfast and Dinner included.

Today is la Pasquetta (“Little Easter”) in Italy, the national Italian holiday that continues the joyous Easter celebration. We, too, will continue our celebration by traveling to two very important shrines which house the most important miracles in Italy – the Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano and the Shrine of the Holy Face.

We will be up early to travel about 2½ hours across Italy to the Adriatic Sea, to the town of Lanciano in the rugged Abruzzo region. In Lanciano, we will enter the church that houses the Eucharistic Miracle  to behold the wonders of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ made visible. 

We will stop at a local trattoria in Lanciano for lunch on your own. We will then turn back towards Rome, heading to the tiny town of Manoppello, Italy (population 157), still in the Abruzzo region, about 40 minutes away.  There, we will visit the Shrine of the Holy Face, which houses a mysterious cloth bearing the image of a man with wounds on his face — an image some believe is the actual face of Christ formed at the moment of his Resurrection — and attend Mass.

Following our visit, we will return to the hotel for dinner and another night’s rest. 

Overnight in Rome.  Breakfast and Dinner included.

After breakfast, we travel to the Churches of Sts. Prassedes and Pudentiana.  These sisters were the daughters of St. Pudens, a Roman senator converted and baptized by St. Paul.  It is said that St. Paul stayed in their home.  St. Paul refers to Pudens in his second letter to Timothy. It is believed that St. Peter lived here for 7 years, making this the first papal residence. This is also the site of a Eucharistic Miracle that occurred in 1610.

Then we will visit two of the papal basilicas in Rome: St. Mary Major and St. John Lateran.  Each of these churches is a glorious monument to the Faith and contains treasures of art and faith that can take one’s breath away. 

In St. Mary Major, for example, there is a painting of Mary, which is believed to have been painted by St. Luke, making it the oldest painting of Mary in the world. It is called the Salus Populi Romani (English: the Protectress of the Roman People)­. 

A few blocks away stands the lofty Victorian-gothic church of San Alfonso. There we will view The Miraculous Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help displayed above the altar in the sanctuary below a beautiful mosaic of the Holy Family. 

St. John Lateran is the oldest and ranks first among the four Papal basilicas of Rome, since it is the cathedra or “seat” of the Bishop of Rome. This became the second papal residence in Rome and the Popes lived here for centuries.

We will also visit the Holy Stairs, located near the Basilica of St. John Lateran. These were the steps of Pontius Pilate that Jesus ascended in Jerusalem when He was condemned to die. These stairs were moved from Jerusalem to Rome by St. Helena in the 4th century. Also located near the Basilica of St. John Lateran is the Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (English: Holy Cross in Jerusalem). This basilica contains many relics of Jesus’ Passion, including a few thorns from His crown, the nails from His cross, and the sign Pilate fastened above Christ’s head. We will visit this church to venerate these sacred relics.

The third Basilica we will visit is St. Paul’s Outside-the-Walls. It is dedicated to St. Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, who was beheaded in Rome, and it enshrines his tomb. This very impressive church contains the images of all the Popes in little circular portraits.

Time permitting, we proceed to the Church of St. Paul at the Three Fountains (Chiesa di San Paolo alle Tre Fontane), one of Rome’s earliest churches and the site of the martyrdom of St. Paul. Tradition tells us that, because he was a Roman citizen, he was beheaded rather than crucified. The story was passed down that his head bounced three times on the ground, and at each spot a spring appeared.

Inside, you can see a pillar where St. Paul was, it is said, bound before being martyred. If the gatekeeper is available, the gate may be opened so we may enter and venerate the pillar. The original church was built in the fifth century; the one standing there today dates from the 16th century. The grounds of the Three Fountains are beautiful, prayerful and quiet. Also, we will visit the prison cell of St. Paul in the crypt of another church on the grounds, where he was held before his martyrdom.

Overnight in Rome.  Breakfast and Dinner included.

Our last full day together begins with breakfast at the Hotel Michelangelo. We then head to the Papal Audience, which begins at 10:30 a.m. During the audience, Pope Francis will share a small instruction and reading in Italian, but it will be translated into English, French, German, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, and sometimes other languages, depending on the groups visiting.

The Pope will follow with a greeting to all gathered in St. Peter’s Square. At the end of the audience, the Pope will lead us in the Our Father in Latin. This prayer will be printed on the back of the Papal Audience ticket.

After the Our Father, Pope Francis will impart his Apostolic Blessing upon the crowd, which also extends to our loved ones at home.  He will bless any item that you may have purchased along our journey together.

After the Papal Audience, we will have lunch together near the Vatican. We hope to invite a guest from the Vatican and to hear stories from him about the universal Church. Such intimate and insightful encounters remain with our pilgrims many years later. 

In the late afternoon/early evening, we will taxi to the Spanish Steps, where we will begin our slow walk to the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and the Piazza Navona. Along the way, we will continue to point out many interesting places, peeling away the layers of Roman and Church history.

We will visit the Basilica of Sant’Andrea delle Fratte, which has a very special side chapel. In fact, it is so special because of widespread devotion to the Miraculous Medal, that many travel from all over the world to Rome just to visit this shrine and pray at its side altar. In 1842 Our Lady appeared here to Alphonse Ratisbonne, an avowed anti-Catholic Jew, manifesting herself exactly as she appears on the Miraculous Medal, effecting his miraculous conversion.

The first Miraculous Medals were struck in 1832 and, while the Miraculous Medal devotion was already circulating throughout France after St. Catherine Labouré’s Marian apparition, it was this miraculous apparition to Ratisbonne which provided the impetus to bring the Miraculous Medal devotion to Italy. This special chapel is also where St. Maximillian Kolbe offered his first Mass on April 29, 1918.

Our farewell dinner, hosted by Dr. Robert Moynihan and Deborah Tomlinson, will be at one of our favorite restaurants along the way. 

Overnight in Rome.  Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.

After an early morning Mass, breakfast, and farewell, your driver will escort you back to the airport for your return home. Farewell to all our fellow pilgrims, our friends, until we meet again…