Rome, Assisi & the Amalfi Coast
Rome, Vatican City, Assisi, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, & Monte Cassino
11 Days
ITINERARY
Day 1: Departure
Depart USA for Rome
Day 2: Assisi
Arrive in Rome and meet your Tour Director. Transfer to Assisi. In the afternoon take a guided tour of the town. After your walk, relax and enjoy a welcome dinner including drinks. (B, D)
Day 3: Assisi
Visit the Basilicas of St. Francis and St. Clare where you will celebrate Mass and see the crucifix that spoke to St Francis. A short trip by minibus will take you to the Carceri Hermitage, where St Francis came to meditate and pray, an oasis of peace and tranquility in the midst of the woods of Mount Subasio. The balance of the day is at leisure (B)
Day 4: Sorrento
Celebrate Mass this morning before heading South on the Highway of the Sun to famous Pompeii. Meet your local guide and start your highlight visit of this Roman city both destroyed and preserved by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. See a patrician home, public baths, and shops that give a striking picture of what day to day life was like in Rome at its apex of power. Next, drive to Sorrento and check in to your hotel for an evening at leisure. (B)
Day 5: Sorrento
Celebrate Mass this morning before speeding across the bay of Naples by Jetfoil to the Isle of Capri. Ride the funicolar to Capri village for a guided visit of this pretty town. Free time to explore the little shops on the Piazzetta before returning to Sorrento. This evening experience a wonderful hands-on cooking lesson with a warm family in their private villa! You will have a chance to visit the family’s wine cellar for a taste of the family’s home made wine! (B,D)
Day 6: Rome
Celebrate Mass this morning and spend a little free time in Sorrento prior to departure. Depart for Rome. Stop in Monte Cassino for an independent visit to the Abbey. In 529 St. Benedict chose this mountain to build his monastery. Every day thousands of pilgrims and visitors from all around the world come to this threshold and they silently go through the cloisters and then up the big ramp to the Basilica at Saint Benedict and Scholastica’s grave. Then the Crypt is there beneath to be revealed with the astonishing golden mosaics. Early dinner in a local restaurant in Cassino. After dinner proceed to Rome. (B, D)
Day 7: Rome
Visit St Paul Outside the Walls and the Catacombs today. During the persecution, the catacombs were used as places of refuge for the celebration of the Eucharist. Visit some of the most impressive basilicas and cathedrals in Rome starting with St john Lateran Cathedral. See the outside of the nearby Scala Santa, the steps that Jesus reportedly walked up on his way to trial before Pontius Pilat. According to Christian tradition, St Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, brought the staircase to Rome in ca. 236 AD. Lastly, visit the impressive St Mary Major Basilica. You will celebrate Mass in one the Basilicas. (B)
Day 8: Rome
Celebrate Mass at St. Peter’s today and then enjoy a guided visit of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, world famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings and the Last Judgment. Proceed to St. Peter’s Square and Basilica before crossing the Tiber River to visit the Colosseum, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, and the Roman Forum, where Roman legions marched in triumph. (B)
Day 9: Rome
This morning meet your local guide for a guided stroll through the historical center of Rome featuring the famous Piazza Navona and Trevi Fountain. After your walk, spend the afternoon at leisure or choose an optional excursion to Tivoli to visit the magnificent Villa D’Este with dinner at a local restaurant. (B)
Day 10: Rome
Attend the weekly general audience of the Pope (subject to availability). This afternoon, Scavi tour will be arranged (subject to availability). This evening enjoy a farewell dinner with wine in a local restaurant to celebrate your vacation. (B,D)
Day 11: Depart
Your tour ends this morning after breakfast with a group transfer to the airport for your home bound flight.(B)