11 Days Holy Land and Italy

Welcome to Rome, the Eternal City. Depending on the hour of arrival, we will have a short panoramic tour of the city on our way to the hotel, dinner at the hotel.

After breakfast we begin our morning with an audience with the Pope and celebrate Mass. In the afternoon we will visit the Basilica of St. Mary Major, which contains a relic from the manger. From here, we visit the Scala Sancta, the stairs Christ climbed to stand before Pontius Pilate. Those who wish may climb the stairs, as is the custom, on their knees. The Basilica of St. John Lateran, once the residence for popes, is a marvelous site, as is St. Paul Outside the Walls, which shelters the relics of St. Paul the Apostle.

After breakfast, we will visit the Basilica of St. Peter. We will have the opportunity to visit the Vatican Museums to see centuries of beautiful artwork and artifacts. See the artwork of Michelangelo such as the Pieta and the Sistine Chapel. We will explore St. Peter’s Basilica (built over St. Peter's tomb) in all of its splendor.

Napoli, a city in southern Italy, sits on the Bay of Napoli. Nearby is Mount Vesuvius, the still-active volcano that destroyed nearby Roman town Pompeii. The city's cathedral, the Duomo di San Gennaro, is filled with frescoes. Other major landmarks include the lavish Royal Palace and Castel Nuovo, a 13th-century castle. We then visit Pompeii, a vast archaeological site in southern Italy’s Campania region. Once a thriving and sophisticated Roman city, Pompeii was buried under meters of ash and pumice after the catastrophic vulcanic eruption. The preserved site features excavated ruins of streets and houses that visitors can freely explore.

Today we board our flight to the Holy Land. We arrive at Ben Gurion airport, greeted by our guide and head to our hotel in Tiberias or Nazareth.

Church of the Annunciation of San Jose or the sacred family, connect to Cana where married couples can renew their vows. We arrive at Mount of Beatitudes, Tabgha the place of the multiplication of the loaves and fish, the primado of St. Peter, Cafarnaum, travel by boat on the Sea of Galilee, exit towards Bethlehem. Dinner at hotel.

We make our way toward Jericho to see the city ruins that date back more than 10,000 years before Christ. Panoramic view towards The Mount of Temptation, then we will continue to the River Jordan where we can renew baptismal promises and continue onto the Shepards’ Field. In Bethlehem we will visit the Church of Nativity, the Church of St. Catherine and the grottos of St. Jerome. We will also take some time for shopping at a Christian cooperative to help the Christians in Bethlehem. Dinner at hotel.

We begin the day with a panoramic view towards the city of Jerusalem and we continue onto Getsemani to visit the Church of Agony and then continue toward the old city of Jerusalem. We will visit the pools of Bethesda, Flagellation where we will begin the tour of the Via Dolorosa, the arc de Ecce Homo arriving at the Holy Sepulchre.

After the Santo Sepulcro visit we make our way toward Mount Zion through the old city to visit the Upper Room, commemorating the Last Supper, the church of the Dormition of Our Lady, the traditional tomb of King David, visit to the Gallicantu, the house of Caiphas, and where Peter denied Jesus three times. Dinner at hotel.

We board our return flight home. This concludes our services, thank you for traveling with Holy Travel.