Upon on arrival at Rome’s Fiumicino-Leonardo da Vinci Airport, we will meet our tour manager who will remain with us for the duration of our journey. We will drive in our deluxe motorcoach to our hotel in Rome for dinner and overnight.

Our journey today takes us into the heart of ancient Rome, the city and the empire. We begin at the Colosseum, built by the Emperor Vespasian. We then walk to the Palatine Hill where the palaces of the Caesars, including the homes of Augustus (Luke 2:1) and Livia resided. We continue into the Roman Forum where we will see the Arch of Titus, the Curia (Senate House), the place of Julius Caesar’s pier, the Mamertime Prison, and more. We then walk up the Capitoline Hill and visit the Capitoline Museums with its stunning artifacts. Our day concludes with a visit to Rome’s large chariot track, the Circus Maximus. Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Rome.

This morning, we drive out of Rome to Tivoli to visit Hadrian’s Villa, an incredible monument to imperial Rome. Returning to Rome, we visit the Imperial Forum. In the Imperial Forum, we visit the Forum of Trajan, Trajan’s Column and Markets. We make our way to the Pantheon, a magnificent Temple built by the Emperor Hadrian to the pantheon of Roman gods. Our day concludes at the brilliant museum Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, where we will see stunning sculptures and frescoes providing an awe inspiring look into the ancient Roman world. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

Our morning begins at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, the site tradition remembers as the location of Paul’s burial. We make our way next to explore one of the ancient underground cemeteries of Rome, the Catacombs. These burials tell the ancient history of Rome, including the emergence of Christianity within the empire’s capital. We travel next to the Basilica of San Clemente, which dates to the eleventh century. Our touring day concludes with a visit to St. John in Lateran, the oldest of the four Papal Basilicas in Rome. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

Our morning today is taken with visiting the Vatican. The papal state provides a kaleidoscope of Rome’s history and the history of the Church. We begin with the Necropolis of St. Peter’s. Our visit takes us to the Vatican Gardens, the Rooms of Raphael, the Belvedere Courtyard, the Gallery of Maps, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica. After our morning tour, the afternoon is free to explore Rome. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

Today we drive out of Rome to the Abbey of Montecassino. The abbey was founded by St. Benedict in AD 529 and provides an opportunity to discuss the rise and history of monastic life within the church, particularly the Benedictines. Return to Rome for dinner and overnight.

Today we check out of hotel in Rome and travel by train to Mary of the Angels. We will visit the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels built to shield the Porziuncola. Dinner and overnight in Mary of the Angels.

Our journey today takes us by bus to Assisi, the town of Saint Francis. After our touring day, we return to Mary of the Angels for dinner and overnight.

This morning, we return by train to Rome to fly back to the U.S.A. challenged and encouraged in our faith!