St. Paul’s Episcopal Church YAC Pilgrimage to Italy

Youth Pilgrimage to Italy
In the Footsteps of St. Francis & St. Clare

Led by:

Kate Jenkins
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Richmond, VA

June 23 – July 3, 2014

DAY 1: Monday, June 23, 2014 - Depart the Richmond Airport for our flight on US Airways connecting in Charlotte.  There, we transfer to our trans-Atlantic flight on US Airways into Rome. Meals on board the aircraft. M

DAY 2: Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - We arrive at the Rome airport where we board our private motorcoach and depart Rome to travel north to Assisi.  Our home for the next 5 nights will be Assisi, birthplace of St. Francis and a city whose walls have hardly changed since the Middle Ages.  Overnight Casa del Terziario, Assisi. D

DAY 3: Wednesday, June 25, 2014 - A full day outside the walls exploring where St. Francis began his ministry.  This morning we will walk to the church of San Damiano, where St. Clare lived and where St. Francis received his vision to "rebuild the church."  Then on to Santa Maria degli Angeli, the baroque church which was built over the Porziuncola, the little chapel restored by St. Francis.  It is here in a spartan cell that St. Francis died.  We will also visit Eremo Delle Carceri, a monastery in the dense woodlands on the side of Monte Subasio.  It was here on the slope of the mountain, in caves, where Francis and his followers established their first home and to which he returned often during his lifetime to pray and meditate.  Overnight Casa del Terziario, Assisi. BLD

DAY 4: Thursday, June 26, 2014 - Today we will enjoy a full day excursion to Florence.  We will visit the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore with its magnificent dome, Bell Tower and Baptistery.  The Baptistery has golden doors designed by Ghiberti representing scenes from the Life and Passion of Christ.  We visit the Museum of the Duomo to see Donatello's sculpture of Magdalene and then visit the Accademia and see Michelangelo's famous statue of David.  We will have some time this afternoon to explore Florence prior to dinner and then we will return to Casa del Terziario, Assisi for overnight. BLD

DAY 5: Friday, June 27, 2014 - Morning prayer in Assisi followed by a visit to Loreto, a lovely town and one of Italy’s leading pilgrimage sites, where tradition says angels moved the house that had been the Holy Family’s home in Nazaerth to Loreto.  We visit the Shrine of the Holy House, an extremely popular pilgrimage site in Italy and, by the 16th century, it was receiving pilgrims from all over Europe.  Pilgrims will kneel to make their way around the shrine and millions who have done this devotional act have worn two shallow troughs with their knees in the hard stone.  We continue on to the Adriatic Sea where will have some time to walk, reflect and stick our toes in the sea.  We return to Casa del Terziario, Assisi for dinner and overnight. BLD

DAY 6: Saturday, June 28, 2014 - This morning enjoy the half-hour walk to Cannara. Outside the town are the fields of Pian d'Arca which legend identifies as the site of St. Francis' sermon to the birds.  We will visit the church of Santa Chiara, dedicated to St. Clare, who was one of the earliest and most fervent of Francis' followers.  We will see the Cappella del Croscifissco, the cross that spoke to St. Francis and led him to a life of piety.  Now we will return to Assisi to visit the Basilica di San Francesco which contains one of the most imposing series of frescoes, 28 scenes from the life of St. Francis, by Giotto, and the crypt where the remains of St. Francis rest.  The remainder of the day we will be free to explore Assisi on our own.  Overnight Casa del Terziario, Assisi. BLD

DAY 7: Sunday, June 29, 2014 - This morning we begin our journey toward Rome as Francis did in the spring of 1209.  We will travel along the "Highway of the Sun" and visit Greccio to see the Greccio Monastery.  It is here that St. Francis celebrated Christmas in 1223 by placing a manger and live animals before the altar which started the custom of making creches or manger scenes at Christmas.  We will see the Chapel of the Crib and continue on to Rome.  We will then enjoy a panoramic tour of Rome with a visit to the Coliseum prior to arriving at our hotel for overnight.  Time permitting we will visit the church of St. John the Lateran.  Overnight Casa Tra Noi, Rome. BD

DAY 8: Monday, June 30, 2014 - This morning we will tour the Vatican State, an entire European state comprising only 109 acres, ruled by the Pope, and having its own postage stamps, coinage, anthem and flag.  Within the boundaries of the Vatican stands St. Peter's Basilica, built on the site where St. Peter was buried after he had been martyred in Nero's Circus.  The first chapel on the right as you enter St. Peter's contains the Pieta', the moving and powerful masterpiece carved by Michelangelo.  We will tour the Sistine Chapel and marvel at the beauty created by Michelangelo on its ceiling.  We continue on to the Pantheon, a magnificent ancient temple dating from 125 AD, it is the most complete ancient building in Rome and was studied by Michelangelo before starting his work on the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica.  Overnight Casa Tra Noi, Rome. BD

DAY 9: Tuesday, July 1, 2014 - This morning we will visit St. Paul's Inside the Walls, an Anglican church within the walls of ancient Rome.  We will spend some time with the refugees at the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center, a ministry of St. Paul's. We continue on to the Catacombs, the burial site of thousands of Roman Christians.  (Pending confirmation, we will celebrate Eucharist in the Catacombs.)  Time permitting we will have some free time to explore on our own in small groups with a chaperone.  We will end the day with a "Pizza making" dinner in a local restaurant.  Overnight Casa Tra Noi, Rome. BD

DAY 10: Wednesday, July 2, 2014 - This morning we will walk to St. Peter’s Square for the Papal Blessing (pending the Pope's schedule).  The rest of the day we will be free to explore on our own in small groups with a chaperone.  Dinner and overnight Casa Tra Noi, Rome. BD

DAY 11: Thursday, July 3, 2014 - After breakfast we depart for the Rome Airport where we board our US Airways flight to Charlotte.  There, we transfer to our flight back to Richmond. BM

$3,809.00.*  Price is based without airline taxes and fuel surcharges.  Roundtrip air from Richmond, VA Airport on US Airways.  Air transportation available from other cities.  * Air taxes and fuel as of February 19, 2014: $636.44 per pilgrim (not included in the cost of the pilgrimage and is subject to change until the tickets are issued).

** The price is not guaranteed and may change due to the fluctuation of the Euro and the US dollar.  We make every effort to avoid any increase and will only do so if the value of the dollar falls against the Euro.  Your pricing was based on the exchange rate of $1.36 to the Euro. **

*Price DOES include trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance.

Deposit due with registration and copy of passport.

Final payment due March 23, 2014

Cancellation Penalties
◊ Until March 23, 2014:  $150.00 plus any unrecoverable fees.
◊ March 24 – May 7, 2014:  $250.00 plus any unrecoverable fees.
◊ May 8, 2014 or later:  NO REFUND

Meals: B Breakfast, L Lunch, D Dinner, M Meals on Aircraft

The itinerary is subject to change due to local conditions or at the discretion and direction of the leader or guide.