Parish Pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi

27 April to 4 May 2023  (8 days, 7 nights)

Below you can find details of the itinerary for the parish pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi. The booking form can be found in the PDF document by clicking the button below.

Rome Booking Form

Itinerary  

The  programme (subject to change) is as follows:  

  • Thu 27 Depart Manchester Airport (Terminal 2) on Jet2 Boeing 737 flight LS791 at 07.15 to  Rome. A meal is served in-flight. Arrival Rome Fiumicino Airport at 11.10 and onward   transfer by coach to the Hotel Lancelot. Lunch, Afternoon stroll to the Basilica of Saint  John Lateran (the cathedral church of Rome) for Mass. Late afternoon visit to the  Basilica of San Clemente (with its 1st and 4th century levels) nearby the hotel. Dinner.   Optional evening stroll around the Colosseum (built by the emperors Vespasian and his  son Titus from AD70).
  •  Fri 28  Morning transfer outside of the city walls to visit the Catacombs of San Callixtus for   a tour and Mass. Return to the hotel area where you will find many bars and cafes for  lunch. Early afternoon transfer to Saint Peter’s Basilica for a guided tour. The rest of   the afternoon is free to maybe take the lift up to the roof of St Peter’s and climb the 323  steps to the dome and/or explore the narrow shopping streets of the Borgo. Dinner.   Optional evening visit to the Trevi Fountain.
  •  Sat 29  Morning stroll over the Esquiline Hill to visit the Church of San Alfonso (with the icon  of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour) for Mass followed by a guided tour of the Basilica   of Saint Mary Major (where the Pope’s celebrated the first Mass of Christmas until   1870). Free afternoon for personal sightseeing when you may wish to visit the Vatican  Museums and Sistine Chapel and/or explore the area between the Pantheon and Spanish  Steps. Dinner. Optional evening stroll over the Coelian Hill to see St John & Paul’s   (facade from time of the English pope – Pope Adrian VI : 1154 to 1159 – and where St   Paul of the Cross is buried) and San Gregorio Magno al Celio (from where Augustine   was sent to England in 597).  
  •  Sun 30 Morning transfer for a walk through the Piazza Navona and Campo di Fiori to the Venerable English College (the oldest English and Welsh institution abroad founded   as a pilgrim hospice in 1362 – and where much later Fr David was a seminarian) for   Community Mass. Afterwards transfer to Saint Peter’s Square for the Pope’s Angelus   Blessing. Lunch. Afternoon visit to the Basilica of St Paul’s outside the Walls (with  its many English connections and also the mosaic portraits of the 266 Popes) and to join   the monks for vespers. Dinner.  
  •  Mon 01 Morning transfer to the Hotel La Rocca in Assisi. (A comfort stop will be made en-route   at a motorway service station). Lunch. Afternoon stroll around upper Assisi with visits to the Duomo di San Rufino (where nearby is the house where St Clare was born) to  St Anthony’s Convent (Sisters of the Atonement) for Mass. Dinner. Optional evening   stroll in the upper town below the castle.  
  •  Tue 02 Morning walk through the town to the Basilica of Saint Francis for Mass near to the tomb of the saint followed by a guided tour by one of the friars. The rest of the morning  is free to stroll back to the hotel for lunch. Afternoon visit by local bus to the Basilica  of Saint Mary of the Angels for a guided tour. Pizza supper and optional evening stroll  down to the main square.
  • Wed 03 Morning walk to visit the Basilica of Saint Clare (where the cross that spoke to Francisnow hangs) before a walk outside the town to the Convent of San Damiano (where thecross spoke to Francis and later St Clare lived) for Mass. Then by taxi up to the CarceriHermitage on Mount Subasio (where Francis went on retreat). to visit the Church atRivotorto (built over the place where Francis and his companions first tried to live).Return to Assisi. Free afternoon for personal sightseeing. Dinner.  
  • Thu 04 Early morning transfer to Rome Fiumicino Airport for the Jet2 Boeing 737 flight LS732  at 11.30 arriving Manchester Airport (Terminal 2) at 14.15. A meal is served in-flight.  

Accommodation 

Accommodation has been booked for four nights at the Hotel Lancelot (www.lancelothotel.com)  in central Rome, a hotel which has proved very popular with parish groups. This friendly family-  run, pleasant and secluded 3 star hotel provides accommodation in mainly double/twin-bedded  rooms with private facilities and air-conditioning. The hotel, situated on the Coelian Hill and near  to Church of San Clemente, is within easy walking distance of a great number of places of pilgrim  interest and only a short ride by metro, bus or taxi from others.  

In Assisi we stay at the Hotel La Rocca (see www.hotelarocca.it. This very popular, family-run,  simply furnished, but very clean two-star hotel, away from the crowds, is noted for its good simple  cooking. From the hotel’s terrace there is a beautiful view over the city walls and Umbrian  countryside to the east of Assisi. Accommodation will be either in the hotel (which only has a few  rooms) or in small adjacent annexes nearby. This is a typical Assisi custom which has helped to  stop the growth of large hotels which would otherwise spoil this small city. All rooms en-suite.   

Vatican Museums  

The Vatican is probably the world’s biggest museum with over 7 km of exhibits. Within the  complex, there are 12 separate museums (or departments), a couple of miles of galleries, two art  galleries, several papal apartments and the Sistine Chapel.   

It is possible to pre-book a 2 hour timed-entry private guided tour which takes in the  Pio-Clementino Museum (classical antiquity), the Gallery of the Candelabras, the Gallery of the  Tapestries and the Gallery of the Geographical Maps (Renaissance Art), the Raphael Rooms and  the Sistine Chapel. Afterwards you are free to enjoy the rest of the museum by yourself.   

Fitness   

Rome, a city built on seven hills, is best seen on foot so a reasonable level of fitness is required  for sightseeing. Assisi is one big hill! Also due to the number of steps in and around the major  attractions of Rome, this tour is unfortunately not suitable for those with walking difficulties.   

Cost

£1350 (double/twin), £1525 (single – 7 rooms), £1645 (single use of double room)  per person inclusive of:    

  • flight Manchester/Rome return
  • airport taxes and security charges
  • one piece of 23 kg hold luggage
  • one piece of hand luggage
  • reserved seating
  • (pre-bookable) in-flight meals
  • 4 nights at the Hotel Lancelot in Rome
  • Rome City tax (currently €4 pppn)
  • continental buffet breakfast in Rome
  • 3 nights at the Hotel La Rocca in Assisi
  • continental breakfast in Assisi
  • four lunches and seven dinners
  • wine and water with main meals
  • all transfers and excursions in Italy
  • entry/audio charges
  • Mass offerings
  • tips to coach drivers/guides   

The following item pre-bookable items are optional:

  • formal tour of the Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel (circa £50)

 The following items are not included:

  • travel insurance
  • UK airport transfers
  • three lunches
  • entry and transport in free time
  • any increases in/additional local taxes
  • personal expenditure.