Italy Pilgrimage with Fr. Williams Abba

Arrival in Italy & Sorrento

Upon arrival in Italy, our local professional tour escort will greet us and accompany us by motorcoach to Sorrento, with its sweeping views over the Bay of Naples and its picturesque streets, parks, and citrus groves. After check-in, we gather this evening for a welcome dinner to begin our pilgrimage together.

Sorrento & the Isle of Capri

This morning we visit Sorrento Cathedral, dedicated to Saints Philip and James and seat of the Archdiocese of Sorrento-Castellammare di Stabia since the 13th century, when Cardinal Pietro Capuano enriched the church with relics of the two apostles; its interior is adorned with fine inlaid marquetry, a craft for which Sorrento has long been renowned. We celebrate Mass at St. Francis Church before boarding a high-speed ferry across the Bay of Naples to the island of Capri, famed for its rugged cliffs and the luminous waters of the Blue Grotto. The day is free to explore Capri at leisure: shop along the fashionable Via Camerelle and the Piazzetta, or walk out to view the towering Faraglioni sea stacks rising from the water. We return by ferry to Sorrento this evening.

The Amalfi Coast

Today we travel along the Amalfi Coast, one of the most celebrated coastlines in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, following its winding cliffside road with a stop to admire the panoramic view of Positano. We continue to Amalfi, one of Italy’s four historic maritime republics, to visit its cathedral dedicated to the Apostle St. Andrew, whose relics were brought here from Constantinople in 1208 and are venerated in the crypt, and we celebrate Mass here. After free time for lunch, we conclude in Ravello, where we visit the town’s Duomo, home to a relic of its patron, St. Pantaleone, said to liquefy each year on his feast day, and the gardens of Villa Rufolo, with sweeping views over the Gulf of Salerno. Return to Sorrento for dinner and overnight.

Pompeii, Montecassino & Rome

After breakfast we depart Sorrento for Pompeii, the ancient Roman city buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, to explore its remarkably preserved ruins. We visit the Pontifical Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompei, founded by St. Bartolo Longo, where we celebrate Mass and venerate the shrine’s beloved image of Our Lady presenting the Rosary to St. Dominic and St. Catherine of Siena. We continue north to Montecassino to visit the Benedictine Abbey, the original home of the Benedictine Order, founded by St. Benedict in 529, before traveling on to Rome, the Eternal City, for check-in.

St. John Lateran & the Holy Stairs

This morning we visit the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral church of Rome and the mother church of the Catholic world, where we celebrate Mass, followed by the Holy Stairs (Scala Sancta), traditionally believed to be the very steps Christ climbed at His Passion, which pilgrims ascend on their knees in prayer. The afternoon is free to explore Rome at leisure, perhaps the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, or Piazza Navona.

St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican Museums & the Appian Way

This morning we celebrate Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, built on the site of St. Peter the Apostle’s martyrdom, where we view Michelangelo’s Pieta and pray at the tombs of St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. We continue to the Vatican Museums, home to the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel. After lunch, we travel along the Appian Way, one of ancient Rome’s earliest roads, to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, built over the tomb of St. Paul the Apostle, and descend into the Roman Catacombs, the underground burial places of the early Christians.

Papal Audience, St. Mary Major & Assisi

This morning we attend the Papal Audience in St. Peter’s Square or the Paul VI Audience Hall, joining pilgrims from around the world as the Holy Father delivers his weekly catechesis and blessing. After free time for lunch on our own, we visit the Basilica of St. Mary Major, dedicated to Our Lady, where we celebrate Mass. We then travel north through the Umbrian countryside to Assisi, hometown of St. Francis and St. Clare.

The General Papal Audience is held on Wednesdays when the Holy Father is in Rome; the Vatican confirms its schedule a few weeks ahead.

Assisi, St. Francis, St. Clare & St. Carlo Acutis

This morning we tour the Basilica of St. Francis, where we celebrate Mass, visit his tomb, and view a series of frescoes depicting his life along with a selection of his personal possessions. We continue to the Santuario della Spogliazione, where we pray at the tomb of St. Carlo Acutis, the first millennial declared a saint, who was known for his great love of the Eucharist and died of leukemia at age fifteen. We continue on foot through the picturesque streets of Assisi to the church honoring St. Clare, foundress of the Order of Poor Clares, who followed St. Francis’s teachings closely through a life of poverty and humility; tradition holds that in 1240, when Saracen soldiers threatened her convent, St. Clare, though gravely ill, held the Blessed Sacrament before them in prayer, and the attackers fled. After free time for prayer, shopping, or lunch, we travel outside the walls of Assisi to the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, built around two sites central to St. Francis’s life: the Porziuncola, where he founded the Order of Friars Minor, and the Cappella del Transito, where he died. We also visit the Rose Garden, where St. Francis and his friars once lived, and the cave where he retired to pray.

Siena & Florence

We depart Assisi this morning for the Tuscan city of Siena, birthplace of St. Catherine of Siena, Doctor of the Church and Patroness of Italy, and of St. Bernardine of Siena, known as the Apostle of Italy for his preaching across the country in the fifteenth century. We visit the Basilica of St. Catherine, also known as the Basilica of San Domenico, where the saint spent a large part of her life; we celebrate Mass here and view her incorrupt head. We continue to the Shrine of St. Catherine, built at the site of her family home, before a walking tour through Siena that passes the city’s Cathedral, the Duomo di Siena, seen from the outside, concluding at the Piazza del Campo, one of Italy’s finest squares, with free time for lunch and leisure. We continue to Florence, cradle of the Renaissance.

Highlights of Florence & Padua

This morning we enjoy a guided tour of Florence, beginning at the Accademia Gallery to view Michelangelo’s David before continuing to the Piazza del Duomo, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, crowned by Brunelleschi’s celebrated dome, and Giotto’s Bell Tower. From the piazza we view the Baptistery of St. John, Florence’s oldest sacred building, from the outside and admire Ghiberti’s bronze doors known as the Gates of Paradise, whose panels depict scenes from Genesis to the life of Solomon. We celebrate Mass at the Basilica of Santa Croce, resting place of Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli, and home to relics of the True Cross. This afternoon we travel north to Padua.

Padua & Highlights of Venice

This morning we visit the Pontifical Basilica of St. Anthony, resting place of the beloved Franciscan preacher and Doctor of the Church, and venerate his relics in the Chapel of the Relics, including his incorrupt tongue and jaw, instruments of the eloquent preaching for which he is remembered. We celebrate Mass here before continuing to Venice, where we board a vaporetto to explore the floating city and its bustling hub, Piazza San Marco. We tour the Basilica of San Marco, its Byzantine domes and golden mosaics a testament to centuries of Venetian devotion. This evening we gather in Venice for our farewell dinner, with traditional Italian music, before returning to Padua.

Venice, Return Home

With hearts renewed by the grace of pilgrimage and the intercession of the Apostles Peter and Paul, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Anthony of Padua, we transfer to Venice Marco Polo Airport for our return flight home.