DAY 1: Monday 20th May
Early departure from Dublin Airport, at approximately 05:45 hrs. We will be arriving in Rome at 09:50 am with the full day ahead of us. Our Joe Walsh Tours representative will meet us on arrival.
We will then be transferred by private coach to Santa Maria Maggiore for lunch (at your own expenses) in one of the many local cafes’, or Bistrot’s, suggested from our experienced tour guide.
After lunch, we will have a walking tour of the area and Mass before heading to the Hotel Cardinal St Peter, situated between the green of Villa Doria Pamphili, only a few minutes from the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica, where we will be staying for the next 4 nights on a Half Board basis. Time to check in, dinner and overnight.
DAY 2: Tuesday 21st May
Today after breakfast we will be picked up from the hotel and start our walking tour of Rome main sites. We will be visiting, (from the outside), and walking around the most famous amphitheatre of Rome, the Colosseum, we will be learning about the Roman Forums, Piazza Venezia, and we will be admiring the iconic Trevi Fountain, followed by the former Roman temple “Pantheon” and Piazza Navona, one of the most beautiful squares in Rome.
Time for Mass and to head back to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 3: Wednesday 22nd May
After breakfast today we will spend the morning participating at the Papal Audience. Pilgrims and visitors will have the chance to see the Pope and receive the Papal blessings or Apostolic blessings from the successor of the Apostle Peter during their visit. The Audience with the Pope consists of small teachings and readings mainly in Italian but also in English.
Our day will follow with lunch and the visits of two of the major Papal basilicas: the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls and St John in the Lateran.
Back to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 4: Thursday 23rd May
Today after breakfast will have a full morning with a guided tour of St Peter Basilica and Square and the chance to visit the Vatican Museums (optional and tickets to be booked individually).
The Basilica is one of the holiest sites of Christianity and Catholic Tradition, it is traditionally the burial site of its titular, St. Peter, who was the head of the twelve Apostles of Jesus and, according to tradition, the first Bishop of Antioch and later the first Bishop of Rome, rendering him the first Pope.
Time for lunch and free afternoon for shopping.
Mass and dinner back in the hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 5: Friday 24th May
After a good breakfast we will have the free day before being picked up from the Hotel around 16:30hrs to go back to the airport for our evening flight back to Dublin.
