Pilgrimage with Family & Friends
Assisi, Orvieto & Rome

Day 1

We meet at Stansted Airport for our direct scheduled Ryanair flight to Rome. On arrival in Rome we are met by our tour manager and transfer to the 3* Hotel Villa Ricci for a two night stay on a half board basis.

Day 2

This morning we visit the Basilica di St Francis of Assisi where an included guided tour introduces us to wonderful frescoes by Giotto, Simone Martini and Lorenzetti. The basilica, which dominates Assisi, is one of the great Christian shrines and receives vast numbers of pilgrims every year. Our guided tour of Assisi this afternoon takes in sights such as Chiesa Nuova and Piazza del Comune. During our guided tour, we also visit the Basilica di Santa Chiara, the burial place of St Clare, Francis’s companion and the founder of the Poor Clares (an order of nuns).

Day 3

En route to our second hotel, we visit the charming Etruscan town of Orvieto. Gaining access into the town by cable car, we visit the stunning 13th century Duomo, among the greatest of all Italy’s Romanesque-Gothic cathedrals. The huge façade is adorned with frescoes by Lorenzo Maitani, and the cathedral was inspired by the Miracle of Bolsena in which real blood from a consecrated host supposedly fell on the altar cloth of a church in nearby Bolsena. We continue to and check in at the Palazzola Hotel on the outskirts of Rocca di Papa for a three night stay on a half board basis.

Day 4

Provided the Pope is in Rome, we take our seat for this morning’s Papal Audience. This is not a mass, but a series of readings and hymns by the Holy Father in various languages in the company of the cardinals. It ends with a prayer in Latin. We then visit the Catacombs of San Sebastiano. The Catacombs of San Sebastiano were used as a pagan burial place, and at the end of the 2nd century, they were transformed as a Christian Necropolis dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. Only in the 4th century did the catacombs take the current name which derives from the name of the Saint placed here after his death. NB: To enter the Papal Audience in the Square, people have to go through security first. We recommend that you arrive 3 hours early in order to get a good seat. Pictures are allowed to be taken. Religious articles will be blessed by the Pope during the Audience. It lasts about 1½ hours and includes prayers, singing, a brief homily, and blessings, all in different languages. Dress appropriately (no shorts or sleeveless shirts) and do not bring backpacks or knapsacks. If there is heavy rain and having the audience outside is not possible, the attendees are split into two groups, one group in the Audience Hall and one group in the Basilica.

Day 5

Today we visit the Vatican Museums. Home to the Sistine Chapel and the Raphael Rooms, as well as one of the world’s most important art collections, the Vatican Museums are housed in palaces originally built for Renaissance popes such as Julius II, Innocent VIII and Sixtus IV. During our visit we see the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo frescoed the ceiling for Pope Julius II between 1508 and 1512. The main panels, which chart the Creation of the World and Fall of Man, are surrounded by subjects from the Old and New Testaments. After a walk around St Peter’s Square with its 284 colonnades, we visit St Peter’s Basilica where you can see Michelangelo’s magnificent ‘Pieta’ and the splendid tombs of the Popes.

Day 6

After checking out of our hotel this morning and flight times permitting, we briefly visit the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. With its imposing structure, the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls is one of the four papal basilicas of Rome, the second largest basilica after St. Peter’s. According to tradition, the church lies on the site where the Apostle Paul was buried. We continue to the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome. Offering a confident blend of architectural styles from Early Christian to late Baroque, Santa Maria is also famous for ite superb mosaics. Founded in about AD 420, it retains the original colonnaded triple nave, lined with panels of rare 5th century mosaics. We continue to the Basilca di San Giovanni in Laterano, defined as the ‘mother of all churches in the world’. San Giovanni, the cathedral of Rome, was founded by Emperor Constantine in the early 4th century. It has been rebuilt several times, notably in 1646 when Borromini restyled the interior, but retains its original basilica form. Before the papacy moved to Avignon in 1309, the adjoining Lateran Palace was the official papal residence. We return to Rome Airport for our direct scheduled Ryanair flight back to Stansted.

We stay two nights at the 3* Hotel Villa Ricci (www.hotelvillaricci.it/en/) at Chianciano Terme, and a further three nights at the Palazzola Hotel (https://palazzola.net/) on the outskirts of Rocca di Papa. A set three course dinner without drinks is included in our hotel every evening.

Insurance (including Covid cover) £79

Single room supplement £99

Gratuities

Lunches

Local accommodation tax to be paid directly at the hotels

Donations at any churches or cathedrals visited

All excursions, entrance fees & guided tours included