An Italian itinerary that we advise and plan with the arrival of the flight in Venice and return from Rome so as to offer the program in a linear way. Spirituality, art, landscape and architectural beauties admirably merge. It also leaves room for participants to be able to deepen their interests with optional excursions.
A fantastic journey awaits you.

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Travel itinerary

Departure
Depart from your airport for Italy with an overnight stay on board.

 Day 1    arrival VENICE
Welcome in Italy !
Arrival at Venice Marco Polo airport with entry formalities and then transfer to the hotel in the Mestre area of Venice with accommodations and relaxation.
Dinner and overnight.

Day 2     VENICE
Transfer to Venice and we board the boat that will take us to Piazza San Marco. We leave free time to discover the “Calli”, which are the narrow Venetian alleys that join together with characteristic bridges over the canals, souvenir shops, up to the Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge. Optional possibility of a trip in a “gondola” and time for a free lunch. In the afternoon, a boat trip to the islands of Burano, the most picturesque and colorful of the lagoon islands, then to Murano with a visit to a furnace where the skill of glass artisans forge objects that are famous all over the world.
Return to the bus terminal and return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight.

Day 3    PADUA, FLORENCE
We leave for Padua and stop at the Basilica of St. Anthony with the possibility of celebrating Holy Mass. We walk through the elegant historic center and visit the Basilica of Santa Giustina. Only with very early booking is it possible to visit the Scrovegni Chapel, a small jewel, a masterpiece completely frescoed by Giotto. In the afternoon we transfer to Florence (220 km approx. 2h, 50m).
Check-in, dinner and overnight.

Day 4      FLORENCE
Today’s destination is regarded as the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and is one of the most beautiful and inspiring cities of the world with its rich artistic, historic and spiritual heritage. Florence is the birthplace or chosen home of Dante, Boccaccio, Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Machiavelli, Michelangelo, Donatello and Galileo. We will be treated to a wonderful tour of this Cradle of the Renaissance, allowing us to see many unforgettable sights such as, the Cathedral of Florence Santa Maria del Fiore, Giotto’s Bell Tower, Bronze “gate of Paradise of St. John’s Baptistery, Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio and the David Michelangelo’s sculpture.  The balance of the day is at leisure to explore additional treasures of Florence and shop on your own.  We suggest the monumental complex of Santa Croce, a mix of beauty, spirituality and memories with the funeral monuments of Galileo and Michelangelo, the outdoor Market of San Lorenzo which boasts leather products, and the Ponte Vecchio, since medieval times covered with goldsmiths’ shops, is a must for Florence’s other specialty, gold jewelry. Return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight

Day 5     SIENA
Day excursion to Siena (about 170 km rt) . Visit of Siena, a medieval city where you are enchanted by so much beauty, by the history and by the architecture of the city.  We will stop in the central square, called Campo (Piazza del Campo) with its shell-shaped format, here two times a year the Palio takes place, an equestrian race, where horses and jockeys, each representing a district of the city with their own banner, compete in a wild race around the square. Overlooking the square, the Town Hall and the Torre del Mangia, those who want to try their hand will be able to climb the 87 meters of the tower challenging 400 challenging steps, will be rewarded by the incredible view of the city and surrounding countryside. We will visit the Duomo complex, the city’s Cathedral, a 13th century masterpiece dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta and the Baptistery with its splendid baptismal font. We recommend a moment of spirituality at the Church and birthplace of Santa Caterina da Siena. A little free time to discover some hidden corners of this splendid city.
We take our bus back to Florence.

Day 6      FLORENCE, ASSISI, ROME
Early in the morning we depart for Assisi (180 km – 2h, 30m approximately) and ascent to the Basilica of San Francesco, to visit the Upper Basilica frescoed on the walls by Giotto’s frescoes of Saint Francis and to descend into the lower basilica, an atmosphere of spirituality that will involve you in front of the tomb of the Poverello (poor one) of Assisi. Some free time to walk the medieval streets of the city. Then you go down to Santa Maria degli Angeli, the grandiose Basilica that contains the “Porziuncola”, the small church restored by St. Francis who died here at the age of 44. We continue our journey to Rome (180 km – about 3 hours). Arrival at the hotel, accommodation, dinner and overnight.

Day 7     ROME
The morning panoramic view of the Eternal city. In the afternoon the coach will leave the group in the historic center for an individual walk through the beauties of the city. Alternatively, a guided tour is organized. Return to hotel, dinner and overnight.

Day 8       ANCIENT and RENAISSANCE ROME and on the steps of ST. PAUL
The guided tour begins with the Imperial Forums, Circus Maximus and Colosseum, the most famous of the Roman amphitheaters of the ancient world. Nearby we will visit the Church of San Pietro in Vincoli (Saint Peter in Chains) to admire one of Michelangelo’s masterpieces, Moses. Free time for a quick lunch. In the afternoon you will visit the Catacombs of Saint Sebastiano, a place of burial and refuge of Christians, then the great Basilica of San Paolo fuori le Mura (Saint Paul Outside the Walls), and then stop at the Abbey of the Three Fountains, the place of martyrdom of Saint. Paul. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 9      ROME: HOLY FATHER AUDIENCE, JUBILEE BASILICAS OF ST. JOHN LATERAN AND SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE
In the morning we will attend the Papal Audience of the Holy Father in St. Peter’s Square (or in the Paul VI Hall (depending on the season). The Audience is celebrated every Wednesday, presided over by the Holy Father (to be reconfirmed). After the Papal Audience the time remains for the free visit of St. Peter’s Basilica. We suggest, the climb to the first level to the dome, inside the tombs of the Popes and the Pietà of Michelangelo. Free time for a quick lunch. In the afternoon you will reach by coach the Cathedral of Rome that Is, San Giovanni (Saint John) in Laterano, Saint John Lateron is the seat of the Diocese of Rome, near the Holy Staircase. Then the Marian Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore dedicated to Santa Maria della Neve is reached as an ancient Roman tradition. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 10     ROME or optional excursions
Free day for activities and individual visits in the city of Rome. Alternatively, we offer several optional excursions to be carried out with a minimum of 4 participants (see the paragraph “excursions from Rome“)

Day 11     ROME, MONTE SANT’ANGELO, SAN GIOVANI ROTONDO
Departure for Monte Sant’Angelo, a medieval village overlooking the sea on the Gargano, a visit to the Sanctuary of San Michele Arcangelo, a destination for pilgrims since the Middle Ages. We go down to San Giovanni Rotondo for accommodations in the hotel. In the afternoon visit to the places of Padre Pio, the ancient church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, the Convent, the new grandiose Sanctuary, built on a project by the architect Renzo Piano and the Crypt that contains the remains of the Saint (possible celebration of Holy Mass) . Return to hotel, dinner and overnight.

Day 12     SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO, ROME
Departure for the return to Rome. Free afternoon in the center for individual activities. The bus will leave and pick up passengers at an agreed point in the city for meeting in a restaurant for a typical Roman dinner with music (farewell dinner). Return to the hotel, overnight.

Day 13    RETURN ROME
Transfer in time to the airport and departure for the return home.

Additional informations

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