Your pilgrimage to Rome begins as you depart on your international flight.

Your guide will greet you at the airport and escort you into the city for a driving tour to help you acclimate to where things are. Check in to your hotel for dinner and overnight. (D)

Enjoy a guided tour of the Vatican’s Museums and Sistine Chapel. Built by connecting portions of the old Papal residence with newer structures, the museum houses a world-renowned collection of art and antiquities. Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel between 1508 and 1512, and later painted The Last Judgment between 1535 and 1541 for Popes Clement VII and Paul III. The primary function of the chapel is the Papal Conclave, providing the place where the College of Cardinals of the church gathers to select a new Pope. Then walk through St. Peter’s Basilica and celebrate Mass here. The present structure, completed in 1590, was built over the Byzantine and Middle Ages structures that marked the tomb of Saint Peter. There are more than 100 tombs within the basilica, including, most recently, Saint John Paul II. Finish the day at the Pantheon, built by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus (27 BC to 14 AD). Emperor Hadrian rebuilt it around 126 AD. The building was given to Pope Boniface IV who converted it into a church - Saint Mary and the Martyrs (Santa Maria Rotunda). Mass continues to be celebrated here. Enjoy a visit to the Forum and the Colosseum, once the heart of ancient Rome and a place of martyrdom for the early saints. You will explore the romance of Rome as you stop at the famous Trevi Fountain. Legend says those who toss a coin into the fountain will one day return to Rome to toss another into the waters of Trevi. Return to your hotel for overnight. Dinner is on your own this evening. (B)

After breakfast, enjoy the opportunity to join in prayer with Pope Francis and receive his greeting, blessing and prayers (When the Pope is in Rome). Begin your afternoon with a visit to the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran. Six Popes are entombed here. Next door is the Holy Staircase (Scala Santa), brought from Pilate’s Palace in Jerusalem by Saint Helena in the 4th Century. Climbing the stairs on your knees is a devotion that many pilgrims perform, and a plenary indulgence is granted for completing this feat. Next is the Basilica of Saint Lawrence Outside the Walls (San Lorenzo). Saint Lawrence was one of the first seven deacons of Rome, martyred in 258. The Church is built next to catacombs that lead down to his grave. The relics of Saints Justin Martyr and Stephen are also enshrined here. Continue your pilgrim journey to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Maria Maggiore). This is the largest Marian church in Rome. Its construction began after the Council of Ephesus in 431 proclaimed that Mary was the Mother of God. Saint Jerome, translator of the Bible into the Latin Vulgate, is buried here. Celebrate Mass in one of the Churches here. Dinner is on your own this evening. (B)

This morning begins another day of pilgrimage at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. The present structure stands over the place where Constantine built the first church over Saint Paul’s grave. The church features a portrait of every Pope that has served the church, with the face of Pope Francis I illuminated as the present pontiff. Step beneath the surface into the Catacombs of Callixtus, built along the Appian Way. Here 16 Popes from the 2nd through 4th Centuries were interred, though they have been removed to various churches over the centuries. San Sebastian Outside the Walls is another of the seven Pilgrimage churches, built over the Catacombs of Saint Sebastian. The remains of Peter and Paul were temporarily protected here during the Valerian Persecution of 258. Our seventh and final pilgrimage stop is the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. Saint Helena brought Passion relics here, and the floor was covered with soil from Jerusalem. Relics here include the index finger of Thomas that touched the wounds of Christ after His resurrection, and a piece of the Good Thief’s Cross. Those who want to complete the seven-church pilgrimage as declared by Saint John Paul II in 2000 can continue with one more stop at Shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love. Here a pilgrim pursued by dogs appealed to Our Lady and she intervened for his safety. Pilgrims began to frequent the site and a chapel was built here in 1745. Celebrate mass in one of the churches. Dinner is on your own this evening – Unless you choose the optional Opera Dinner option in Rome ($ more). (B)

Enjoy a day to explore, shop and taste Rome on your own. Or purchase the optional Pompeii Day Excursion ($125 extra). Dinner is on your own this evening. (B)

Return to the USA or optional Pompeii Day Tour