DAY 1 - DEPART USA Today, we depart from our home airport to connect with our overnight flight to Rome aboard a wide-bodied jet. We enjoy in-flight movies, dinner, and breakfast while aloft.

DAY 2 - ROME – This morning, upon arrival in Rome, we are greeted by our Unitours Tour Manager, who will be with us during our travels. We board our motor coach for a short drive to the Callixtus catacombs for our first Mass as pilgrims. Following Mass, we arrive at our hotel for our “welcome” dinner and overnight at our hotel.

DAY 3 - ROME/NAPLES/POMPEII - Today, we depart Rome for the coast and journey to where St. Alphonsus Liguori was inspired to start what would become the Redemptorist Order. Inspired by the poverty surrounding him in greater Naples, which at that time was one of the largest cities in all of Europe! We stop in the northern part of Naples to celebrate Mass at the catacombs of St. Gaudiosus. Following Mass, we break for lunch on our own in the area before continuing on to Pompeii, the famous city buried under the flow of molten lava from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD, as well as the nearby ruins of Herculaneum, also buried in the same eruption but discovered earlier and with more objects preserved than at Pompeii. We conclude our day at our hotel in Pompeii.

DAY 4 - POMPEII/PAGANI/AVELLINO/POMPEII - This morning, we travel to Pagani and the Shrine Basilica of St. Alphonsus Liguori. We celebrate Mass at the left side altar, where a wooden icon of St. Liguori rests in a glass case. Though the wooden sculpture looks remarkably like our Saint, it is just wood, and his true relics lay just below in a special silver reliquary. Following our Mass and our time viewing this beautify tribute to St. Liguori, we stop at the nearby museum, which marks when our saint lived and is filled with artifacts from his life. Following our visit, we stop for lunch on our own before continuing east to the Avellino area and the Shrine of the Basilica of St. Gerard Majella. Co-located with the Basilica of Santa Maria Mater Donini, the buildings stand as a stark contract to when they were built. Since the Shrine Basilica of St. Gerard had become so popular, the Redemptorists decided a bigger and more modern Basilica was warranted. The modern Basilica was completed in 1974 but a mere 6 years later an earthquake would destroy enough of the building to delay it’s reopening until the new millennium, 2000! Its altar contains the tomb of St. Majella, trusted companion to St. Liguori. His relics are held in a decorative reliquary below a stone statue of St. Gerard. We conclude our day back at our hotel in Pompeii, where we have the remainder of the afternoon to relax before our dinner and overnight at our hotel in Pompeii.

DAY 5 - POMPEII/SCALA/ROME Today, we begin our day with a stop at the magnificent Duomo of Scala and its many treasures as well as the adjacent Bishop’s palace. We celebrate Mass while there and following our visit stop at the Chiesa di San Giovani Battista or “Church of St. John the Baptist.” It is one of the oldest churches in the area and named after Scala’s patron saint. It was built in the very center of town in the early tenth century and is remarkably well maintained for a church built in medieval times. Its architecture is very reminiscent of that time. It boasts an impressive bell tower and well, which was the lifeblood of this town for centuries! We conclude our visit and head back to Rome, stopping for lunch on our own along our route. We arrive in Rome in time for dinner and overnight at our hotel.

DAY 6 - ROME -This morning, we make our way to St. Peter's for an audience with Pope Francis if he is in residence. This afternoon, we continue our tour with a visit to the Holy Stairs and Basilica of St. John Lateran. We then proceed to St. Paul’s Beyond the Walls. This huge, imposing Basilica, second only to St. Peter’s and one of the largest churches in the Christian world, contains an unusual gallery of papal portraits: 265 tablets portraying the popes of the past. We celebrate Mass while here and return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

DAY 7 - ROME  - Today, we tour the Basilica of St. Mary Major, also known as “Our Lady of the Snows” in memory of a Marian miracle in 352AD, where it snowed in August marking the spot to build the basilica. Following our visit, we arrive at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Perpetual Help or the Church of St. Alphonsus, as it is known locally. The Redemptorists are sole custodians of the miraculous 15th century Byzantine icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Succor, more commonly referred to as Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The icon is housed here and hangs directly above the main altar! We continue toward Vatican City, where we break for lunch on our own before our visit to the incredible Vatican Museum! Following our time at the museum, we conclude our day at our hotel in Rome, where we have time to relax before our dinner as tonight our dinner is on our own at one of the many noted restaurants near our hotel. Overnight at our hotel.

DAY 8 - ROME -FREE AFTERNOON  – This morning, our first stop will be the church of Santa Maria ai Monti or “Our Lady of the Hills.” This church is special for two reasons, one of which is that St. Liguori spent the spring of 1762 saying Mass at this very church! The second reason is that this church also marks the spot where an incredibly special icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary was miraculously discovered in a convent of the Sisters of Poor Clare. The church was commissioned in 1585 by the Pope Gregory XIII, specifically to house this special icon of Our Blessed Mother. The icon hangs directly above the main altar. This afternoon, following lunch on our own, is free for extra sightseeing, shopping or simply relaxing and take in Rome at a slower pace. Lunch is own our own and we conclude our day with our “farewell” dinner at our hotel at the end of the day. Overnight at our hotel.

DAY 9 - ROME/ RETURN TO US  - This morning, we make our way to the airport for our flight home, arriving later today with memories of a lifetime!