DAY 1 - Pietrelcina & Piana Romana

We will depart in the morning from Dublin to Naples and on arrival will be greeted by our Marian Pilgrimages guide and driver who will remain with us for the duration of our pilgrimage. Views of the picturesque countryside will make for an enjoyable drive to Pietrelcina, birthplace of Padre Pio. After lunch in a local restaurant, we will enjoy a walking tour of the town as we learn of the early life of Francesco Forgione (future Padre Pio) and how he fulfilled his dream of becoming a monk with a beard. We will celebrate the opening Mass of our pilgrimage in the Church of the Holy Family and afterwards visit the museum which has carefully preserved precious items relating to Padre Pio's years spent in Pietrelcina. A short distance away is Piana Romana, where the Forgione family had their farm. We will visit the farmhouse of the family and the little chapel dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi where we will see the tree beneath which Padre Pio received the first signs of the stigmata. We will drive to the Bel Sito Hotel le Due Torri in Avellino and after checking into our rooms, have time to relax before dinner.


DAY 2 - Convent of Sant'Anna, Foggia, Capuchin friary, San Giovanni Rotondo, Crypt of St. Pio

After breakfast we will depart Avellino and drive to the Convent of Sant'Anna in Foggia where Padre Pio stayed for a period of six months before making his permanent move to San Giovanni Rotondo in 1916. After Mass we will visit the cell once occupied by the young friar before continuing our drive to San Giovanni Rotondo. Upon arrival at the four-star Hotel Vittoria, we will check into our rooms and have lunch. Our pilgrimage in the footsteps of Padre Pio will continue in the afternoon with a guided tour of the sanctuary. During our visit to the capuchin friary, we will learn more about the poor friar who prays as he often described himself. Here we will have the opportunity to see the cell once occupied by the humble friar and the crucifix before which he received the stigmata. Our day will conclude in the Church of St. Pio of Pietrelcina where we will have time for prayer before the remains of the great saint of our time.


DAY 3 - English Office, Town of San Giovanni Rotondo

This morning, we will celebrate Mass in the Church of Our Lady of Grace and see the confessional where Padre Pio administered God's Mercy for over fifty years. During our visit to the English Office, we will hear more of the life of St. Pio and receive a blessing with the glove and crucifix used by the humble friar.

From the moment of his arrival in the southern Italian town, Padre Pio had a deep affinity for the local people of San Giovanni Rotondo. His presence transformed San Giovanni Rotondo into what was regarded as a remote agricultural town into a �Hospital City� and place of pilgrimage. Despite the transformation of the town, the traditions have very much remained. After lunch, we will enjoy an afternoon walk through the cobbled streets of the historical centre of San Giovanni Rotondo and hear of the history of the town, its unique traditions and see some of the places visited by Padre Pio. This evening, we will enjoy dinner in one of the local restaurants and have the opportunity to sample some fine Italian produce.


DAY 4 - Seaside town of Manfredonia

After morning Mass, we will enjoy a short drive to the seaside town of Manfredonia. Once an important port hub of the Roman period, today the town of Manfredonia is a bustling seaside resort where the atmosphere is cheerful and dynamic, typical of a tourist town. We will have this morning at leisure for shopping and private sightseeing or to simply enjoy a walk along the promenade and afterwards have free time for lunch, ensuring we sample a gelato in one of the many famous elegant ice-cream parlours! We will return to San Giovanni Rotondo and after dinner have the opportunity to participate in the Torchlight Procession.


DAY 5 - Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza & Way of the Cross

In 1956 Padre Pio presented to the world his greatest gift, Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza which today is now one of the most important hospitals in Europe. An important part in the story of Padre Pio, after Mass we will learn of the history behind what is regarded as Padre Pio's greatest creation.

In the afternoon, we will 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. The remainder of the afternoon at leisure, will give us the opportunity for confessions or time for prayer at the crypt of St. Pio.


DAY 6 - Shrine of St. Michael the Archangel & Cemetery of San Giovanni Rotondo

Padre Pio had a great devotion to St. Michael the Archangel. This morning, we will drive to the nearby Shrine of St. Michael the Archangel in the town of Monte Sant'Angelo and celebrate Mass in the sacred cave. After time to soak up the atmosphere of this unique town, we will have lunch, sampling some fine produce, local to this region. Before returning to our hotel, we will visit the local cemetery in San Giovanni Rotondo where we will spend time together in prayer before visiting the chapels where the parents of Padre Pio, and our dear friends Fr. Alessio and Fr. Joseph Pius are entombed.


DAY 7 - Basilica of the Virgin of the Holy Rosary, Pompeii

After breakfast, we will depart San Giovanni Rotondo and drive to Pompeii, during which time we will hear of the visits of Padre Pio to the Basilica of the Virgin of the Holy Rosary and the history of its founder, Blessed Bartolo Longo, and his own great works of charity. We will celebrate the closing Mass of our pilgrimage and afterwards see the rose, which was sent to the basilica by Padre Pio, just before his death in 1968. We will have the remainder of the afternoon at leisure for private sightseeing before checking into our hotel where we will have time to relax before our Farewell Dinner.


DAY 8 -Return home

This morning, we will check out of our hotel and drive to Naples airport for our return flight to Dublin returning to our homes, filled with a sense of tranquillity, joy and peace in our hearts.


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 mobile aids.