Jubilee Full Day Experience with Vatican Museums and Four Major Basilicas
Rome, Italy
Trip Type: Christian Tours
Duration: 7 hours 30 minutes
The 2016 Jubilee Year of Mercy is the perfect time for pilgrims to visit Rome’s holiest sites. This tour will take you to the Holy See’s most significant churches and monuments in one unforgettable day. With an expert guide, air conditioned transport and a small group of no more than 15 people you will visit the Sistine Chapel, take a guided tour of the art collections in the Vatican, bask in the beauty of St. Peter’s, explore the three Major Papal Basilicas, and even see the Holy Stairs. There is simply no better way for religious tourists to immerse themselves in the Jubilee.
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The 2016 Jubilee Year of Mercy is the perfect time for pilgrims to visit Rome’s holiest sites. This tour will take you to the Holy See’s most significant churches and monuments in one unforgettable day. With an expert guide, air conditioned transport and a small group of no more than 15 people you will visit the Sistine Chapel, take a guided tour of the art collections in the Vatican, bask in the beauty of St. Peter’s, explore the three Major Papal Basilicas, and even see the Holy Stairs. There is simply no better way for religious tourists to immerse themselves in the Jubilee.Your day starts at the Vatican where you’ll take a guided tour that visits all the sights you knew you wanted to see and some surprises you didn’t expect, including the Raphael Rooms, Gallery of the Maps, Gallery of the Tapestries, Belvedere Courtyard, Laocoon, and the Sistine Chapel.
From Michelangelo’s masterpiece it’s off to St. Peter’s Basilica via the special-access passageway that allows you to avoid the entrance lines and focus on the majesty of the immense sanctuary. You’ll see Michelangelo’s heart-wrenching Pietá and have a chance to walk through the Holy Doors.
After the Vatican you’ll break for Lunch, which is not included but you’re guide will have plenty of restaurant recommendations. They will also give you directions for the short, easy journey to the starting point for the next leg of the tour, the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, where your next guide will be waiting.
As the seat of the Pope and the oldest papal basilica, San Giovanni was the first Catholic Church in the western world. Your guide will show you the 14th century baldachin; the incredible gold mosaics in the church apse; and the twelve monumental statues of apostles, each sponsored by a prince or pope. Near the church you will also stop at the Scala Sancta or Holy Stairs brought from Jerusalem by Constantine I’s mother, St. Helena. The devout come to climb the stairs on their knees as, custom has it, Jesus did on his way to trial under Pontius Pilate. We won’t have time during the tour (nor is the deeply personal act very fitting with a guided tour), but you’ll have all the information you need to appreciate the climb if you do return to do it later.
Next you’ll head to the Basilica di San Paolo Fuori le Mura, or Saint Paul Outside the Walls. Built by Constantine I, it’s one of the least visited (and least crowded) of Rome’s major churches, and also one of its most architecturally impressive. Reportedly built atop the remains of St. Paul, its stunning cloisters and mosaics are among the most precious of Rome’s hidden gems.
You’ll cap off the day on a high note with a visit to the oldest of Rome’s churches dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary - the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. Its 5th century mosaics and the story of the early Christians who made them are sure to deepen your appreciation for the roots of Christianity.
Sites Visited:
From Michelangelo’s masterpiece it’s off to St. Peter’s Basilica via the special-access passageway that allows you to avoid the entrance lines and focus on the majesty of the immense sanctuary. You’ll see Michelangelo’s heart-wrenching Pietá and have a chance to walk through the Holy Doors.
After the Vatican you’ll break for Lunch, which is not included but you’re guide will have plenty of restaurant recommendations. They will also give you directions for the short, easy journey to the starting point for the next leg of the tour, the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, where your next guide will be waiting.
As the seat of the Pope and the oldest papal basilica, San Giovanni was the first Catholic Church in the western world. Your guide will show you the 14th century baldachin; the incredible gold mosaics in the church apse; and the twelve monumental statues of apostles, each sponsored by a prince or pope. Near the church you will also stop at the Scala Sancta or Holy Stairs brought from Jerusalem by Constantine I’s mother, St. Helena. The devout come to climb the stairs on their knees as, custom has it, Jesus did on his way to trial under Pontius Pilate. We won’t have time during the tour (nor is the deeply personal act very fitting with a guided tour), but you’ll have all the information you need to appreciate the climb if you do return to do it later.
Next you’ll head to the Basilica di San Paolo Fuori le Mura, or Saint Paul Outside the Walls. Built by Constantine I, it’s one of the least visited (and least crowded) of Rome’s major churches, and also one of its most architecturally impressive. Reportedly built atop the remains of St. Paul, its stunning cloisters and mosaics are among the most precious of Rome’s hidden gems.
You’ll cap off the day on a high note with a visit to the oldest of Rome’s churches dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary - the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. Its 5th century mosaics and the story of the early Christians who made them are sure to deepen your appreciation for the roots of Christianity.
Sites Visited:
- Sistine Chapel
- Vatican Museums
- St. Peter’s Basilica
- Michelangelo’s Pietà
- Ancient Greek and Roman sculptures
- Raphael rooms
- Renaissance galleries and collections
- San Paolo
- San Giovanni in Laterano
- Holy Staircase
- Santa Maria Maggiore
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