Religious tours

Classic Italy Shrines Tours

11 Days / 10 Nights

Day 1: MILAN

In the late morning arrival at Milan; welcome drink and meeting with our representative who will introduce our program. Time at leisure to enjoy Milan. Dinner and overnight at hotel.

Day 2: MILAN

After Breakfast departure for the panoramic tour of the premier monuments of this city where in the 4th century St. Ambrose was bishop and St. Augustine was converted by his preaching. We see the Castello Sforzesco and La Scala Theater, the most renowned opera house in the world. Next we visit the Duomo, the city’s cathedral and the largest and most elaborate Gothic structure in Italy, and celebrate Mass. Free Time for Lunch. In the afternoon continue on to the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie where the fully restored Last Supper frescoe of Leonardo da Vinci graces a wall in the refectory where the Dominican friars once dined, Sant’Ambrogio. Finally, we will visit the Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan’s finest art museum. Dinner and overnight in Milan.

Day 3: PADUA – VENICE

Breakfast at the Hotel. In the morning departure to Padua, made famous in part by the labors of Saint Anthony. Though born in Lisbon, Portugal, St. Anthony chose Padua as the center of his preaching mission. We visit the tomb of the blessed Saint and celebrate Mass in the Basilica of St. Anthony. We see Prato della Valle, one of the beautiful Italian square, we can stroll along the watercourse lined with tall statues and monuments. We’ll also see the spectacular Basilica of Santa Giustina and the Cappella degli Scrovegni wit the famous fresques of Giotto. In the afternoon continue on to Venice. Dinner and overnight. In Venice Area.

Day 4: VENICE

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure to Venice, guided visit to the historical center with St. Marco Square, the Doge’s Palace and the Beautiful Basilica of San Marco. Free time for lunch. In the afternoon half day guided tour of the Ghetto of Venice. When you visit the Ghetto of Venice you enter an extraordinary and unique quarter. Five synagogues (15th to 16th C.) are located in this small area, representing the different “nations” (Jewish ethnic groups) who settled down in the Lagoon along the centuries. Dinner and overnight.

Day 5: FERRARA – RAVENNA

Breakfast at the hotel and departure to to Pomposa for the visit of the Abbey. Continue to Ferrara. Meeting with the guide for the visit of S. Giorgio Cathedral and the Church S. Paolo. Free Time for Lunch. In the afternoon continue to RAVENNA. Meeting with the guide and visit of Basilica di S. Vitale, Mausoleo di Galla Placidia, Basilica di S. Apollinare Nuovo and celebrate Mass, and Sanctuary S. Maria in Porto. Continuation of the guided visit: Battistero Neoniano, Basilica di S. Apollinare in Classe. Accommodation in the hotel. Dinner and overnight in Hotel.

Day 6: LORETO – BASILICA SANCTUARY “HOLY HOUSE OF LORETO” – LANCIANO

After Breakfast, departure to Loreto. For seven years now, Loreto, small town in the center of Italy, has been drawing numerous and endless pilgrimages because of the Sanctuary that is renowed all over the world, where the Holy House, that is the room of the Vergin Mary, is guarded. Its walls were transferred into this place from Nazareth in 1294, brought by the Angels (according to a reliable hypothesis of men of learning).”The Holy House of Loreto is the first Sanctuary of international importance dedicated to the Vergin Mary and the true Marian heart of christianity” (John Paul II). Free Time for Lunch. In the afternoon we continue to Lanciano. Lanciano is a small town situated south of Chieti, in the center of Italy. Lanciano guards inside its walls, in the church of St. Francesco, at the heart of the town, the first Eucharistic Miracle of the Catholic Church. The prodigious event, according to the unanimous testimony of the tradition and of the following documentation, dates back to the VIII century. Ancient Anxanum, the city of the Frentanese, has contained for over twelve centuries the first and greatest Eucharistic Miracle of the Catholic Church. This woundrous event took place in the 8th Century A.D. in the little Church of St. Legontian, as a divine response to a basilian monk doubt about Jesus, Real Presence in the Eucharist. During holy Mass, after the two-fold consecration, the host was changed into five globules, irregular and differing in shape and size. The “Miracle” was first preserved in a chapel situated at the side of the main altar. In 1902 it was transferred into the present monumental marble altar which the people of Lanciano had erected. Possibility of celebrate Mass in Loreto or Lanciano. Dinner and overnight in Lanciano.

Day 7: LANCIANO – SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO

After Breakfats we departure to San Giovanni Rotondo. San Giovanni Rotondo is a village situated north of the Apulian coast and a place of pilgrimage for the devotion to Padre Pio. We’ll visit the House Relief of the Suffering, hospital built in 1956 thanks to the offering of believers from all over the world. It is the most eloquent testimony of the action of Padre Pio who lived in the adjoining convent of St. Mary of the Graces of the Capuchins; the attached modern sanctuary gives hospitality to an exhibition with the objects of the religious and, in the crypt, his tomb. We’ll see west of the hospital a flight of steps (at its foot is the statue of Padre Pio) leading to the Stations of the Cross, going up till Mount Castellano. Possibility of celebrate Mass in The convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Dinner and overnight in san Giovanni Rotondo.

Day 8: SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO – POMPEII (Naples) – SANCTUARY OF THE BLESSED VERGIN MARY

After Breakfast we departure to Pompei. Pompeii, place of great interest both artistic and archaeological, the Sanctuary of the Blessed Vergin Mary has a special interest. The history of the Sanctuary of Pompeii is linked with the life of its founder, Bartolomeo Longo di Latiano (Br). He came to Pompeii for his job in 1872 and he wanted to do something in favour of those peasants who lived in poverty. He started to gather those poor people in the small church of St. Salvatore, celebrating solemnly the feast of the Madonna. In 1875 he brought from Naples a canvas representing the Madonna of the Rosary that was immediately displayed to the veneration of the believers. After an apparition and a miracle, the image became the object of great worship. The Sanctuary was built in 1891 and in 1939 it was enlarged, so that the existing one is five times bigger that the former one. Because of the many miracles and favors bestowed by the Vergin Mary, the sanctuary has became in a short time a destination of endless pilgrimages. It is also called “the sanctuary of charities” thanks to the works rose for the will of Bartolomeo Longo, in favor of the little orphans, of the prisoners’ children, ecc… Bartolomeo Longo, who was recently beatified, is buried in the crypt. After the visit of the Sanctuary, we continue a guided visit to the ruins of the Roman city destroyed by Vesuvius. Possibility of celebrate Mass in The Sanctuary. Dinner and overnight in Sorrento area.

Day 9: SORRENTO – NAPLES – MONTECASSINO – ROME

After Breakfast we departure to Naples. Guided visit of the historical center of Naples, with the most beautiful churches, Church of Santa Chiara and its Chiostro delle Clarisse, the Cappella San Severo. Then along Spaccanapoli we pass the Church of Sant’Angelo a Nilo and the Renaissance Palazzo Marigliano before arriving at the Duomo of San Gennaro. Free time for Lunch. In the afternoon we continue to Montecassino. In Montecassino, place south of Latium, is the Abbey dominating the plain land underneath on the rise of the same name that has gone through the centuries and the atrocities of the last world war, symbol of the thought of St. Benedetto. Indeed, it is here that the Saint arrived from Norcia in 529 retiring for 40 days in the place where once rose the temple of Apollo. After demolishing the pagan sacrarium, he erected the Church of St. Martino. Possibility of celebrate Mass in the Church of Santa Chiara. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

Day 10: ROME

Breakfast at hotel. In the morning guided visit to the Vatican Museum, Sistina Chapel and Raffaello’s Rooms. In the afternoon guided visit with our art historians to St. Peter’s Basilica and Santa Maria Maggiore, the first Basilica of Rome, and celebrate Mass. Dinner and overnight at hotel.

Day 11: ROME

Breakfast at hotel. In the morning guided visit with our art historians to the Basilica of St. John Lateran, and celebrate Mass. Continue the visit to the Cloister and the Baptistery, the Lateranense Palace, the ancient Pope Residence, La Scala Santa and Sancta Santorum, the Popes’ private Chapel. In The afternoon we will visit the “Basilica and Catacombe of S. Agnese and the Mausoleo of Santa Costanza”, wonderful examples of the Christian art. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 12: ROME – DEPARTURE

After Breakfast departure.

Shrines central and North Italy

12 Days / 11 Nights

DAY 1: ROME

In the late morning arrival at Rome; welcome drink and meeting with our Tour Excort who will introduce our program. Time at leisure to enjoy Rome. Dinner and overnight at hotel.

DAY 2: ROME

Breakfast at hotel. In the morning guided visit to the Vatican Museum, Sistina Chapel and Raffaello’s Rooms. Free time for lunch. In the afternoon guided visit with our historical guide to St. Peter’s Basilica and Santa Maria Maggiore, the first Basilica of Rome. Dinner and overnight at hotel.

DAY 3: ROME

Breakfast at hotel. In the morning guided visit with our historical guide to the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Cloister and the Baptistery, The Lateranense Palace, the ancient Pope Residence, La Scala Santa and Sancta Santorum, the Popes’ private Chapel. Free time for lunch. In The afternoon we will visit the “Basilica and Catacombe of S. Agnese and the Mausoleo of Santa Costanza”, wonderful examples of the Christian art. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

DAY 4: ASSISI

Breakfast at hotel. Departure to Assisi Travel northward this morning through countryside and charming villages for a visit and Mass in the medieval town of Assisi, located in the beautiful region of Umbria at the foot of Mount Subasio. St. Francis was born here during the 12th century and after a nearly fatal illness during his youth, he converted to a life of Christendom. The 14th-century castle Rocca Medioevale offers a spectacular view of the city and the Umbrian Valley. You will visit the Basilica of St. Francis, which contains his tomb and the beautiful frescoes by Giotto and Cimabue. You will also visit the churchof St. Clare, and St. Mary of the Angels Basilica where you will visit the chapel, Portiuncola, the rose bush, and the cave where St. Francis retired for prayer. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

DAY 5: CHIUSDINO – ASCIANO – SIENA

Breakfast at hotel. Departure to full day guided tour. First stop to Chiusdino for the visit the Whole of San Galgano. The whole, composed by the Hermitage or “Rotonda di Montesiepi”, with its precious “Sword on the rock” and its Cistercian San Galgano Abbey ruins, is one of the most evocative of the Tuscany. Continue to Monte Oliveto Maggiore in Asciano. Monte Oliveto Maggiore is an early foundation of the Olivetan Order and the Abbey itself is one of the most interesting in Italy. Arrival to Siena, historical and artistic city, famous for its untouched medieval look. In the afternoon half day guided tour of the centre of Siena: “Piazza del Campo”, a particular square, famous in all over the world for the “Palio delle Contrade” (festival and horserace held twice a year at Siena) and its Beautiful Duomo. Departure to Florence. Dinner and overnight in Hotel.

DAY 6: FLORENCE

Breakfast at hotel. After celebrating Mass in one of the beautiful churches of the city, we have a guided tour of the main sights. We’ll see the Cathedral with its magnificent dome of Brunelleschi, Giotto’s elegant belfry and the Baptistery with Ghiberti’s Gate to Paradise; then to the Galleria dell’Accademia where, among other art treasures we see Michelangelo’s powerful David. The day’s tour concludes with a drive up Piazzalle Michelangelo to enjoy a wonderful view of the city. Dinner and overnight in Florence.

Day 7: RAVENNA

Breakfast at the hotel and departure for Ravenna. Meeting with the guide and visit of Basilica di S. Vitale, Mausoleo di Galla Placidia, Basilica di S. Apollinare Nuovo and Sanctuary S. Maria in Porto. Free time for lunch. Continuation of the guided visit: Battistero Neoniano, Museo Arcivescovile and Basilica di S. Apollinare in Classe. Accommodation in the hotel. Dinner and overnight in Hotel.

Day 8: FERRARA

breakfast at the hotel and departure for Ferrara. Meeting with the guide for the visit of S. Giorgio Cathedral and the Church S. Paolo. Free time for lunch. In the afternoon on to Pomposa for the visit of the Abbey, then on to Comacchio for the visit of the Sanctuary S. Maria in Aula Regia. Departure to Venice. Accomodation in Hotel. Dinner and overnight.

DAY 9: VENICE

breakfast at the hotel. Departure to Venice, guided visit to the historical center with St. Mraco Square, the Doge’s Palace and the Beautiful Basilica of San Marco. Free time for lunch. In the afternoon half day guided tour of the Ghetto of Venice. When you visit the Ghetto of Venice you enter an extraordinary and unique quarter. Five synagogues (15th to 16th C.) are located in this small area, representing the different “nations” (Jewish ethnic groups) who settled down in the Lagoon along the centuries. Dinner and overnight.

DAY 10: VENICE – PADUA – MILAN

Breakfast at the Hotel. In the morning departure to Padua, made famous in part by the labors of Saint Anthony. Though born in Lisbon, Portugal, St. Anthony chose Padua as the center of his preaching mission. We visit the tomb of the blessed Saint and celebrate Mass in the Basilica of St. Anthony. We see Prato della Valle, one of the beautiful Italian square, we can stroll along the watercourse lined with tall statues and monuments. We’ll also see the spectacular Basilica of Santa Giustina and the Cappella degli Scrovegni wit the famous fresques of Giotto. Free time for lunch. In the afternoon continue on to Milan. Dinner and overnight.

DAY 11: MILAN

Breakfast at the Hotel. In the morning panoramic tour of the premier monuments of this city where in the 4th century St. Ambrose was bishop and St. Augustine was converted by his preaching. We see the Castello Sforzesco and La Scala Theater, the most renowned opera house in the world. Next we visit the Duomo, the city’s cathedral and the largest and most elaborate Gothic structure in Italy, and celebrate Mass. Free time for lunch. We continue on to the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie where the fully restored Last Supper frescoe of Leonardo da Vinci graces a wall in the refectory where the Dominican friars once dined, Sant’Ambrogio. Finally, we will visit the Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan’s finest art museum. Dinner and overnight in Milan.

DAY 12: DEPARTURE

The Christians In Rome

6 Days / 5 Nights

Day 1

Arrival in Rome. Accomodation in Hotel. Welcome drink and meeting with our Tour Excort who will introduce our program. Dinner in local restaurant followed by an evening walk around Rome’s historic center: Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, Campo dei Fiori, Piazza Farnese.

Day 2

Buffet Breakfast to the Hotel. In the morning Our visit will begin with the archaeological complex of the church of S. Giovanni & Paolo, including the house of the two martyrs, where the first Christians met to pray. We then follow the Via Appia, historically linked to the first Christians. We will linger a while at the small church Domine Quo Vadis, which is where St. Peter met Christ. Along the Via Appia, one finds the church of St. Sebastian, under which stretches one of the larger complexes of catacombs in Rome, where, according to tradition, the bodies of the Saints were kept here for A period of time. Free time for lunch. In the afternoon we continue to the Basilica of St Paul’s outside the Walls on the Via Ostiense, which the Emperor Constantine had built over the Saints’ tomb. Free time in Rome center Town. Dinner and Overnight.

Day 3

Buffet Breakfast to the Hotel. In the morning visit to the excavations under the Basilica of S. Clemente, one of the most interesting archaeological complexes in Rome. It is a stratification of elements of 3 levels: Roman buildings, an early basilica of the 4th century and that of the 12th century. At the lowest level is a mithreum, a place of worship dedicated to Mithras, a divinity from western Asia. This religion entered Rome from the east as did Christianity and a rivalry between the two developed. Nearby we will see 5th century S. Stefano Rotondo, one of the oldest churches in Italy. Circular in shape, this church contains a string of moving and bloody frescoes, representing the lives of the Martyrs and Saints.

Free time for lunch. In the afternoon we continue to the Basilica of St. John Lateran, also of great antiquity, which Constantine built by expropriating all possessions of the noble Roman family Lateran, who were adverse to Christianity. We will see the early Christian Baptistery, built by Constantine on a Roman nympheum, which became the prototype of many baptisteries to follow. Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, one of the seven churches visited by Pilgrims in Rome holds the relic of the Cross carried to Rome by St. Helena, mother of Constantine. The last visit will be to Basilica of S. Lorenzo, also built by Constantine in 330, on the tomb of S. Lorenzo. Dinner and overnight.

Day 4

Buffet Breakfast to the Hotel. In the morning we will visit St. Peters, the greatest of all Christian churches. Then a visit to Santa Maria in Trastevere, one of the earliest churches of Rome, with its early mosaics still in good condition. Free time for lunch. In the afternoon we will visit some early churches on the Aventine Hill, the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, which rises in the old cattle market. The church of Santa Sabina represents the ultimate in Christian Basilicas of the 5th century. On to San Saba and the oratory of Santa Silvia, and the church of Santa Balbina, behind the Baths of Caracalla. A great hall of the Roman Imperial era was used as a plan for this church: the original structure is still easily recognized. Dinner and overnight.

Day 5

Buffet Breakfast to the Hotel. In the morning we aill visit to S. Martino ai Monti, a 3rd-century church, which like other early churches, was built on the site of a private house, converted to an oratory. We shall visit the excavations beneath the church. The church of S. Pudenziana is one of the oldest churches in Rome and was built on the site of the house of Senator Pudente, where St. Peter is said to have been a guest. Continue to the church of S. Prassede, very interesting for its various early works of art, chiefly mosaics. Free time for lunch. In the afternoon, we will visit the “Liberiana Basilica,” Santa Maria Maggiore, the fourth of the Patriarchal basilicas of Rome. Along the via Nomentana, we find the early church of S. Agnese. St. Agnes was martyred n a brothel next to the Domitian Circus, (the present Piazza Navona) and buried outside the town walls on the site of the church which bears her name. In the near can be found the Mausoleum of S. Costanza, Constantine’s daughter, with its beautiful 4th-century mosaics. They are a magnificent example of early Christian craftsmanship. To end our tour we will visit the Catacombs of Priscilla, one of the most famous of Rome, with frescoes, painted plaster reliefs and sarcophagi. Farewell dinner at a Roman restaurant.

Day 6

Departure.

In the Footsteps of St. Francis

8 Days / 7 Nights

Day 1: Assisi

Arrival at Fiumicino, meet with your Tour escort. Drive to Assisi, and check in your reserved hotel. Meet with the Guide for a HD visit, stroll to the Basilica of St. Francis.
On the way to Assisi’s main square, we shall stop at the Chiesa Nuova, built on the spot of the stable where St. Francis reputedly was born. The church and the Oratorio of St. Francis occupy the spot of the house where St. Francis was born. The legend of the stable developed in the Middle Ages in response to the doctrine of the conformity of life of St. Francis to that of Christ. Brief visit to the Roman Forum, which lies under a building overlooking the main square, to the Temple of Minerva, and to the Church that occupies its interior. The Church of St. Clare to see St. Francis’ tunic and a 13th-century painted crucifix. Dinner & overnight in Assisi.

Day 2: Assisi

After breakfast we will walk to the Rocca, the medieval fortress, a well-preserved example of medieval military architecture, which looks down from its commanding position above the town. On our way down to the center of town, we take a pause in the Duomo, dedicated to San Ruffino, where both Francis and Clare were baptised later in life as children of God. The convent of San Damiano where St. Clare settled with the sisters of her order. The bus will meet us near S. Damiano to take us the 4 kilometers to the Hermitage, where St. Francis retired with his fellow friars in contemplation and meditation.
On our way to S. Maria degli Angeli, we will stop briefly at the site , where Francis met a leper and was so overcome by feelings of tender mercy that he kissed his hand and later went to the leper colony to give money to its members. After lunch in the town of S. Maria degli Angeli, we will visit the basilica of the same name. The basilica, built in the 16th century, houses the tiny church known as the Porziuncola. Return to Assisi. Dinner & overnight in Assisi.

Day 3: Perugia & Cortona

After Breakfast departure to Perugia, where Francis as a young soldier was imprisoned during a war between Perugia and Assisi. Stroll to Piazza Matteotti in the area of the prison in which Francis was held. Visit to Piazza 4 Novembre.The square is graced by a beautiful public fountain of the 13th century. We shall also visit the beautiful Gothic pubic buildings, in one of which the National Gallery of Umbria has collected the finest Umbrian medieval and Renaissance paintings. Lunch in Perugia.
After lunch we proceed to Cortona and the church dedicated to St. Francis by his disciple Friar Elia, which contains Elia’s tomb. Cortona offers us two museums: The Etruscan Museum, which has a unique piece in the highly carved bronze candelabra, and the Diocesan Museum, which contains religious works by Luca Signorelli and Fra Angelico. Outside Cortona we come to the Hermitage of Celle, founded by Francis in 1211. Drive to Arezzo and check-in at our hotel. Dinner and overnight in Arezzo.

Day 4 La Verna

All day excursion to the shrine of La Verna, where Francis received the stigmata, and to the Monastery of Monte Casale, where disciples of St. Francis, under his guidance, persuaded local bandits to give up their way of life, converting 2 of them to monastic life. Dinner and overnight in Arezzo.

Day 5 Arezzo – Rieti

Visit to the Church of S. Francesco for Piero della Francesca’s fresco cycle of The Legend of the True Cross and a stained glass window that depicts St. Francis offering roses to Pope Honorius III. Departure for Umbria and the Rieti area of northern Lazio. Brief stop at the small medieval town of Spello to see the exquisite Pinturicchio frescoes in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, followed by a stop at the site between the towns of Cannara and Bevagna, which tradition has enshrined as the spot where Francis preached to the birds.
After lunch we will stroll through the town of Montefalco, followed by a tour of the Church of S. Francesco, which has been converted to a museum and contains a series of frescoes of the 14th and 15th centuries. Drive to Greccio or Rieti and hotel check-in. Dinner and overnight.

Day 6 Rieti

Francis spent much time in the area around the city of Rieti. Today we will visit a few of the sites which are important for the role they played in the life of Francis and the Franciscan Order. These include the hermitages where the idea of the Franciscan mission first took form, where Francis dictated the Rule for the Franciscan Order, and where he performed the miracle of turning water into wine. The tour will culminate in a visit to the hermitage at Greccio, where Francis in 1223 invented the manger scene using live people and animals. This manger scene is re-enacted every Christmas Eve and could be included in tours during the Christmas season. Dinner & overnight in Greccio (or Rieti).

Day 7 Rome

Travel to Rome, check-in at our hotel. Free time for the rest of the day. Farewell dinner. Christmas Day in St. Peter’s square for Christmas season tours. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

Day 8 Departure

Transfer to Fiumicino airport for departure for home.

A Catholic Pilgrimage Through Eastern Europe

14 Days / 13 Nights

Day 1: WARSAW

Arrive in Warsaw. Meeting with the tour guide. A panoramic bus ride to the hotel. Dinner and Overnight.

Day 2: WARSAW

Morning: a guided tour of Warsaw: a stroll down the picturesque streets of the Old Town, Castle Square, the Royal, St. John’s Cathedral (built in the 14th century), the Royal Way, the Lazienki Park with the Chopin’s Monument, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Lunch in restaurant.
Afternoon: a tour of Niepokalanow, a pilgrimage site connected with St. Maksymilian Kolbe.
Dinner and Overnight.

Day 3: WARSAW – KRAKÓW

Depart Warsaw after breakfast.
En route to Krakow: a tour of the 14th century National Shrine and Monastery of Jasna Gora (Bright Mountain) in Czestochowa with the marvelous painting of the Black Madonna, the Mecca of the Catholic religion in Poland.
Lunch in restaurant.
Afternoon: a guided tour of the Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy in Krakow – Lagiewniki, where St. Faustyna Kowalska (whose remains were brought from the Church of St. Joseph) was laid to rest. Pope John Paul II consecrated the sanctuary on September 17, 2002, entrusting the world to God’s Divine Mercy.
There is the possibility of attending a mass.
Dinner and Overnight.

Day 4: KRAKÓW

Guided tour of the most famous sights of Krakow: the largest market square in Europe surrounded by old streets and home to historical tenement houses and churches; a visit to St. Mary’s Church (Gothic style); a stroll down the Royal Way to Wawel Castle, which was the seat of the Polish monarchs for centuries; a tour of the Royal Chambers and the Cathedral.
Lunch in restaurant.
Afternoon: excursion to Wieliczka – a unique and world-renowned salt mine entered into the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list, with the beautiful Chapel of St. Kinga. Return to Krakow, traditional Polish dinner in one of restaurants in the Market Square. Overnight.

Day 5: KRAKÓW

Morning: a visit to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska: a tour of the Church of the Virgin Mary – the second most famous pilgrimage site in Poland, entered in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list.
A brief tour of Wadowice – the birthplace of Pope John Paul II: a tour of the Church of the Blessed Mother and the Papal Museum – the home of Pope John Paul II. Lunch in restaurant
Afternoon tour of the museum in Auschwitz-Birkenau in Auschwitz – the former concentration camp, a shocking testament to the holocaust. Return to Krakow, Dinner and Overnight.

Day 6: KRAKÓW – BUDAPEST

Depart Krakow after breakfast.
En route to Budapest: a tour of Lavaca, a charming town and the pearl of the architecture of the Middle Ages, formerly referred to as the Nuremberg of Slovakia, with the Gothic style Church of St. James, one of Slovakia’s most valuable monuments. Lunch during the way. Continue to Budapest
Dinner and Overnight.

Day 7: BUDAPEST

Guided tour of Budapest: The Gellert Hill – overlooking the Danube River, one of the most famous sites in Budapest; St. Stefan’s Basilica, where the most famous Hungarian relic, the mummified palm of St. Stefan, Varhegy (Castle Hill) – the Old Town, from which the facades of the Royal Palace can be seen from afar, as well as the elevated and exquisite tower of the Church of St. Matthias, surrounded by the white Fishermen’s Bastion.
Lunch in restaurant. During the afternoon guided visit of the charming town of Szentendre – a town constructed in the middle ages in a Mediterranean style, built atop of the former Roman legionary town.
Dinner in Folk restaurant with music. Overnight.

Day 8: BUDAPEST – VIENNA

Depart to Vienna. During the way a tour of the Pannonhalm Monastery – the only functioning Benedictine Monastery in all of Hungary.
Arrive in Vienna late morning. Lunch in restaurant.
During the afternoon visit of the Mariazell Sanctuary, the largest pilgrimage sanctuary in Central Europe with the wondrous image of the Blessed Mother.
Dinner and Overnight.

Day 9: VIENNA

Full Day Guided tour of Vienna: The Jewish Quarter; Juden Square; Synagogue; The Jewish Museum; Ringstrasse, Hofburg – the former imperial palace; Josefplaz – the beautiful late Baroque style square; Kärtner street, which is home to the many magnificent buildings designed by Austria’s most famous architects which leads to St. Stephen’s square on the north side, where St. Stephen’s Cathedral – a symbol and most important monument of Vienna towers over the entire Old Town; the Belvedere Palace – the most beautiful palace complex in Vienna and an outstanding example of Baroque style architecture in the world.
Lunch in restaurant.
Dinner with wine tasting in the Grinzing district, famous for its production of young wine.
Overnight.

Day 10: VIENNA

Full day excursion to the Wachau Valley, one of the most beautiful and scenic sites in Austria: Durstein, a picturesque town with the Augustine Monastery with beautiful galleries and an impressive collection of sacral art as well as the beautiful Baroque church; The Melk Monastery – the most wondrous Baroque monastery in Austria triumphantly overlooking the Danube River and the surroundings;
Mass in the St. Peter and St. Paul Baroque church;
Heiligenkreuz – one of the oldest Cistercian monasteries in Austria; Mayerling – the Carmelite monastery built on top of the destroyed Mayerling castle. Lunch in restaurant.
Dinner and Overnight.

Day 11: VIENNA – PRAGUE

Depart Vienna after breakfast.
During the way, a short stop in the town of Telc – with its Old Town entered into the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list as a unique example of folklore architecture along with the Baroque style Church of the Blessed Mother. Lunch in restaurant. Dinner and Overnight.

Day 12: PRAGUE

Full Day tour of the city: Hradcany (The Castle District); Katedrala Sv. Víta (The Cathedral of St. Vitus) – a tapering yet massive structure which was built over 6 centuries and remains the most important church in the Czech Republic until today; the Loreta Treasury; the Strahov Monestary; the unforgettable Old Town Square with the Gothic church of Our Lady of Tyn; the lovely Zlata ulicka (Golden Street); St. Charles Bridge (Gothic style and one of the oldest bridges in Europe); The Church of Our Lady Victorious, the first Baroque church with the famous wax figure known as the Prague Child Jesus; and St. Wenceslas Square, the central point of modern Prague. Lunch in restaurant.
Dinner and Overnight.

Day 13: PRAGUE

Guided visit to Kutna Hora, a town with an amazing view of the Gothic Cathedral’s exquisite mass located in the distance. An optional mass at the Church of St. Barbara it’s possible. Free time during the afternoon for last shopping. Lunch in restaurant. Farewell Dinner in typical restaurant with Folk Show. Overnight.

Day 14: PRAGUE – DEPARTURE

Transfer to the airport.