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Photograph to come · Wide view of San Giovanni Rotondo and the Padre Pio shrine

Rome, Assisi, Padre Pio and Medjugorje

The Papal Audience, Assisi, Lanciano, San Giovanni Rotondo and Medjugorje

Ten days from Rome to the Adriatic, with the Papal Audience and the papal basilicas, Assisi and St. Carlo Acutis, the Eucharistic miracle at Lanciano, two nights with St. Padre Pio at San Giovanni Rotondo, and Medjugorje.

Departures

Current Tours to Croatia & Bosnia

Upcoming departures to Croatia & Bosnia. Each group has its own host, dates, and itinerary. The route below is our standard.

All current pilgrimages
The Route

Eight stops across three countries

Rome, Assisi, Cascia, Lanciano, San Giovanni Rotondo, Bari, Medjugorje and Dubrovnik.

Itinerary · EU_IT-HR-BA-10D-02

Rome, Assisi, Padre Pio and Medjugorje

Ten days, arriving in Rome and departing from Dubrovnik, working down the length of Italy from Rome through Umbria and Abruzzo to Puglia before a short flight across to the Adriatic coast. Day 3 carries the Papal Audience, so the departure date has to be set for that day to fall on a Wednesday. Your group travels on its own dates, and the itinerary can be adjusted to fit the time you have and the places that matter most to your pilgrims.

DAYS 1–4

Rome, the Audience and the Basilicas

Photograph to come · St. Peter’s Square during the Papal Audience
The Papal Audience in St. Peter’s Square.
Day 1

Depart the United States

We depart on our overnight flight to Rome. Dinner and breakfast are served on board.
Day 2

Arrival in Rome

Our local tour escort meets us at Fiumicino Airport and accompanies us by motorcoach to the hotel. This evening we gather for a welcome dinner to begin our pilgrimage together.Overnight in Rome.
Day 3

The Papal Audience and the Vatican

We join the Holy Father for the Papal Audience in St. Peter’s Square, then spend the afternoon in the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel beneath Michelangelo’s ceiling. We end at St. Peter’s Basilica, raised over the tomb of the Prince of the Apostles, where we venerate his tomb and see Bernini’s baldachin and the Pietà.Mass is celebrated in Vatican City. Dinner and overnight in Rome.
Day 4

The Papal Basilicas

We begin at St. John Lateran, the oldest church in the world and cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, and climb the Scala Sancta, the twenty-eight marble stairs believed to be those Our Lord ascended before Pilate. We continue to St. Mary Major for the icon Salus Populi Romani and end at St. Paul Outside the Walls.Mass is celebrated over the tomb of the Apostle at St. Paul Outside the Walls. Dinner and overnight in Rome.
DAYS 5–6

Assisi, Cascia and Lanciano

Photograph to come · The Basilica of St. Francis, Assisi
The Basilica of St. Francis at Assisi.
Day 5

Assisi

We drive north to Assisi. In the upper town we visit the Basilica of St. Clare, where her incorrupt body and the San Damiano Cross are venerated, and the Sanctuary of the Renunciation, where St. Carlo Acutis rests. We descend to the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, built over the Porziuncola where St. Francis received his call and died in 1226.Mass is celebrated at the Basilica of St. Francis, beneath the frescoes of Giotto. Dinner and overnight in Assisi.
Day 6

Cascia and Lanciano

At Cascia we visit the Basilica of Santa Rita, where the incorrupt body of the patron of impossible causes rests. We continue to Lanciano, where around 750 a monk doubting the Real Presence saw the Host and wine become flesh and blood; the relics, tested in 1970, proved to be human cardiac tissue of blood type AB.Mass is celebrated at Assisi before we depart. Dinner and overnight in San Giovanni Rotondo.
DAYS 7–8

Padre Pio, and East to Medjugorje

Photograph to come · The Padre Pio Pilgrimage Church by Renzo Piano
The pilgrimage church at San Giovanni Rotondo, which holds the tomb of St. Padre Pio.
Day 7

San Giovanni Rotondo

We give the day to St. Padre Pio, who lived and served here from 1916 until his death in 1968, bore the stigmata for fifty years and founded the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza. We visit the old church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, where he received the stigmata in 1918, and the pilgrimage church by Renzo Piano that holds his tomb.Mass is celebrated at the shrine, with the afternoon free for personal prayer. Dinner and overnight in San Giovanni Rotondo.
Day 8

Bari and Medjugorje

We transfer to Bari Airport for our flight to Dubrovnik and continue by motorcoach into Herzegovina to Medjugorje, where reported apparitions of Our Lady have drawn pilgrims from around the world since 1981. We gather for dinner and our first evening in the village.Dinner and overnight in Medjugorje.
DAYS 9–10

Medjugorje and Dubrovnik

Photograph to come · St. James Church, Medjugorje
St. James Church at Medjugorje.
Day 9

Medjugorje and Dubrovnik

Our guide leads us up Apparition Hill, where the six visionaries first met Our Lady on 24 June 1981, and to the Blue Cross at its base, before we climb Krizevac to pray the Stations before the thirty-foot cross the villagers raised in 1933. We then transfer to Dubrovnik.Mass is celebrated at St. James Church. Dinner and overnight in Dubrovnik.
Day 10

Return Home

After breakfast we transfer to Dubrovnik Airport for our return flight home, with hearts renewed by the intercession of Our Lady of Medjugorje and St. Padre Pio.

Why leaders choose Canterbury

“Canterbury treats you like family! They handle everything, from creating exciting itineraries to managing calls, registrations, and payments.”

Patrick MadridPatrick Madrid
Catholic Speaker, Author & Host of The Patrick Madrid Show on Relevant Radio®
IMMERSIVE PHOTOGRAPH
San Giovanni RotondoWhere St. Padre Pio heard confessions for fifty years.
Dates

Your group travels on its own dates.

Tell us the window you have in mind and we will build the itinerary around it: the time you have, and the places that matter most to your pilgrims.

Your pilgrimage includes

Tour Package Includes

These inclusions can be easily tailored to the individual needs of your group

  • Daily Mass at the churches we visit
  • Round-trip group airfare
  • Airport transfers on arrival & departure
  • 4-Star hotel accommodations
  • Private motorcoach transportation
  • Breakfast & dinner served daily
  • Wine served with some dinners
  • Dedicated tour manager
  • Licensed guiding & admission fees
  • Porterage service at hotels
  • Whisper headsets when touring
  • Tips for hotel & restaurant staff
  • 9 – 5 PM (EST) reservation support
  • 24/7 travel emergency support
  • Canterbury Mobile App
For the group leader

What you get as the group leader

You travel free.

Every group earns complimentary places. The more pilgrims you bring, the more you earn. How complimentary places work

No financial risk.

If the group does not fill, deposits are returned. You owe nothing and neither do your pilgrims. What happens if a group does not fill

We produce the promotional materials.

Flyers, a registration page, and what you need to invite your people. Our guide to promoting a pilgrimage

We handle your pilgrims.

Registrations, rooming lists, payment plans and the phone calls. How leading a pilgrimage works

In your pocket

The Canterbury Mobile App

Every pilgrim in your group gets the app. Their itinerary, hotels and flights, the prayers of the day and a way to reach one another, all in one place and kept current as the pilgrimage unfolds.

  • Group chat

    Your whole group in one thread, so a change of plan reaches everyone at once.

  • Their itinerary

    The full day-by-day schedule, always current, in every pilgrim’s pocket.

  • Hotels

    Where the group is staying each night, with addresses and dates.

  • Flights

    Flight details kept alongside everything else, not in a separate email.

  • Daily prayers

    The prayers of the day, including the Liturgy of the Hours.

  • Shrine passport

    A keepsake record of the shrines your group visits along the way.

  • Live updates

    Times and meeting points pushed to everyone the moment they change.

Photographs
Photograph to come · The Scala Sancta, Rome
The Scala Sancta, climbed on the knees for centuries.
Photograph to come · The Sanctuary of the Renunciation, Assisi
The Sanctuary of the Renunciation, where St. Carlo Acutis rests.
Photograph to come · The Basilica of Santa Rita, Cascia
The Basilica of Santa Rita at Cascia, patron of impossible causes.
Photograph to come · The Church of St. Francis, Lanciano
The Church of St. Francis at Lanciano, which holds the Eucharistic miracle.
Photograph to come · Santa Maria delle Grazie, San Giovanni Rotondo
Santa Maria delle Grazie, where Padre Pio received the stigmata in 1918.
Photograph to come · The walled Old City of Dubrovnik
The walled Old City of Dubrovnik.

What group leaders say

“They’re big enough to handle any problem that arises, and small enough to craft truly unique experiences.”

Chris StefanickChris Stefanick
Founder & President of Real Life Catholic
Before you ask

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the best time to travel to Italy and Medjugorje?

Groups travel from April through to late October. May, June, September and early October give the mildest weather across Italy and Herzegovina alike. July and August are hot in Rome and Puglia, and the Medjugorje Youth Festival at the start of August fills the village. Day 3 must fall on a Wednesday for the Papal Audience, which narrows the possible departure dates, so we confirm the calendar with every group before booking.

How physically demanding is this pilgrimage?

Moderate. Most days involve two to four hours on your feet, with walking on uneven ground, ancient stone, and steps at archaeological sites. Pilgrims who can manage a full day of sightseeing at their own pace do well. If anyone in your group has mobility limitations, tell us early and we will adapt the days around them. What activity level means.

What is generally not included?

Travel insurance, lunches, drinks beyond those served with included meals, personal expenses, and gratuities for your tour manager and driver. Any of these can be built into your package on request, so tell us what you would like covered and we will arrange it. Passports and visa fees are the one exception and remain the responsibility of each pilgrim.

Do I need a passport or visa for Italy and Bosnia?

A United States passport valid for at least three months beyond your return date is required, and no visa is needed for stays under ninety days. Italy and Croatia are in the Schengen Area; Bosnia and Herzegovina is not, so the coach crosses a staffed border between Dubrovnik and Medjugorje in both directions. Carry your passport on those days.

Can our priest celebrate Mass at the churches?

Yes. Daily Mass is built into the itinerary, and we arrange times and locations in advance with each church. Your priest should travel with a celebret or letter of good standing from his bishop or superior. We handle the scheduling.

How many pilgrims do you need for a group?

Most of our groups are between 20 and 50 pilgrims, and we can arrange smaller tours as well. We have also organized pilgrimages for groups as large as 2,500, so whatever size your group turns out to be, we can build for it. Minimum group size for a group flight.

Enquire

Interested in Leading a Pilgrimage to Croatia & Bosnia?

A pilgrimage consultant replies within one business day. No deposit or commitment.

    Your Information

    Your Group

    First time? You are in good company. Many of our group leaders start right here, and we guide you through every step.

    Where You Would Like to Go

    Destinations of interest (check all that apply)

    These are some of our most popular destinations, but we build CUSTOM ITINERARIES anywhere in the world. If you do not see your destination, tell us below.

    Italy, Rome and AssisiFrance, Lourdes and ParisPortugal and FátimaSpain and the Camino de SantiagoPortugal, Spain and France togetherGreece and TurkeyThe Holy LandEgypt and Mount SinaiPoland, Prague and Central EuropeMedjugorje and the BalkansIreland and the United KingdomMexico and Our Lady of GuadalupeArgentinaPeruJapan, Nagasaki and AkitaUnited States and Canada shrinesA pilgrimage cruiseSomewhere else, or not sure yet

    When

    Group Size and Budget

    Complimentary places are arranged based on the size of your group. Let us know how many you expect so we can request them from our suppliers from the start.

    A Few Last Details

    Would you like sample itineraries emailed to you?

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