Pilgrimages
Day 1 – Departure
Depart for Lisbon, Portugal. Please be at the airport at least three hours prior to departure. Dinner and breakfast served on board.
Day 2 – Lisbon - Santarem – Fátima
Upon arrival, we will be met and transferred to Fátima. En route we will stop in Santarem where the “miracle of the Bleeding Heart” will be viewed. Afterwards, continue on to Fátima for lunch. The remainder of the day is at leisure to rest and to visit the shrine on our own. We will celebrate the Eucharist. Dinner and overnight.
Day 3 – Fátima
Breakfast. Some of the highlights of today’s visit will include the Capelinha (chapel of the Apparitions) and the Basilica, which contains the tombs of Jacinta, Francisco, and Sister Lucia. We will also visit the village of Aljustrel where the three children who witnessed the apparitions of the Blessed Mother were born. A visit to Valinhos, where Our Lady appeared in 1917, and the parish church where the children were baptized will also be included. After mass we will have lunch. In the evening, we will participate in the candlelight procession and evening rosary. Dinner and overnight.
Day 4 – Fátima – Pontevedra – Santiago de Compostela
After mass, we have breakfast and depart for Pontevedra, Spain for lunch. Afterwards, continue on to the city of Saint James the Apostle – Santiago de Compostela. In the evening we will have a walking tour of this medieval city. Dinner and overnight.
Day 5 – El Camino de Santiago – The Way of Saint James
Breakfast. After mass we will tour the Cathedral of Saint James with its relics of the apostle. The afternoon is free to explore this enchanting city on our own. Dinner and overnight.
Day 6 – Santiago – Braga – Lisbon
After mass and breakfast we head on to Braga, Portugal to visit the Holy Mountain of Sameiro, a very important Marian shrine. Also, visit Bom Jesus do Monte a sanctuary dedicated to the Good Jesus of the Mountain. After lunch, we continue on to Lisbon for dinner and overnight.
Day 7 – Lisbon
Breakfast. Morning city tour seeing St. George’s castle, the Cathedral, Rossio Square, the Alfama, the Bélem Tower, Jerónimo’s Monastery, the Tagus River, and much more. After lunch, the afternoon is free for shopping. In the evening, we will have mass followed by dinner and overnight.
Day 8 – Departure
Breakfast. Transfer to the airport for return.
Your Pilgrimage Includes:
- Round trip airfare from Newark to Lisbon via TAP Portugal Airlines
- Arrival and departure transfers in Lisbon
- Private transportation in Spain and Portugal via deluxe air-conditioned motor coach
- Six nights first class four star hotel accommodations based on double room occupancy
- Six breakfasts. Six lunches, and six dinners
- Daily Mass
- Visits as per itinerary
- Escorted by Lou and Grisell Dinnella
- Father Jonathan Pérez as our spiritual director
- All taxes and service charges
Price: $2,989 per person
There is no triple reduction and triples usually mean a cot is added to a double room. Quads are not available. No senior or children discount. The single supplement is $300 per person.
Santarém – Fátima – Santiago de Compostela – Covadonga- León – Burgos – Lourdes - Barcelona
Day 1 – Departure
Evening departure for Lisbon. Dinner and breakfast served on board.
Day 2 – Santarém - Fátima
Arrive Lisbon, you are met by a Bravo rep and transferred to Santarém – the site of a Eucharistic miracle. After a visit to the church, continue to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fátima. Lunch. Evening Eucharist. Dinner and lodging in Fátima.
Day 3 – Fátima
Breakfast. Morning visit to the Shrine and local areas where the children lived. Lunch. Evening Eucharist. Dinner and lodging.
Day 4 – Fátima – Santiago de Compostela
Breakfast. Depart for the city of Saint James – Santiago de Compostela. Lunch en route. Evening Eucharist. Dinner and lodging.
Day 5 – Santiago de Compostela
Breakfast. Morning visit to the Cathedral followed by a walking tour of the old part of town. Lunch. Evening Eucharist. Dinner and lodging.
Day 6 – Santiago – Covadonga
Breakfast. Depart to the Sanctuary of Covadonga. This is a shrine, located in Asturias, Spain, dedicated to the Virgen Mary for aiding the Christian victory over the Moors in 722 A.D. – its grounds houses several iconic features one being a fountain that is popularly called “ the marriage fountain.” Legend has it that any young lady who drinks from this fountain will be married within the year. Lunch en route. Eucharist. Dinner and lodging.
Day 7 – Covadonga - León
Breakfast, then head for the city of León to visit one of the world’s best gothic cathedrals that dates-back to the 13th century. It is also known as the “ House of Light” since Is has about 125 stained glass windows. Lunch. Evening Eucharist. Dinner and lodging.
Day 8 – León – Burgos
Breakfast. Depart for the city of El Cid Campeador, one of Spain’s best-known folk-heroes. In Burgos visits will be made to the Monastery and the Cathedral.Eucharist. Lunch, Dinner and lodging.
Day 9 – Burgos – Lourdes
Breakfast. Then on to Lourdes, one of the most famous places where the Virgin Mary appeared and where its spring water has provided countless miracle cures. Eucharist. Lunch, Dinner and lodging.
Day 10 – Lourdes
Breakfast. Today you will have a full day to experience the spiritual elements of this shrine - you may bathe in its waters, do the stations of the cross, and join in the evening procession praying the rosary. Lunch, Dinner, and lodging.
Day 11 – Lourdes – Barcelona
Breakfast. Depart for Barcelona to see the famous work of Antoni Gaudí – la Sagrada Familia. Lunch, Dinner, and lodging.
Day 12 - Departure
Breakfast. Transfer to the airport for your return flight(s).
Day 1 - Departure
Evening departure for Malta. Dinner and breakfast served on board.
Day 2 – Malta
Upon arrival in Malta, you will pay a short visit to the Hagar Qim Temples, reputed to be the oldest structures in the world. You will then be transferred by private motor coach to the Hotel San Antonio, located at St. Paul’s Bay, just steps from the beach. After check-in and relaxation, you will visit the Sanctuary of Our Lady at Mellieha where an icon of the Virgin Mary, painted by the Evangelist St. Luke, is housed. After dinner at the popular Ghadira Bay, you will return to the hotel for lodging.
Day 3 – The Silent City, Rabat, Mosta and Festa
Breakfast. Morning visits to the fortified Silent City of Mdina and the town of Rabat where St. Paul lived during his sojourn in Malta and where the ancient Catacombs of St. Agatha are located. You will also see the Rotunda Church in Mosta (a miraculous event took place there during World War II). After an afternoon at the hotel to relax or go to the beach, you will head to a local town to see its Festa and hear local bands parading and enjoy the fireworks. Return to the hotel for lodging. ( Nights without festas are free).
Day 4 – Visits to the South of the Island
Breakfast. Today you will visit the Three Cities of Senglea, Cospiqua and Vittoriosa, and admire the Grand Harbor where the famous Great Siege took place in 1565. Holy Mass will be celebrated at one of the Forts that were built by the Knights of Malta. You will then head to the picturesque fishing village of Marsaxlokk and enjoy the hustle and bustle of the Sunday Market. Afternoon rest at hotel, beach time, or shopping. In the evening dinner and lodging.
Day 5 – Valletta – Capital City of Malta
Breakfast. Then, you will visit Valletta, the 2018 European Capital of Culture. A walking tour of the city - built by Grandmaster Jean de La Vallette in 1566 - will include a visit to the majestic Co-Cathedral of St. John, Patron Saint of the Knights of Malta and the Grandmaster’s Palace. In the afternoon, you will take an unforgettable boat-tour of the Grand Harbor and travel along the Maltese coast to St. Paul’s Bay. Return tour your hotel for dinner and lodging.
Day 6 – Malta – Rome
Breakfast. After Holy Mass at the Church of St. Paul (where the Apostle of the Gentiles was shipwrecked on his way to Rome), you will have time for souvenir shopping. Afterwards, you will head to the airport for a brief flight to Rome. Upon arrival in the Eternal City, you will be met and transferred to your hotel for dinner and lodging.
Day 7 – Rome – Vatican – Sistine Chapel
Breakfast. In the morning you will have a tour of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. In the afternoon, you will enjoy a panoramic tour of Rome. Dinner and lodging at your hotel.
Day 8 – Rome
Breakfast. Today your day will be completely free to relax, shop, or just seek out the charms of Rome. Lunch and dinner will be on your own. Lodging.
Day 9 – Catacombs - Assisi
Breakfast. In the morning, you will visit San Paolo alle Tre Fontane, the site where St. Paul was reputedly decapitated, as well as the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. In the afternoon, you will visit the Catacombs. Then, head for Assisi - the city of St. Francis - for dinner and lodging.
Day 10 – Assisi and Porzuincola
Breakfast. Morning Mass at the Basilica di San Francesco, walk the streets of the town of Saint Francis and visit the Basilica of Porzuincola, built on the site of site where St. Francis left this world. Dinner and lodging in Assisi.
Day 11 – Montepulciano – Siena
Breakfast. Today, you will cross into the Region of Tuscany and your first stop will be Montepulciano to visit the Benedictine Monastery near the picturesque town of Pienza. After lunch, hosted by the nuns, you will head to Siena, birthplace of the great Church reformer St. Catherine of Siena. After an evening walking tour of the Piazza del Campo (synonymous with the palio, the colorful horse-back races), you will have dinner and rest for the night.
Day 12 – Florence – Padua
Breakfast. After Mass at the Church of St. Catherine, you will head for Florence for a walking tour of the Renaissance City. Afterwards, on to the city of St. Anthony – Padua - for a walking tour and dinner and lodging.
Day 13 – Venice
After breakfast and Holy Mass at the Basilica of St. Anthony, you will head for Venice for a walking tour and ferryboat ride in the Canal. Return to Padua for dinner and overnight.
Day 14 – Departure
Breakfast. Transfer from Padua to Venice Airport for your return flight home.
For organizers wishing to just do The Saints of Italy, this program may be modified – Day 6 would be departure from the United States for Rome and Day 14 would be departure from Venice to the USA making this a 9 day/ 7 night Italy only program.