Pilgrimage to Rome, San Giovanni & Assisi

Fly to Rome on our direct flight from London with easyJet. Upon arrival transfer to our hotel in Rome where we will stay for three nights.

After breakfast, we meet our tour escort in the hotel lobby and we leave the hotel for St Peter’s Basilica to attend the Papal Blessing in the Square (subject to the Holy Father being available). Free time for lunch and then afterwards 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. We’ll spend the rest of the afternoon in and around St Peter’s Basilica before returning to the hotel. Evening dinner.

Today, after breakfast, we have a guided visit of the remaining three major basilicas in Rome: the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, the Basilica of St Mary Major and the Archbasilica of St John Lateran. Firstly, 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. Secondly the Basilica of St Mary Major, which houses the true relics of the manger from Bethlehem in which Jesus was laid following his birth. Thirdly St Peters in Chains Basilica to view Michelangelo’s famous Statue of Moses and lastly 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. Return to our hotel. Evening dinner.

After breakfast we leave Rome and head to San Giovanni Rotondo. We stop via the Sanctuary of St Michael the Archangel and visit St Michael’s Cave where the Angels appeared three times in the years 490, 492 and 1656. Mass here. After, we proceed to our hotel in San Giovanni and check in for two nights. Evening dinner in the hotel.

Breakfast in the hotel. We will meet our tour escort in the hotel lobby and visit The Shrine of St Pio, the second most visited Shrine in the world (second only to Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico). Free time at Santa Maria Delle Grazie (Our Lady of Grace) after Mass. View the crypt, his Cell, his Confessional from where he performed so many of his miracles, and the choir loft where he received his Sacred Stigmata in 1918 - he suffered from these wounds until his death on 23rd September 1968. His well-preserved personal belongings can be viewed here including thousands of letters he received for just one year displayed on the wall. We then walk down to the new basilica to view St Pio’s tomb. Free time for lunch and for the rest of the afternoon. Return to the hotel for evening dinner.

Check-out of our hotel after breakfast and travel to Assisi. On the way we stop in Lanciano, which is known for the first recorded Catholic Eucharistic Miracle. Around the time the miracle took place, there was a Basilian monk who doubted it until during Mass when he witnessed bread and wine transformed into physical flesh and blood. We have private Mass at the Convent/Church of St Francis which was built on top of the antique Church of St. Longinus (this is the site of the Eucharistic Miracle). After Mass we continue our journey towards Assisi and upon arrival we check into our hotel for two nights followed by evening dinner.

After breakfast, we will have a guided tour, firstly to the church of St. Clare which houses her incorrupt body. 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. Here we view St Carlo Acutis’ tomb; St Carlo Acutis had a passion for computers and the Eucharist, died at the young age of 15 in 2006 from leukemia. His Canonisation Ceremony with Pope Leo took place recently on 7th Sep 2025. 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. We will have Mass in the church of St Francis. We then drive to the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, The “Porziuncola”, the very ancient chapel, venerated for an apparition of angels within it, and which was originally the property of the Benedictines of Subasio. It was located on a piece of land known as the Portiuncula; this name became attached to the chapel. After a long period of abandonment, it was restored by St. Francis. Here he was given a clear understanding of his vocation. He founded here the Order of Friars Minor (1209), "establishing here his home". Return to the hotel for our final evening dinner.

Breakfast in the hotel. Mass followed by free time (dependant on flight time). Transfer to Rome FCO airport for our direct flight back to London.