Upon arrival at Rome Airport, you will be greeted by our English-speaking tour manager, who will accompany the group throughout the entire stay in Italy. Board the private deluxe bus and transfer to the city center. Enjoy a relaxing walk on Palatino Hill to visit the Church of St. Bonaventura al Palatino to celebrate Mass, and then settle into your hotel. (D) Overnight in Rome.

Early this morning, travel to the Vatican City to attend the Papal Audience in St Peter’s Square with Pope Francis. After lunch, visit the old quarter of Trastevere and the Church of St. Francis a Ripa, which is the first church in Rome dedicated to the Saint. It was here that Saint Francis stayed when he visited Rome. You will be able to see the cell where he slept and the rock he used as a pillow. Then we will visit the Basilica of St. Lawrence Outside the Walls, which contains the relics of St. Lawrence, who was martyred on August 10, 258. The emperor Valerian sentenced him to die by roasting him on a gridiron. (B, D) Overnight in Rome.

The morning is dedicated to your spiritual reflection. In the afternoon, visit the Vatican Museums, where you will see the magnificent rooms painted by Raphael, as well as the Sistine Chapel, and then continue to the Basilica of St. Peter. Celebrate Mass before returning to your hotel. (B, D) Overnight in Rome.

The morning is dedicated to your spiritual reflection. After lunch, visit St. Mary Major, the Holy Stairs, and St John in Lateran. Just outside this Basilica, there is a large statue of St Francis and his friars, which commemorates the Saint’s profound link to Pope Innocent III and to the Papal Archbasilica of St. John Lateran. (B, D) Overnight in Rome.

Visit the Franciscan Sanctuary of Poggio Bustone. According to tradition, in this place, St Francis, as he reached the village at the foot of the Apennines for the first time, greeted the inhabitants with his famous exclamation: “Good morning, good people”. Then drive to Greccio to visit the Franciscan Sanctuary set on the rocky ridge of the mountain. The Sanctuary is famous worldwide for having been chosen by St. Francis as the site of the first re-enactment of the Bethlehem Nativity in Christian history, which took place on the night of Christmas 1223. Continue to Assisi and check into your hotel. (B, D) Overnight in Assisi.

Following breakfast, enjoy a relaxing walk through the streets of Spoleto and a visit to the Duomo, with its magnificent façade, in which one of the very rare original letters written by St. Francis is kept. In the afternoon, you will reach the city of Perugia to see its historical center, where St Francis was imprisoned after the battle of Collestrada in 1202. Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Assisi. (B, D) Overnight in Assisi.

This morning, start the last stage of the St. Francis’ Way (the Northern Way). It is called the “Perfect Joy” leg. On the way from Perugia to Santa Maria degli Angeli, St. Francis explained to Friar Leone what the “perfect joy” was and how to achieve it. The route starts from the old town center of Perugia and descends towards the valley. You will reach the Basilica of St Mary of the Angels first. This Basilica is where St. Francis spent most of his life and is made up of two structures: the Porziuncola, where St. Francis founded his order, the Friars Minor (Franciscans), and the Capella del Transito, where St. Francis died. This afternoon, visit the Convent of St. Damiano, where St. Francis received his miraculous calling in 1205 and where St. Clare died in 1253. (B, D) Overnight in Assisi.

Today you will enjoy a full day of touring the hometown of St Francis. First, visit the Basilica of St Clare, the foundress of the Poor Clare Sisters. She followed the teachings of St. Francis very closely, living a life of poverty and humility. Finally, visit the Basilica of St Francis. The upper Basilica with Giotto’s frescoes represents the life of St. Francis. Take time to pray at the Tomb of St Francis and to celebrate Mass. In the afternoon, visit the Carceri Hermitage to see the natural caves once used by the friars as cells. You will visit the small oratory where they gathered for common prayers. (B, D) Overnight in Assisi.

Drive to the Franciscan Sanctuary of La Verna. This is the place where St. Francis has been seven times over the years and where, in 1224, he received the stigmata. Here, you can pray in the Chapel of the Stigmata. After lunch at the Pilgrim’s refectory, celebrate Mass. (B, L, D) Overnight in Assisi.

On your way back to Rome, visit the city of Gubbio, where you will visit the sites related to the history of the wolf of Assisi. In the afternoon, visit Castel Gandolfo, then check into your hotel in Rome. (B, D) Overnight in Rome.

After an early breakfast, we will leave by motor coach and transfer to Rome airport for return flights home. (B)