ROME24

Group Closed

ROME24 Registration

Rome/Assisi with Airfare:
     Double Occupancy: $4,100 
     Single Supplement: + $700

Rome/Assisi - LAND ONLY
     Double Occupancy:  $2,900
     Single Supplement:  + $700

Deposit:
     Non-refundable deposit of $300 pp
     is due at registration.

Final Payment:
     Final balance due by:
     Friday, June 7, 2024

• Scheduled roundtrip transatlantic flights
• Services of a professional English-speaking tour escort/guide
• Local guides in each city
• Listening Headset for entire tour
• Daily Holy Mass
• All breakfasts and dinners
• Deluxe motor-coach for scheduled transfers and sightseeing
• First-class accommodations at all hotels
• Admission fees for all included sightseeing
• Porterage for one suitcase per person
• All Tips for Drivers and Guides

• Travel Insrance
• Transportation to Newark Airport
• Lunches
• Anything not mentioned above

Spiritual Directors: 
Rev.  Garry Koch, Pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel
Rev. 'JM' Patilla, Assoc. Pastor of St. Joan of Arc Parish, Marlton

Day 1. Monday, September 23:  Transatlantic flight to Rome, Italy

Day 2. Tuesday, September 24:  Arrival in Rome / Evening Walking Tour

Arrive in Rome, capital of Italy and one of the most visited cities in the world. You will be met by your tour guide and transferred to the hotel. The balance of the day is free to become acquainted with this wonderful and diverse city. Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of Rome, where the language and culture is so different from your own. This evening there will be dinner at the hotel, and for those of you who wish to start exploring immediately, there will be a chance to take an introductory walking tour past the famous Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain. Throw in a coin to ensure your return trip to Rome! (D)

Day 3. Wednesday, September 25: Vatican City

Spend today visiting the Vatican City. Your tour director will take you to visit the Vatican Museums, ending with the wonderful Sistine Chapel adorned with Michelangelo's famous frescos. Continue to St Peter's Basilica, the largest church in the world and residence of the Pope. See Michelangelo's Pieta, now behind bullet-proof glass, and rub St. Peter's foot. Ascend to the top of Michelangelo's dome for breathtaking views of St. Peter's Square and Rome itself. Afterward, uncover the history underneath St. Peter's beautiful marble floor in the Catacombs. Dinner at local restaurant. (B, D)

Day 4. Thursday, September 26: Rome's Churches

Today you will explore two of Rome's most beautiful churches, St. Peter in Chains and St. Paul Outside the Walls. Marvel at Michelangelo's famous Moses, housed in St. Peter in Chains. The shape of this very ancient church dates back to the 5th century. The Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls is 2nd in size only to St. Peter's. It's start is attributed to Constantine, who chose the area on the site of the tomb of St. Paul, but the large Basilica you see today was modified by many over the years, ending with the giant renovation after the fire of 1823. This afternoon walk across the Bridge of Angels on your way to Castel St. Angelo. This ancient structure was built by Emperor Hadrian, as his intended Mausoleum. Over the years it has been used as a safe haven for Popes, and there is even a secret walkway that connects to the Vatican. Afterward, you will be taken up to the Piazzale Giuseppe Garibaldi for great views of Rome. Dinner at hotel.  (B, D)

Day 5. Friday, September 27: Pantheon, Forum, Coliseum

After breakfast, our local guide will introduce you to many of the wonders of ancient and modern Rome. Your walking tour of the city starts at the Pantheon. Proceed on to Cathedral of Rome, the Basilica of St. John Lateran. Constructed by Constantine in the 4th century, it has been the most frequently reconstructed of all Rome's churches.  From here, pause at the Victor Emmanuel II Monument before continuing on to the Piazza di Campidoglio, another masterpiece of Michelangelo's Design. Pass over the hill and down on into the ancient Roman Forum, where your guide will divulge all of its secrets. You also will step inside the Mamertine Prison. End your sightseeing at the Coliseum, where thousands of people and animals perished during gladiatorial games. The Coliseum first opened in AD 80 and within 100 days of its opening, 5000 wild beasts perished here. The slaughter of both humans and animals continued for three more centuries. Historians believe the Coliseum could hold between 40,000 and 80,000 people depending on how close the seating was. The floor has recently had a plank placed over the middle making it accessible for people to walk over the labyrinth of brick cells, ramps, and elevators used to transport animals and gladiators into the arena. Hear the stories of the games that have fascinated people for years. Dinner at hotel.  (B, D)

Day 6. Saturday, September 28: Appian Way, Catacombs

Today, your first stop will be the Basilica of St. Mary Major, the last of Rome's four Major Basilicas that you will visit. The Basilica was erected in the IV century but underwent many renovations in the course of the years. The building is characterized by many different architectural styles. Its construction is due to a dream which Pope Liberio had the 5th of August 356 AD. During the night, the Virgin invited him to build a church in the place where the following morning he would have found snow. The miracle came true, and the Basilica stands were snow fell. Afterward, you will step inside the Church of St. Ignatius. It is entirely Baroque in style, and can be said to represent the Jesuits' triumphant phase, and that of the Counter Reformation. This was originally part of the Roman College, one of the Society's earliest and finest educational institutions. This afternoon you will have a walking tour of the Appian Way, on your way to the San Callisto Catacombs. Known since antiquity as Regina Viarum, or the queen of roads, the Appian Way was the most famous of the Roman consular roads. It's no longer the main route south out of the city, but it remains an important part of early Christian Rome, its verges lined with the underground burial cemeteries, or catacombs, of the first Christians. In the San Callisto Catacombs, all third-century popes (of whom San Callisto was one) are buried here in the papal crypt, and the site features some well-preserved seventh- and eighth-century frescoes. Dinner at hotel.  (B, D)

Day 7. Sunday, September 29: Rome

We will gather after breakfast to celebrate mass and have a tour of San Clemente. The rest of the day is at leisure. Dinner at the hotel. (B, D)

Day 8. Monday, September 30: Assisi

Today, after breakfast, we begin our journey towards Assisi. Today we will visit the Church of St. Clare “the little plant of Blessed Francis” as she loved to call herself, where we view the San Damiano crucifix that spoke to St. Francis. Followed by a visit at Santuario dell’Espogliazione, the resting place of Bl Carlo Acutis, a young millennial to be who had a true devotion to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Finally, we arrive at St. Francis Basilica, visit the tomb of St. Francis and have the opportunity to view a series of frescoes depicting his life. It is here that we will celebrate mass. Before departing for our hotel, we will have some free time. Dinner and overnight at our hotel. (B, D)

Day 9. Tuesday, October 1: Assisi, Free afternoon, Farewell Dinner

This morning, our first stop is in the lower town for a visit and Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and the Portiuncula, Francis' Church of the Little Portion. We thank St. Francis for two of his most notable gifts to humanity, the Nativity Scene, and the Stations of the Cross. We continue to the upper village for a free afternoon and for our “farewell” dinner at a local restaurant. (B, D)

Day 10. Wednesday, October 2:  Transatlantic flight back to the USA

Depart Assisi and make our return to the USA. (B)

(B) Breakfast; (D) Dinner

*In case of unforeseen events, this itinerary is subject to change.