Depart the USA today on board your overnight transatlantic jet flight to Rome, arriving the following day. Enjoy a full meal service as well as in-flight entertainment such as movies, music, etc.

Your spiritual pilgrimage begins with your arrival in Rome. After arriving at our Vatican guesthouse, we will prayerfully start our pilgrimage with Mass in the guesthouse chapel and a brief orientation meeting followed by time to freshen up.

After lunch, we will take a leisurely walk to St. Peter’s Square and enter the breathtaking St. Peter’s Basilica. The afternoon and evening is free to explore St. Peter’s Basilica and the surrounding area.

After an early breakfast with the sisters, we leave for St. Peter's Square to get front row seats for the Wednesday Papal Audience. After the audience, we will have time for lunch and to return our newly blessed items to our rooms.

After lunch, we will visit the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, the official Cathedral of the Pope. Amongst the many holy relics in the archbasilica, special attention is given to the craniums of Ss. Peter & Paul, as well as part of the table from the Last Supper. Following, we will cross the street for the blessed opportunity to ascend the Holy Steps, the very steps that Christ ascended to meet with Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem. Lastly, we will make our way to the basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem for Mass and to venerate some of the holiest relics in Rome, some of which include fragments of the True Cross, a thorn from the Crown of Thorns, and Doubting Thomas' finger. (B)

After breakfast, we will have the opportunity to participate in a private, guided tour of the city of Florence. Amongst other sites, we will visit Michelangelo's "David" in the Accademia, the Duomo (Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore) and the Baptistery with its golden doors. We will continue throughout the Renaissance with visits to the various palaces and buildings up to the River Arno.

After lunch, the afternoon is scheduled free time to visit some of the sites that interest you the most. We will gather back together as a group in the late afternoon to shuttle to a local Tuscan winery where we will enjoy an evening of wine tasting and a traditional 4-course Tuscan dinner. Overnight in Florence. (B, D)

Following breakfast, we will have the opportunity to participate in a private, guided tour of Milan. First, we will visit the Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio which contains the tomb of St. Ambrose. We continue onto the Duomo, the most magnificent Gothic building in Northern Italy. While there, we will celebrate Mass at the tomb of St. Charles Borromeo. We will see the Sforzesco Castle and the Monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie with the famous Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper," recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage.

Following lunch, the remainder of the day is scheduled free time for rest, exploration, dining, and shopping. Overnight in Milan. (B)

Following breakfast, we will board our motorcoach and depart for the one hour drive to the historic Carthusian Monastery and complex in Pavia, built in the 14th centry by the Duke of Milan as a family mausoleum. It is one of the largest monasteries in Italy.

Following Mass at the monastery, we will journey to pray at the tomb of St. Augustine of Hippo, Doctor of the Church. Additionally, we will visit the Basilica of San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro with chapels dedicated to St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine. Additionally, we will have the chance to view both the University of Pavia and the Collegio Borromeo, both having strong ties to St. Charles Borromeo.

Following lunch, we will return back to Milan where we will enjoy one final free evening before we depart back home. (B)

The next morning, with vivid memories of Italy, we transfer to the Milan Airport (MXP) and board the return flight back to the USA, arriving the same day. (B)