DETAILED ITINERARY
DAY 1: Wednesday 9th September
Early morning departure from Dublin Airport aboard the Aer Lingus flight scheduled for 06:15 hrs.
You will be landing in Naples at approximately 10:40hrs, where we will be met by our Joe Walsh Tours representative. After collecting our luggage from the carousel, we will travel by private coach to San Giovanni Rotondo.
During our transfer, we will have ample opportunities to enjoy scenic views of the beautiful Italian countryside, as well as hearing some inspirational words of the early years of
Francesco Forgione (the future Padre Pio).
We will stop en-route for some snacks/sandwiches (at your own expense) at a service station before visiting to Pietrelcina where we will walk in the footsteps of Padre Pio in his quaint little town. We will learn about his dream of becoming “a monk with a beard” and visit the family home where Padre Pio was born and the Church of Sant’Anna where he was baptised.
Mass will be celebrated in Pietrelcina. Afterwards, we will continue our drive to San Giovanni Rotondo where we will check in at Hotel Parco delle Rose, our accommodation for the next two nights.
DAY 2: Thursday 10th September
This morning after a good sleep and a full breakfast we will be spending a full day in San Giovanni.
Mass will be celebrated in the crypt, followed by the visit of the English office where we hear about the extraordinary life of Padre Pio and the Capuchin Friary, the cell where Saint Pio lived and died and the crucifix before which he received the stigmata.
One of the most beautiful shrines to see in San Giovanni Rotondo, the Old Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie or Our Lady of Grace. Plenty of time too for prayers and personal time at St Pio’s tomb.
Back to the hotel for lunch.
In the afternoon we will pay a visit the hospital “Home for Relief of the Suffering”, which now welcomes many patients, being one of the best health care centres in Italy.
Back to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 3: Friday 11th September
After an early breakfast and check out we will travel to Lanciano before arriving to Assisi.
In the 8th Century, a Church in Lanciano was the location for the first and greatest Eucharistic miracle of the Catholic Church. Mass will be celebrated in the Chiesa del Miracolo and we will have time to visit the medieval centre and the ancient sites.
Lunch before continuing our journey to Assisi. Time to check in the Casa Papa Giovanni, a guesthouse run by the Franciscans, set within the walls of Assisi where we will be spending the next 3 nights on a Half Board basis.
DAY 4: Saturday 12th September
After breakfast, we begin our day with a walk and visit to the Basilica of St. Clare, the foundress of the Order of the Poor Clares and devoted follower of St. Francis who embraced his ideals by living a life of poverty and humility.
Time for lunch and snacks before continuing our day with the visit of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, where the remains of Blessed Carlo Acutis are housed.
Mass will be celebrated there. Back to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 5: Sunday 13th September
After a good breakfast we will be picked up from the hotel to discover Lower Assisi.
The Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli built in the 16th century, where the Porziuncola, the cradle of the Franciscan Order is, and where the original community of brothers made their home is enshrined also, his cell, the famous rose garden and place where St. Francis departed this life. Mass will be celebrated in the Basilica.
Our coach will bring us back to Upper Assisi, where we’ll have a break for lunch.
In the afternoon we will visit the awe-inspiring 13th century Basilica of St. Francis and his tomb, the town’s most important sanctuary.
Free time for the rest of the day dedicated to shopping, or simply strolling through the cobbled streets of this beautiful medieval town, where it often feels as though time has stood still.
Time to walk back to Casa Papa Giovanni for dinner and our last night.
DAY 6: Monday 14th September
After a good breakfast and an early check out we will be traveling to Rome for our flight back to Dublin departing at approximately 11:15am.
