Proposed Pilgrimage Itinerary *



Day 1 - Pietrelcina
Our morning departure from Dublin will take us to Naples airport where we will be met by our Marian Pilgrimages representative who will remain with us for the duration of our pilgrimage. As we drive towards Pietrelcina, birthplace of Padre Pio, our guide will recount to us the significant events that took place during Padre Pio's years in his native town, his desire to join the Capuchin Order and of those who guided him on the path to his ordination to the priesthood.

After lunch in a local restaurant our guide will take us through the town of Pietrelcina, visiting the Forgione family home where Padre Pio was born, the Church of Sant Anna where he was baptised and the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, where he celebrated his first Mass. We will celebrate the opening Mass of our pilgrimage in the Church of the Holy Family and visit nearby Piana Romana, where Padre Pio received the first signs of the stigmata before driving to our destination of San Giovanni Rotondo, home to Padre Pio for over fifty years. After checking into our hotel, we will have time for relax before dinner.




Day 2 - Monte Sant Angelo & San Giovanni Rotondo
Today we will continue in the footsteps of Padre Pio during his years in San Giovanni Rotondo. Padre Pio had a great devotion to St. Michael the Archangel and travelled on pilgrimage to the shrine in the nearby town of Monte Sant Angelo. During our morning drive, we will hear of the Apparitions of St. Michael the Archangel and celebrate Mass in the sacred cave. Time at leisure afterwards will give us the opportunity for private prayer at the shrine or to stroll through this unique town with its quaint, white-washed houses.

Our guided afternoon tour of the sanctuary in San Giovanni Rotondo will help us to learn more about the poor friar who prays as Padre Pio so often described himself. As we walk through the capuchin friary, we will see the cell where Padre Pio lived and died, the crucifix before which he received the stigmata and the museum where are carefully preserved items dating back to Padre Pio's years in San Giovanni Rotondo. Our day will conclude in the Church of St. Pio of Pietrelcina where we will have time for private prayer before the remains of the great saint.




Day 3 - Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza & Way of the Cross
In 1956 Padre Pio presented to the world his greatest gift, the hospital, Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, Today Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza is one of the top hospitals in southern Italy, and despite it being almost 70 years since its inauguration, the message of Padre Pio has remained and is still very much evident today. After morning Mass, we will hear of the history of the hospital and of those people who worked alongside Padre Pio in helping him to realise his dream of turning the once remote, agricultural town of San Giovanni Rotondo into a Hospital City. Our morning will conclude as we walk the Way of the Cross which will allow us as Christians, to pause and enter reflectively into those last moments of Jesus's journey of love.

An afternoon at leisure, will give us the opportunity to return to the crypt for private prayer or to visit the historical centre of San Giovanni Rotondo, hearing of the deep affinity Padre Pio had for the townspeople, visiting the Church of San Nicola where Padre Pio celebrated Mass and the Piazza that was named in his honour, dominated by the beautiful bronze monument which highlights episodes in the life of the humble friar.




Day 4 - Return home
This morning, we will depart the town of Padre Pio and drive to Naples airport as we return to our homes having walked in the footsteps of one of the great saints of our time.


Please note as San Giovanni Rotondo is a hill-top town with a number of inclines which need to be negotiated to arrive at the sanctuary, it is not suitable for wheelchair users. As a result, there is no official local facility for hire of wheelchairs or mobility aids.