Rome, Assisi & Siena

Depart London Stansted on our direct flight to Italy. We will be welcomed in the Arrivals Terminal by our local Italian, English-speaking tour representative and coach driver. Our Italian tour escort will be with the group whilst touring and will be available to help and/or provide local advice. Transfer to the hotel. On the way to the hotel we stop at the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, the second largest church in Rome, which houses the tomb of St Paul kept under the main altar. Mass here. We then proceed to the hotel, check in followed by evening dinner in a local restaurant.

After breakfast, we meet our tour escort in the hotel lobby and leave the hotel for St Peter’s Basilica to attend the Papal Blessing in the Square (subject to the Pope Leo XIV being in residence). Free time in the afternoon for lunch and time to explore in or nearby St Peter’s Square. After our break, we will visit the English Venerable College in Rome, a seminary founded in 1579 for the training of Catholic priests to serve on the mission in England and Wales. Mass here. Return to the hotel followed by evening dinner in a local restaurant.

Breakfast in the hotel. Early morning Mass at St Peter’s Basilica (subject to availability). After Mass, we will have a guided tour of the basilica, the largest of all the Catholic churches. We will explore this wonderful basilica and the grounds and visit the Crypt and view the tombs of St Peter, St John Paul II and the famous Michelangelo’s Pieta. This visit will be one of the highlights of our pilgrimage; viewing the largest and most important churches in the world, built over the traditional burial site of Saint Peter. We’ll take in the magnificent structure, designed by renowned architects including Michelangelo; it features a grand dome, stunning artwork, and richly decorated interiors. Free time for lunch. We’ll spend the rest of the afternoon in and around St Peter’s Square before returning to the hotel. During your free time you may wish to visit the Vatican Museums and The Sistine Chapel (tickets not included). Return to the hotel and evening dinner in a local restaurant.

Breakfast in the hotel. Today we will tour Chrisitan Rome. Firstly, we visit the Basilica of St Mary Major, which houses the true relics of the manger from Bethlehem in which Jesus was laid following his birth and is also the final resting place of Pope Francis. If available, we’ll have early morning Mass at Basilica of St Mary Major at the tomb of Pope Francis. After Mass, we’ll begin our tour. After our guided visit at the Basilica of St Mary Major, we’ll move onto St Peters in Chains Basilica to view Michelangelo’s famous Statue of Moses. We can then walk past the Colosseum and the Roman Forum from here, viewing them from the outside. Just 5 mins walk from the Colosseum is the Basilica of San Clemente, where we will view the magnificent underground archaeological complex and some of the world’s most beautiful medieval and early Renaissance frescoes. We’ll have a break for lunch and then afterwards we’ll continue our guided tour, moving onto the Archbasilica of St John Lateran, the cathedral church of the Diocese of Rome which is the oldest, and the first among the four great "patriarchal" basilicas of Rome. Across the road from here we make a quick visit to the Holy Stairs (Scala Santa). According to tradition these are the steps our Lord walked up on his way to trial before Pontius Pilate. The Stairs were brought to Rome by Saint Helena in the fourth century. Time permitting, we can ascend these stairs on our knees, in memory of Christ’s agonizing Passion. We then return to the hotel by coach. Evening dinner in a local restaurant.

Today we leave Rome and head north towards Assisi. To break up our journey, about halfway, we stop and visit the Shrine of St Rita in Cascia. Pope Leo XIII canonised St Rita in 1900 and she was bestowed the title "Patroness of Impossible Causes." Upon arrival, we have Mass at the Church of St Rita and free time to look around this stunning location as well as time for lunch. Proceed to our hotel and check-in followed by evening dinner.

After breakfast, we meet our tour escort in the hotel lobby. Today, we will have a walking tour of Assisi. Firstly, we will stop and visit the Sanctuary of San Damiano, a church with a monastery near Assisi. Built in the 12th century, it was the first monastery of the Order of St Clare, where St Clare built her community and died on 11th August 1253. We then move onto the Basilica of St Clare which houses her incorrupt body. Clare of Assisi left her family’s palace in 1212 and was received by St Francis (with other young women) at the Porziuncola, thereafter establishing the Order of Poor Clares. One of the chapels here contains the crucifix that bowed its head and ordered St. Francis to “repair God’s Church.” Afterwards, we visit St Mary Major Parish in Assisi, also known as the Shrine of the Renunciation, which refers to the time when St. Francis stripped himself of his clothing in front of his father as a way of renouncing his wealth. View the tomb of Saint Carlo Acutis, who was Canonisated on Sunday 7th Sep 2025; the young Carlo Acutis, who had a passion for computers and the Eucharist, died at the young age of 15 in 2006 from leukemia. We will then tour the Basilica of St Francis, built in 1228 to house the Relics of the saint. The “upper” basilica houses beautiful frescoes of Giotto. Mass here followed by lunch. We then drive to the Basilica of St Mary of the Angels (Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli), a papal minor basilica situated in the plain at the foot of the hill of Assisi. The basilica was constructed around the very ancient chapel; the Porziuncola, named after the piece of land it was built on, was venerated for an apparition of angels within it and was originally the property of the Benedictines of Subasio. After a long period of abandonment, the little church Porziuncola was restored by St. Francis. It was here the young Francis of Assisi understood his vocation to live in poverty amongst the poor. It was here he founded the Order of Friars Minor (1209), "establishing here his home" and the church thus became the most sacred place for the Franciscans. St Francis died here in 1226. After our tour, we return to the hotel for evening dinner.

Breakfast in our hotel. Today we will spend the day in Siena and view the magnificant Cathedral there. Siena Cathedral is a medieval church, a dedicated Roman Catholic Marian church in the early days, and now dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. Siena was an important city in medieval Europe and the city’s historic centre is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will have both a guided tour and free time to appreciate the city’s beauty and famous architecture. At the end of our day, we return to our hotel in Perugia.

Breakfast in the hotel. Mass in the morning followed by free time. Check-out of our hotel and travel to the local airport for our flight back home to London Stansted.