OCTOBER 1-8, 2022 – PILGRIMAGE TO ROME
$3,500 per person double occupancy ($3,200 per person if ten or more pilgrims go)
Day 1: Saturday, Oct. 1:
Depart Chicago O’Hare Airport on flight to Rome Fiumicino Airport. The flight will depart in the afternoon U.S. central time, and either be direct or have a brief layover.
Day 2: Sunday, Oct. 2:
Flight arrives in the morning hours. Transfer to hotel via private van or coach bus to drop off luggage at lodgings. Then walk to St. Peter’s Basilica for Mass. The Angelus in St. Peter’s Square with Pope Francis will follow at 12 noon. After St. Peter’s, your private guide will lead you through the streets of Rome to see Castel Santangelo, Piazza Navona, the Church of San Luigi Francese and its paintings by Caravaggio, and the Pantheon. In the late afternoon or evening return to the hotel for dinner on your own and for needed rest.
Day 3: Monday, Oct. 3:
Breakfast at the hotel. Go to the Basilica of St. Mary Major for Mass in one of the beautiful side chapels. Your guide will provide a detailed tour of this ancient Basilica. The group will then walk to the nearby ancient minor Basilica of St. Prassede to see some of the oldest mosaics in Rome. The group will then walk to the Church of Saint Peter in Chains to see Michelangelo’s sculpture of Moses and the very chains which tradition says held St. Peter bound in Rome. A group lunch will follow near the Colosseum. A guided tour of the incredible Colosseum and the Roman Forum will follow. The forum was the center of Roman daily life and the administrative center of the entire Roman Empire. After the forum and a full day of sightseeing, head back to the hotel. The evening will be free with dinner on your own.
Day 4: Tuesday, Oct. 4:
Breakfast at the hotel. Then a guided tour of some of the most significant and beautiful sites and churches in the heart of ancient Rome: San Ignazio, Il Gesù, where St. Ignatius of Loyola is buried, San Andrea della Valle, San Lorenzo in Damaso, Chiesa Nuova, where the body of St. Philip Neri lies in peace in a glass coffin, and other sites. Lunch on your own. The tour will end in the charming Trastevere neighborhood of Rome with a visit to the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere. Dinner on your own.
Day 5: Wednesday, Oct. 5:
Breakfast at the hotel. Leave the hotel by 8:00 to attend the Papal Audience in St. Peter’s Square at 10:00. After the audience there will be time for shopping in the many shops and boutiques near the Vatican. There may be a time to ascend the cupola of St. Peter’s Basilica or to visit the papal crypts under the Basilica. A private tour of the Scavi excavations under St. Peter Basilica, which houses the tomb of St. Peter himself, may be possible, but will depend on availability. Lunch on your own near the Vatican. In the afternoon go on a guided tour of the Vatican museums, one of the greatest museums in the world. This will include a visit to the Sistine Chapel. After a long day of touring, the evening is free with dinner on your own.
Day 6: Thursday, Oct. 6:
A day trip to Assisi. The bus will leave at about 8 a.m. for the approximately two-and-a-half -hour drive to Assisi. The group will be accompanied the whole day by an experienced guide. You will begin in the lower town at the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, which played a significant role in St. Francis’ life. The bus will then take the group to the upper town for a tour of the extraordinary Basilica of St. Francis, full of artistically important frescos by the master Giotto and where St. Francis is buried in the lowest crypt. Group lunch in a local restaurant. Afterward visit to the Basilica of St. Clare, the family home of St. Francis, and other historic sites in Assisi. There will also be time for shopping in this historic and enchanting hill town. Depart for Rome at approximately 6 p.m. Dinner on your own back in Rome.
Day 7: Friday, Oct. 7:
Breakfast at the hotel. Travel to the catacombs on the Appian Way for a guided visit of this vast underground cemetery. Lunch as a group near the Catacombs. After lunch go to the nearby Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls, an immense and elegant basilica where the remains of St. Paul the Apostle repose. Then travel to St. John Lateran Basilica to complete your pilgrimage to Rome’s four major Basilicas. Visit St. John Lateran’s ancient baptistry and then the nearby church of the Santa Scala, which tradition says houses the very steps from Jerusalem’s Praetorium which Christ himself stepped on when he was brought to Pontius Pilate. Then go back to the hotel for a group “last supper.”
Day 8: Saturday, Oct. 8:
Departure from the hotel in the morning to check-in for your flight to Chicago O’Hare, arriving in the afternoon.
Rome Pilgrimage October 1-8, 2022
Questions and Answers
How much does it cost? $3,500 U.S. dollars per person based on double occupancy, whether paid by credit card, check, or cash. There is no surcharge for paying by credit card. A single room supplement will increase the cost of the trip by $550. Single rooms are not guaranteed and should be requested as soon as possible. If ten or more people register for the trip by August 30, the cost will be reduced to $3,200 per person.
When is payment due? A deposit of $1,000 per person must be received by Sunday, July 24, 2022. The final trip payment is due by Tuesday, August 30. You can pay via our website using a PayPal link. If writing a check, please make it payable to “Peregrino.” Send checks, or money orders, to PO Box 1242, 1000 E. Oakton St., Des Plaines, IL 60018. Please do not send a check via certified mail. Regular first-class mail is sufficient.
Can I pay with a credit card? Peregrino cannot process a credit card payment over the phone, but only on our website using a link to Paypal. Paypal allows payments from either your bank account or your credit card. It is not necessary to have a PayPal account to use PayPal.
What does the cost include? Round trip economy flight Chicago – Rome, all airline taxes and fuel surcharges, transfer to and from airport to hotel, bus to and from Assisi, clean, private bath, 3 star or better hotel room; all museum entrance fees; audio headsets throughout tour; all professional guides; all breakfasts; three lunches; and one dinner.
What does the cost not include? City occupancy taxes levied per person (not per room) per night for hotel stays in Rome. These taxes will total approximately 40 Euros per person for the entire trip. The tax must be paid before hotel departure by each guest, along with any incidental hotel costs such as laundry service. Also not covered: meals not specified in the itinerary, taxis, tips for your guides, and the carrying of luggage from the airport baggage claim area to the bus, and to and from the bus to the hotel. We recommend bringing about $100 for taxis and always sharing taxi rides.
What is the cancellation policy? All cancellations must be made by e-mail by the same person(s) who registered for the trip. The following penalties are applicable if you cancel:
From date of reservation until August 30, 2022, $500 is non-refundable, but transferable to a person replacing the person cancelling, for the same tour and dates.
As of August 31, 2022 100% of the tour price is non-refundable and non-transferable per person.
Is there a registration form? There is no registration form. Peregrino tries to make registration as easy as possible. To register for the pilgrimage send an e-mail to peregrinotoursltd@gmail.com with the name, address, phone, and e-mail for each pilgrim who would like to go. Please indicate the parents or legal guardians of minor travelers. You will be officially notified of your registration via e-mail the day your check is deposited or your PayPal payment clears. After sending your check, please allow one week for us to confirm your registration via e-mail.
Do I need a passport? Yes, you will need a passport to travel to Italy. Passports are required for everyone, even children and infants. The expiration date of the passport must be beyond six months after the date of re-entry into the U.S. A scan of the ID page of your passport must be received by e-mail at peregrintoursltd@gmail.com or a copy must be sent via mail to Peregrino Tours at PO Box 1242, 1000 E. Oakton St., Des Plaines IL, 60018 prior to the final payment deadline of August 30, 2022. The copy of the passport and its information will be shared with no one. All documentary or digital traces of the copy of the passport will be destroyed at the conclusion of the tour.
Do I need to obtain a visa? U.S. citizens do not need a visa to enter Italy for fewer than 90 days. Non-U.S. citizens must verify with an Italian consulate if they need a visa to enter Italy, and with the State Department regarding their ability to re-enter the U.S.
Is there any chance the trip would be cancelled? In the remote possibility that the trip is cancelled, the entire cost of the trip will be reimbursed. An extraordinary event such as an airline strike, weather event, act of God, or international incident will not necessarily cause the trip to be cancelled. Trip insurance would provide total protection against such unlikely eventualities.
I’d like to go, but I don’t have a roommate to share the cost. What can I do? You can either pay the single occupancy supplement of $550 or be willing to be assigned a roommate if one is available. That will depend, of course, on the number of solo travelers of the same sex, but Peregrino will keep track of who needs roommates and coordinate as needed. If a roommate is available but is refused, the traveler will be required to pay the single supplement. And if there is an odd number of pilgrims and no roommate can be found for a single traveler, the single supplement must be paid, with the latest registrant being obligated to purchase a single room. If non-spouses or non-family members would like to share a room with another pilgrim they must each communicate such to Peregrino in an email.
Can I reserve a place even though I have not paid in full? You can reserve your place on the trip by making a deposit of $1,000, or by paying the full amount, upon initial registration. The balance must be received by August 30, 2020.
What about travel insurance? Peregrino Tours does not offer travel insurance. But for the protection of our pilgrims, we recommend they purchase travel insurance. Information is readily available online and some recommendations are linked on our website. These recommendations are not an endorsement of any company but only the result of prior traveler’s experiences. Every pilgrim must either provide Peregrino Tours proof of the purchase of insurance or digitally sign the insurance waiver on our website. All pilgrims must digitally sign the general waiver (as opposed to the insurance waiver) on our website.
Why would I want travel insurance? Insurance is a good idea for those who have an unpredictable medical condition and for those who have a family member whose ill health, or even death, may preclude going on the pilgrimage. Travel insurance must normally be purchased shortly after registering for the trip. It normally cannot be purchased close to the date of departure, or it may be priced exorbitantly.
Can I use airline miles or points? Peregrino prefers that all pilgrims fly together both to and from their destination and arrive at, and leave from, their hotel together. Based on experience, we do not allow pilgrims to be part of our pilgrimages if they travel apart from the group.
Can I upgrade my plane seating or otherwise arrange to sit with family and friends?
Peregrino organizes its tour pricing based on economy seating. Any desire for economy plus, business or first class, aisle seats, or other upgrades must be communicated to Peregrino via e-mail by the individual traveler. All costs related to upgrades or special seating must be paid in full before the upgrade will be implemented by Peregrino. We also try to accommodate friends and family who request to sit together on flights. But plane seating is ultimately a decision for each airline and airlines are not always transparent about how seating is apportioned.
Where can I exchange U.S. dollars for Eurodollars? Talk to your local bank to see if they offer that service. Otherwise you can change money at O’Hare airport or in Rome. ATM machines in Italy also accept Visa and Mastercard credit cards and dispense Eurodollars. To use a credit card at an ATM in Italy will require a PIN. Almost all American banks charge a fixed fee for foreign ATM withdrawals and/or a percentage of the amount withdrawn. ATM’s in Italy will normally not accept debit cards from American regional banks.
What about travelers with special needs? Any pilgrim with special needs or dietary restrictions must inform Peregrino at the time of registration. There will be considerable walking on the tour so being able to stand for long periods and to walk long distances is presumed upon registering. A physically capable companion must accompany travelers who need assistance. Coach buses are not equipped with ramps, so all travelers must be able to mount steps into a bus. European buildings are also less handicap accessible than American buildings. Taking the occasional taxi can greatly alleviate a day’s number of steps.
Can anyone go on the trip? Although this will be a Catholic focused pilgrimage, non- Catholics are welcome to come. Minors are welcome provided they travel with family. In order to ensure a rewarding, positive, and faith filled experience for all pilgrims, Peregrino reserves the right to reject any guest, either before or during the trip, whose comportment contradicts or is otherwise harmful to the interests of the group.
What if I have more questions? Most questions about this pilgrimage can be answered by your group leader or by consulting this information sheet. You can also contact us at peregrinotoursltd@gmail.com.