Sunday

We finished up or our trip to Italy with a visit to Venice. The day started off with a lot of rain and wind, but the sun eventually prevailed. We had a two to three hour tour of Venice that took us from St. Mark's Square and the Doge's Palace and the Basilica of St. Mark to Rialto Bridge and the Grand Canal.

This had been a great trip thanks to our great students. We have an early start in the morning as we begin out journey home. We should be back to Regina by 9:00, if we stay on schedule.

Pics from Florence

Mass & Verona Pics

Saturday

We stopped in Verona on the way to Mestre/Venice today. We saw Juliet's House, Romeo's House, and the Scaligeri Tombs. Father Rudy celebrated Mass at a local church tonight. We are visiting Venice tomorrow.

Friday

We had a guided tour of Florence in the morning, which included the Duomo, Palazzo Vechio, Ponte Vechio, and Academia. The afternoon was filed with time on our own. Some went to the Uffizi, while others did a lot of shopping. We finished the night with a visit to the Discotheque.

Roman Forum & Colosseum

Papal Audience

Pics from Rome

Thursday

We were able to visit the enchanting town of Assisi. Before Assisi we stopped at the Basilica of Santa Maria deli Angeli. This basilica houses the Porziuncola (where St. Francis and the early Franciscans started their community), the crypt where St. Francis died, and the famous Rose Garden.

Unfortunately, the Basilica of St. Clare was closed and we could not visit there. The Basilca of St. Francis is unlike most basilicas with all of its famous frescoes while keeping a sense of simpleness. Visiting the tomb of St. Francis and his brothers is a moving experience.

We finished with a pizza dinner. Here we received a demonstration of the pizza making process and many students were able to make their own pizzas.

We have our tour of Florence tomorrow.

Ciao

Wednesday

Today was the highlight of the trip, the Papal audience. We left at 6:45 in hopes of breeding the crowd, but there were hundreds there when we arrived. W were still able to get great seats and we're within feet of Pope Francis when he went by. It was great to see and hear Pope Francis in person. He is such a genuine person and I heard many students talking about how he looks so happy and truly caring.

We visited the other two main basilicas in Rome (Saint Paul Outside the Walls & Saying John in Lateran) during the afternoon, as well as the Spanish Steps.

The Wi-Fi has not been cooperating, but I will continue to try and upload pictures.

We are off to Assisi and Florence tomorrow.

Tuesday

We enjoyed a tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum today. The afternoon included a visit to the Catacombs of Saint Callixtus. A small group of us visited Trevi Fountain, this time with water and at night, and the Spanish Steps.

We are blessed to see Pope Francis tomorrow morning at the Papal audience. We end the afternoon with visits to the The Basilicas of St. John in Lateran and Saint Paul Outside the Walls.

More pics from Monday

Monday

Our bus tour took us by the Circus Maximus, Palatine, and Imperial Fora. We then had a walking tour that took us by Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and Piazza Navona. Our afternoon included a visit to the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and Basilica of St. Peter.

Mass and tomorrow's agenda

We had the opportunity to celebrate Mass at the Basilica de Santa Maria Maggiore tonight. Father Rudy was the celebrant in the basilica's Sistine Chapel. 

We are off tomorrow morning on a bus tour of Rome. The afternoon will have us visiting the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and the Basilica of St. Peter.

We made it!

We are all checked  in to our rooms. We are going to tour Santa Maria Maggiore and have Mass afterward. We will have dinner after Mass and then go back to the hotel for some much needed sleep.

Weather forecast

Sunday (Rome) - partly cloudy, high of 68
Monday (Rome) - sunny, high of 69
Tuesday (Rome) - sunny, high of 67
Wednesday (Rome) - partly cloudy, high of 66
Thursday (Assisi/Florence) - sunny, high of 69
Friday (Florence) - sunny, high of 71
Saturday (Verona/Venice) - sunny, high of 67
Sunday (Venice) - sunny, high of 63

Departure

We will be leaving from the front lot at Regina on Saturday morning. The buses are supposed to be hear by 9:30. I suggest being at Regina before 9:45 so we can leave by 10:00. Remember to have your passport with your carry-on, DO NOT PUT IT IN THE LUGGAGE YOU ARE CHECKING.