Welcome to The Aleteia Experience. Aleteia means “truth” in Greek, and the Christian faith is based on the truth of the life, teaching, suffering, salvific death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For 2,000 years, that truth has brought hope and joy to millions who have encountered Christ through his Church, through his saints, through the “living stones” who testify to their own encounter with Christ, and so persuade others to follow Him.
The Aleteia Experience is a week in Italy which becomes an experience of the past and present life of Rome, the Eternal City, in a way that can deepen faith, increase hope, and prompt a new commitment to the love of God and our brothers and sisters. In this sense, The Aleteia Experience is an experience of the truth of the faith that issues in deeper spiritual life.
Everything in this week is designed to bring you into close contact with the truth of the faith. We spend five days in Rome and two days outside of Rome. We visit many holy shrines, and we meet with many simple Christian believers who bear witness to their faith and deepen our own. We have designed this pilgrimage for you, to immerse you in the life of the Church in Rome today, and as it has been lived for 2,000 years. So please come and join with us as we walk through Rome’s streets, pray in Rome’s chapels, visit Rome’s shrines, and those of Assisi and Lanciano and Manoppello, and become part of a new generation of Catholics who bear witness to the truth of the faith around world.
What sets this pilgrimage apart from all others is the unique and exclusive accommodations within Vatican City itself. A rare privilege, this stay places you at the heart of the Church with unparalleled access to St. Peter’s Basilica.
Highlights of the Pilgrimage
Visit Italy’s most sacred and spiritual sites and experience the profound renewal they offer. Here are some of the places we will pilgrimage to:
Assisi
Visit the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, the Basilica of St. Francis, and the Tomb of St. Carlo Acutis
Rome
Visit St. Peter’s Basilica, St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, St. Mary Major, and St. John Lateran. Explore the first “Vatican,” Marian apparition sites in Rome, a Eucharistic miracle, the Scavi beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, and the revered icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Attend a Papal Audience with Pope Leo
Manoppello
Venerate the Holy Face at this significant Shrine, Basilica of the Holy Face, home to the mysterious image of the “Man of Sorrows,” deeply revered for its spiritual significance
Lanciano
Venerate the Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano at the Church of San Francesco
Plus, enjoy many unexpected stops and grace-filled encounters along the way. The pilgrimage is limited to 20 pilgrims, ensuring an unhurried, reflective, and peaceful experience.
Monte Sant’Angelo
Pray in the mystical Grotto of St. Michael the Archangel
San Giovanni Rotondo
Pray at the Shrine of Padre Pio
Norcia
Visit the Benedictine Monastery and their newly built church
Loreto
Experience the Basilica of the Holy House of Loreto, a revered Marian site
Florence
Discover the Baptistry, Church of the Holy Cross, and the iconic Duomo (Cathedral) of Florence
Pilgrimage Overview
Rome
- Spend 7 nights in Rome
- Attend a Papal Audience as a guest of Aleteia
- Attend the Aleteia dinner in Rome
- Enjoy a guided tour of the Vatican museum, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica
- Visit Santa Croce, the church containing relics of the Passion from Jerusalem
- Travel along the ancient Appian Way
- Pray at the Basilica of Santo Spirito, the Divine Mercy sanctuary in Rome
- Visit three beautiful Roman Basilicas, St. Mary Major, St. John Lateran and Santa Croce
- Venerate the oldest known icon of Our Lady, believed to be painted by St. Luke
- Dine with friends of Aleteia
- Enjoy a walking tour of Baroque Rome to the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and the Piazza Navona
- Visit and pray in the famous Basilica Sant’Andrea delle Fratte, where Mary appeared to Ratisbonne, a catalyst for the arrival of the devotion of the Miraculous Medal in Italy.
- Meet Vatican officials and learn about the Vatican and our church today.
Day Trips: Assisi (the birthplace of St. Francis, born 1181)
- Visit and pray at the tomb of St. Francis in the Basilica of St. Francis
- Visit and pray at the tomb of St. Clare in the Basilica of St. Clare
- Visit and attend Mass at the Basilica of the Angels built over the Portiuncula — the little church built by St. Francis
- Explore the beautiful medieval city of Assisi
- Meet the Franciscan Friars living in Assisi today
Manoppello & Lanciano
- Visit and venerate the relic of the Holy Face in Manoppello
- Visit and venerate the Eucharistic miracle in Lanciano