TRAVEL INFORMATION
Dates: May 12 – May 26, 2024
Trip cost: $5,800 per person
Price includes:
-Roundtrip airfare with Delta
-flights to and from Malta
-Airline taxes and airfare
-Accommodation in four-star hotels with daily breakfast and dinners
-Sightseeing in a motor coach
-Tour guides throughout the pilgrimage
-Entrance fees to sites and local taxes
NOT INCLUDED IN THE PRICE:
-Insurance
-Lunches
-Some dinners
-Personal items
-Tips to bus drivers and tour guides
Single Room Supplement: $899
NOTE: a $1500 non-refundable deposit will be due soon after registration to hold your spot. Look out for a phone call or an email that will be sent to you shortly after registration. This is nonrefundable.
TRIP ITINERARY
MAY 12 – DEPART FROM DETROIT IN THE AFTERNOON
MAY 13 – ARRIVE IN FLORENCE
–Check into hotel and settle in. Explore Florence and celebrate Mass.
MAY 14 – FLORENCE
–Celebrate Mass at the basilica of the Holy Cross and enjoy a walking tour of Florence to see the Duomo of Santa Maria del Fiore, Giotto’s bell tower, Brunelleschi’s Cupola. Free time in the evening.
MAY 15- FLORENCE / ASSISI
In the morning we will drive to Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis. We will begin by visiting the basilica and tomb of St. Clare. Afterwards we will visit the church of San Damiano, where Jesus had spoken to St. Francis. Afterwards we will visit the tomb of soon to be St. Carlo Acutis. We will end the day by exploring the basilica that houses the tomb of St. Francis, where we will celebrate Mass. Take the rest of the evening to explore Assisi.
MAY 16- ASSISI AND CASCIA
In the morning, we will drive to Cascia and visit the monastery of St. Rita. After praying at her tomb, we will celebrate Mass before driving to Roccaporena to see the village where she was born. Afterwards, we return to the hotel in Assisi.
MAY 17- Assisi / Sorrento
Following breakfast, we make our way to Sorrento. En route we will stop in Montecassino where the abbey of St. Benedict is built. Founded in 529, St. Benedict had chosen this mountain to build his monastery, and it is here that St. Benedict and St. Scholastica are buried. We will celebrate Mass and check into the hotel at Sorrento.
MAY 18 – COSTIERA AMALFITANA / SORRENTO
We make our way to the Amalfi coast where we will have free time to grab lunch. In the afternoon we will enjoy a tour of the Amalfi coast before celebrating Mass. Afterwards we will attend a limoncello and jam tastings. In the evening we return to the hotel in Sorrento.
MAY 19 – SORRENTO / ROME
Enjoy the morning in Sorrento before departing for Rome, where we will check in for the night to await our flight to Malta the next day.
MAY 20 – MALTA
In the morning we will depart from Rome and fly to Malta. Upon arrival, we will enjoy a guided tour of La Valletta. We will visit the church that commemorates the shipwreck of St. Paul and St John ‘s Cathedral, where we will celebrate Mass. The rest of the day is free to explore Malta.
MAY 21– MALTA
After breakfast we will enjoy a full day tour of Rabat and Mdina. In Rabat we will visit St Paul’s Grotto and St Paul’s Catacombs. We will then have free time in Rabat for lunch. Then we will continue to Mdina, the old city of Malta, to visit the bastions and St Paul’s Cathedral, where we will celebrate Mass. Return to the hotel for some relax and where we will enjoy a special Maltese dinner with Folk music and show.
MAY 22 – MALTA – ROME
We spend another day in Malta and prepare to fly back to Rome in the evening.
MAY 23 –BASILICAS / VATICAN MUSEUMS
Visit the four major basilicas of Rome: St. Mary Major, St. Paul outside the Walls, St. John Lateran, and St. Peter’s. We’ll go through the Jubilee Doors, which only open every 25 years when the Pope declares a Year of Jubilee. We’ll then make time to go to the Vatican Museum, one of the greatest collections in the world. Free evening.
MAY 24 – IMPERIAL ROME / BAROQUE SQUARE
We’ll visit the ruins of ancient Rome and visit the popular squares (‘Piazzas’) of Rome. Free evening.
MAY 25 – PAPAL BLESSING / SHOPPING
We’ll attend the Papal audience in the morning along with an organized tour in the afternoon. Free evening.
MAY 26 – RETURN TO USA