14 nights / 15 Days
Including the Shroud of Turin and the Passion Play Rome, Assisi, Florence, Venice, Salzburg the Romantic Road, Cologne and Aachen
DAY 1: DEPART U.S.A.Depart this evening on an overnight flight to Rome.
DAY 2: ROME
Welcome to Italy. You arrive in the Eternal City and are greeted by your tour escort. After checking into the hotel, you are at leisure to relax and become acclimated to a new time zone. Welcome dinner in a Roman restaurant with wine. Overnight in Rome. (B.D.)
DAY 3 /4: ROME
Two days to see the highlights of Rome, including the Papal Audience (Wednesday only), visit to the Vatican Museum, the major Basilicas including St. Mary Major, St. Peter's, St. John the Lateran and the Holy Stairs, St Paul Outside the Walls and Holy Cross in Jerusalem. We also see the most important monuments of ancient Rome including the Coliseum, Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, Piazza Navone and more. Overnight Rome. (B.D.)
DAY 5: ROME-ASSISI - FLORENCE
Leave Rome after breakfast for a scenic trip to Assisi, the town of beloved St. Francis. You have a walking tour of Assisi including the Basilicas of St. Francis, and St. Clare, San Damiano and Santa Maria Degli Angeli in the valley. In the afternoon arrive in Florence. Overnight Florence. (B.D.)
DAY 6: FLORENCE
This morning explore the city considered by many to be the cultural heart of Italy. You visit some of the important sites of Florence, including the Duomo, the Baptistery designed by Giotto, and Santa Croce, the church where Dante, Michelangelo and Leonardo do Vince are buried. Also visit the Academia with its famous statue of David by Michelangelo. Overnight Florence. (B.D.)
DAY 7: FLORENCE - TURIN
Depart Florence through the Tuscan countryside of fertile plains, gentle, rolling hills and proud cypress trees. Overnight Turin. (B.D.)
DAY 8: TURIN
Today you have a city tour of Turin and view the replica of the Shroud of Turin and other exhibits associated with what many believe is the cloth used to bury Jesus Christ. We also visit the places associated with the life of Don Bosco. Overnight Turin. (B.D.)
DAY 9: PADUA -VENICE
Depart Turin for a stop in Padua to see the Basilica of St. Anthony with bronze works by Donatello. In the late afternoon settle into your hotel, near Venice, also known as the Queen of the Adriatic. Overnight in Venice area. (B.D.)
DAY 10: VENICE
Today enjoy a full day in Venice, including a walking tour of St. Mark's Cathedral and Square, the Doge's Palace, and the Bridge of Sighs. Afternoon at leisure. Overnight in Venice Area. (B.)
DAY 11: SALZBURG - OBERAMMERGAU
Today enjoy a tour of one of the prettiest cities in the Alps, where you see Mozart's house, the Fortress and have time to shop for the famous chocolates and other souvenirs. Late in the afternoon you arrive in Oberammergau, famous for its production of the Passion Play. Overnight in Oberammergau. (B.D.)
DAY 12: THE PASSION PLAY
The highlight of your trip, and for many an experience of a lifetime, will be today's Passion Play. Started 367 years ago, it is still an authentic portrayal depicting the last week of the life of Christ. The play takes place on an outdoor stage, and the actors are people from the village who have prepared for their roles for many years. The following Play will not take place again until 2020. Overnight in Oberammergau. (B.D.)
DAY 13: ROMANTIC ROAD - HEIDELBERG
Today you travel the famous Romantic Road, with its winding path through the valleys, villages and vineyards of southern Germany, it is considered one of the most beautiful routes in the world. In the afternoon you arrive in the charming University town of Heidelberg where we tour the ancient University town and have time for last minute shopping. Overnight Heidelberg area. (B.D.)
DAY 14: COLOGNE - AaCHEN
Cologne has been the center of influence since the Roman times. Its importance as a center of pilgrimage grew after its acquisition, in 1194, of the relics of the Three Magi, the wise men who brought gifts to the infant Jesus. For a time it was a pilgrimage destination second only to Rome. The relics still remain today in the Kolner Dom, the Gothic Cathedral worthy of the huge reliquary, worked in silver and gold in which the gifts were originally displayed. We have a city tour before departing for Aachen, one of Germany's most important shrines, as one of the chapels of the Cathedral built by Emperor Charlemagne has immeasurable treasures for the Christian World. You visit the Aachen Cathedral and the Gothic Marian Shrine which houses the swaddling clothes of Jesus, the loin cloth of the Lord, the cloth for John the Baptist's head and the Blessed Virgin's Cloak. Also in the Cathedral is a 14th century statue of the Virgin that is venerated as miraculous, the marble throne of Charlemagne, and a very rich treasury housing the gifts that 32 Holy Roman Emperors crowned here brought at their coronations. Overnight Frankfurt area. (B.D.)
DAY 15: RETURN TO U.S.A.
Following breakfast, depart for Frankfurt airport and your return flight to the USA. (B.)
YOUR COMPREHENSIVE TOUR INCLUDES:
- Roundtrip airfare JFK/Rome X Frankfurt/JFK
- Accommodations in three star hotels
- Transportation by private motorcoach
- English speaking tour escort
- Breakfast and dinner as per itinerary
- Comprehensive sightseeing
- Passion Play tickets
- Baggage handling of one suitcase per person
- Select International Portfolio
Call 1-800-842-4842 for dates and prices
SHROUD OF TURIN - Experience the thrill of viewing the replica of the original Holy Shroud, which is housed under tremendous security in Turin. Previously the original was exhibited during The Jubilee Year 2000, and next time the original will be seen is in 2020. However we can view the exact life-size replica of the triangular piece of Linen, which since the 14th century has been venerated as the burial cloth of Jesus Christ. The Shroud bears the imprint of the body of a man crucified in a way very similar to the biblical account of Jesus's crucifixion. The face and the body imprinted on the 14 and 1/2' cloth can be clearly discerned, at the last exhibition these were to crowds numbering hundreds of thousands. This is considered one of the holiest relics for Christians and numerous books, videos and scientific experiments have been published discussing the history and authenticity of the Holy Shroud. It is considered one of the most controversial, yet fascinating religious and historic artifacts.
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