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Trip Includes

• A Catholic priest will be with the group to celebrate daily Mass.
• Round-trip airfare from your hometown connecting in a major city to fly overseas is included.
• Airport taxes, security fees, and fuel surcharges!
• Exclusively 4 or 5 star hotels in downtown areas.
• All breakfasts and all dinners. Wine is included with all dinners.
• Transportation with luxury bus.
• All entrance fees to all the sites.
• All tips to everyone involved in the tour.
• The tour fees for our guides. Our tour guides are well educated, caring, and professional. Most of them have their PhDs in church history, archeology, philosophy, languages, or theology.
• Luggage handling. Please pack light, one piece of luggage and one carry-on.
• Dress casually throughout the whole trip. Shoulders and knees should be covered when visiting basilicas or churches.
• If you are traveling alone and you allow us to find you a roommate, you don't pay the single supplement. If you wish to have your own room and you are not open to rooming with another passenger, then the single supplement fee is $1,400.
• Wheelchair can be provided for those passengers who cannot walk, with prior notice at registration for $150. A traveling companion has to push the wheelchair throughout the trip.
• NOTE: If you wish to deepen your knowledge of the Catholic Faith as a preparation for this pilgrimage, we recommend the following book as it is faithful to the teachings of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church (Imprimatur by ARCHBISHOP FELIPE AGUIRRE FRANCO): The Catholic Faith in Easy Terms. Introduction, Nihil Obstat, and Imprimatur by Archbishop Felipe Aguirre Franco.
• At the time of registration, as a part of the total balance, a non-refundable $500 deposit is due in the form of a credit card. For example, if your trip costs $3,700, when you sign up, you pay a $500 deposit, then your balance would be $3,200. Final balance is due 4 months before departure date.
• One month after registration, a $1,000 additional deposit is due only in the form of cash, personal check, cashiers check, or money order.
• If you sign up after the final payment due date or at the last minute, you pay the entire cost of the trip at registration only in the form of cash, personal check, cashiers check, or money order.

Trip Does Not Include

• Lunch
• Insurance ~ The total trip cost is non-refundable, we recommend trip insurance to protect your investment.

Trip Itinerary

Day 1: You will depart from your hometown airport in the United States.

Day 2: Upon arrival, you will be met at the airport by one of our local tour guides. Our first stop will be to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Wall where the body of St. Paul is buried. As amazing as it is, it is the second largest Basilica in Rome and one of the five largest in the world. After we leave the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the wall, we will stop and check into the hotel. In the afternoon we will be visiting St. Mary Major, the main Basilica dedicated to Mary in Rome. St. Mary Major is home to the remains of Jesus' manger, brought by St. Helen, the mother of Constantine, to the Eternal City of Rome; the tomb of Bernini (the Architect of St Peter's in the Vatican); the tomb of St. Jerome who translated the Bible from Greek to Latin as he lived next to the manger of Jesus in Bethlehem; and the oldest icon in the world of the Virgin Mary painted by St. Luke: the famous Salus Populi Romani. We will have dinner with red and white wine included and stay overnight in Rome.

Day 3: Today we will spend the day in Vatican City, the smallest country in the world. First, we will visit the Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel (the Pope's private Chapel). After the museums we will enter the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican. Since we arrange all of our tours in advance you will not have to stand in long lines to gain entrance. St. Peter's is the largest Basilica in the world and the building itself is great piece of art by Bernini, whose tomb you will remember seeing at St. Mary Major on Day 2. Vatican rules dictate that your shoulders and knees must be covered out of respect while in St. Peter’s Basilica, so make sure your wardrobe today includes long pants, capris, or skirts below the knee, and no sleeveless shirts or tank tops. Again, we will have dinner with red and white wine included and stay overnight in Rome.

Day 4: Today, enjoy the most well know symbol of the city of Rome: Visit the Colosseum from the outside. Built in 80 A.D., it still stand as one of the greatest monuments in human history. This will be followed by a visit to the nearby Basilica of St. John Lateran; the first Basilica ever to be built in the Roman Empire after it became a Christian empire under Constantine. In the afternoon, we will have an amazing tour of the Catacombs where 500,000 people were buried. After the Catacombs enjoy a scenic ride to the charming Castel Gandolfo where the Pope's Summer Residence is located. This is an awesome, quaint little village on the shore of spectacular Lake Albano; it’s just like those towns you see on TV. We will have a wine tasting followed by dinner at 6:00 pm at a local upscale restaurant: eat where the Italians eat. There will be several courses of delicious Italian food, and, of course, red and white wine will be included. We will arrive back at the hotel for overnight in Rome.

Day 5: We will be outside most of the day today so dress casually with comfortable walking shoes. This morning is the Audience with the Pope at 10:00 am (10:30 am). We will need to depart from the hotel early so we get to see the Pope very closely. Following the General Audience there will be time for lunch in the area of the Vatican. We will spend the afternoon visiting the historical center of Rome. Our first stop will be the Spanish Steps, where the ancient Romans hung out followed by a short walk to Trevi Fountain; throw a coin over your shoulder into the fountain and have time for shopping. Continue on with a walk to the Pantheon, the oldest functional building in the world. Finally, we will end at the great artistic place of Piazza Navona, arriving about 4:30 pm. This evening’s dinner will be at a local restaurant in the area of Piazza Navona, and, as always, will include red and white wine. This will be our last night at our hotel in Rome.

Day 6: This morning we will say good-bye to Rome as we head north toward the Tuscany region. We will break up the drive by stopping to visit the beautiful town of Assisi. There will be time to see the tombs of St. Francis and St. Clare, take a self-guided tour of the Basilica of St. Francis, and enjoy the peace and serenity as you wander the streets of Assisi. Make sure you have some lunch at one of the cafés while in Assisi, then we will continue on our way to Florence. Dinner tonight will include red and white wine served at a local restaurant in Tuscany on the way to our hotel in Florence.

Day 7: Today, dress casually and get ready to see everything Florence has to offer: museums, shopping, a Cathedral, and more. Our tour will include Ponte Vecchio; Piazza della Signoria; the Uffizzi; Michelangelo's masterpiece, The David; the Flea Market; the Duomo (Cathedral); and the Baptistery. The tour guide will be available to assist you, if you are interested in seeing even more sites. Our farewell dinner will include red and white wine and will be at a local restaurant in Florence. This will be our last night at the hotel in Florence.

Day 8: We will need to get an early start this morning because we will go to Venice, also known as the Dominante city, the city of Masks, an amazing city built on water. We will begin with a visit to St. Mark's Plaza. From there you can choose to visit St. Mark’s Cathedral, go on a Gondola ride, or spend time shopping and visiting the beautiful streets and bridges of Venice. While the Gondola ride is optional, the tour guide will organize everything for you. Casual dress is appropriate for today but long pants are required if you intend to go inside St. Mark's. We will have dinner in Venice around the area of the hotel, red and white wine will be included. We will spend the night in Venice.

Day 9: Today will be another travel day as we fly from Venice to Lisbon. Upon arrival in Lisbon, our local tour guide will meet us at the airport. If our flight arrives early enough, we will take a bus tour of Lisbon on our private tour bus, before traveling to Fatima. We will get checked into the hotel and settled then have our first Portuguese dinner, including red and white wine, then retire for the evening in Fatima.

Day 10: The morning is yours to enjoy the peace and serenity of the shrine with time for personal devotion in Fatima. In the afternoon our tour guide will take us to Santarem, one of the oldest cities in the world. Our tour will include a walk through the narrow streets and a visit to the Church of St. Stephen, which contains the oldest recorded Eucharistic miracle. This miracle has been on display since 1247 AD. We will then enjoy another delicious dinner complete with red and white wine and spend the night in Fatima.

Day 11: Today will be a full day in Fatima. After breakfast, we will start off the day by going to Mass at the Little Chapel of the Apparitions. You will see the Basilica, the site of Francesco and Jacinta's graves, the Hamlet of Aljustrel, where the children lived, and Valinhos, the site of Our Lady's appearance after the children's return from prison. Experience Christ's love as you walk and follow the Stations of the Cross along the Via Sacra (The Sacred Way) culminating in the Chapel of Calvary, which overlooks all of Fatima. Join pilgrims from around the world in an evening candlelight procession to pray the rosary for the sick and drink water from the miraculous well. The day will include plenty of time for private devotions before our farewell dinner with red and white wine and our last night in Fatima.

Day 12: Today will be a travel day. Our private bus will take us to the airport in Lisbon for our departing flight Lourdes. Upon arrival, our local tour guide will meet us at the airport and we will take a luxury motor coach to the hotel. After checking in, we will enjoy dinner at the hotel and may have the opportunity to participate in the Rosary Candlelight Procession at the Shrine. The procession is a seasonal event and may not take place during some tours. After the procession, or dinner if there is no procession, we will retire for the night in Lourdes.

Day 13: This morning, after breakfast at the hotel, we will start the day by celebrating Mass at the Grotto of Apparitions. This will be followed by a guided walking tour of Lourdes visiting places associated with St. Bernadette's life. This tour is helpful in understanding the 1858 Apparition. Lunch will be on your own at one of the many cafes in the village or area of the hotel. In the afternoon you are free to visit the Grotto, the underground Basilica, the high or low Stations of the Cross, or the Miraculous Baths. We will gather for our evening dinner that includes red and white wine, then have the opportunity to attend the evening Candlelight Rosary Procession, if available. This will be our final night in Lourdes.

Day 14: Today we will return home to the United States. We will need to get an early start so our private bus can take us to the airport in Toulouse in time for our departing flight.

General Trip Information