Parent Of Aquinas Silver Jubilee Trip October 27-31, 2017

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Itinerary

DAY 1: Friday 27th October – ARRIVAL

Our direct flight to Rome departs Dublin at 3.45pm. Arrival and transfer to our hotel located near the Vatican. Check-in. Close by is Piazza Risorgimento, an area with many restaurants. Your courier will be available to give advice on good places to eat in the locality.

Day 2: Saturday – ST PETER’S, COLOSSEUM, MICHELANGELO’S MOSES, NIGHT TOUR, FORUM

After breakfast gather at hotel entrance. Short walk to St Peter’s where we have a tour, including the tombs of St Peter, St John Paul II and St John XXIII. We will see Michelangelo’s Pieta and admire the great dome. Return to area of hotel for lunch. Some free time for rest or shopping. Our hotel is on the corner of Via Cola di Rienzo, one of Rome’s best shopping streets. At 3.00pm, gather at the hotel for a visit to the Colosseum (tour from the outside). This amphitheatre is the symbol of Rome. Many Christians were martyred in the arena. We will call to the nearby church of St Peter in Chains which contains one of the most striking works of art in the city – Michelangelo’s Moses.  Later we will go by coach to a restaurant for dinner with music, followed by a coach tour by night. The tour will take in the Circus Maximus, Baths of Caracalla, Victor Emmanuel Monument and much more. During the tour we will disembark and view the Forum from Capitol Hill.

Day 3: Sunday – SANTO SPIRITO, POPE FRANCIS, TREVI, SPANISH STEPS, ST MARY MAJOR.

After breakfast we will celebrate Mass in the Church of Santo Spirito, one of the most historic and beautiful churches in the area of the Vatican. In the adjoining hospital, many of the group of the Irish Earls died (some are buried in unmarked tombs under the floor of the church). Then we will attend the Angelus with Pope Francis in St Peter’s Square (depends on his health and schedule and cannot be guaranteed). Continue to the Trevi Fountain, a great area for shopping and lunch. We will visit the Spanish Steps, located in front of the Spanish Embassy. Some free time for rest at the hotel. At 4pm we will have a tour of St Mary Major Basilica, the most important Marian church in the city. Here there are beautiful mosaics, an important icon of Our Lady and a portion of the crib of Bethlehem. Return to hotel. Free evening.

Day 4: Monday – TRIP TO MONTECASSINO AND ROCCASECCA, PIAZZA NAVONA, PANTHEON

After breakfast we will depart for the birthplace of Thomas Aquinas at Roccasecca. We will visit the chapel marking the place where St Thomas was born. This was the first chapel in the world dedicated to the saint. Lunch (included) in a restaurant that was once part of the castle complex and has beautiful views over the plain.  Continue to the Abbey of St Benedict at Montecassino, the cradle of Western Monasticism. Situated on a hilltop that dominates the entire Liri Valley, the Abbey was destroyed by Allied bombs in the Second World War but rebuilt according to its original design. We will visit the tomb of Saint Benedict, Patron of Europe, and admire the Abbey’s many cloisters. Return to Rome by about 5pm. Free time for dinner. After dinner there will be a walk to Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, an area with baroque fountains and churches and a lovely atmosphere in the evening.

Day 5: Tuesday – IRISH COLLEGE, JOHN LATERAN, ST PAUL’S, CASTELGANDOLFO, DEPARTURE

Check out after breakfast. Visit St John Lateran, the Cathedral of Rome and Mother Church of the world. We will call to the Irish College nearby, where Irish priests have been trained since the 1600s. Continue to St Paul’s Outside the Walls and visit the tomb of St Paul. Free time for lunch in the Basilica café. Continue to Castelgandolfo/Lake Albano. Free time for shopping. Transfer to airport for 6pm check-in for flight to Dublin.