Recreate the route that Ignacio de Loyola, being a gentleman, traveled the year 1522 from Loyola to Manresa. In 1522 Ignacio de Loyola traveled from his house in Loyola to Montserrat and Manresa, not far from Barcelona. His pilgrimage of almost a month changed his life. His subsequent projects helped transform the world.
TOUR INCLUDES:
- 12 x nights in hostels and hotel
- Accommodation fees
- Breakfast & Dinner
- Private bus for the entire itinerary
- Direct flight Barcelona to Rome
- Entrance tickets according to itinerary
- Local guide for city tours according to itinerary
Program
DAY 1: CITY OF ORIGIN – BARCELONA
First day arrival in Barcelona. Full day tour in Barcelona, visit to the Sagrada Familia, Park Guell and Gaudi’s Barcelona.
Dinner and accommodation.
DAY 2: BARCELONA – FRAGA – CALAHORRA – LOGROÑO – ESTELLA – PAMPLONA
Breakfast at the hotel.
Departure in the morning towards Cervera, Lleida, Fraga, Zaragoza and following the course of the Ebro river, bordering Alfaro until we reach Calahorra (425 km / 3.5 h) where we will have free time to visit its important cathedral.
Then we will continue to Logroño (50 km / 1.0 h), the capital of La Rioja, where we will take a pedestrian walk through the center, where the Cathedral of Santa María de la Redonda, the Church of Santiago, the Palace of Espartero, Wall stands out. del Revellín, Puente Piedra, Church of San Bartolomé, Plaza del Ayuntamiento, Calle del Laurel, etc.
Self-catering.
In the afternoon, we will go along the Camino de Santiago towards Viana, Estella, Puente la Reina until we reach Pamplona (85 km / 1.5 h).
Dinner and accommodation at the hotel.
DAY 3: PAMPLONA – LEYRE SANCTUARY – JAVIER CASTLE – PAMPLONA
Breakfast at the hotel.
Departure for Yesa, at the foot of the reservoir of the same name. Then we will arrive at the Monastery of Leyre (50 km / 45 min.), One of the most important monastic complexes in Spain due to its historical and architectural relevance.
After the visit, we will continue to Javier (65 km / 1.0 h) where we will have free time to walk or visit the entire surroundings of the Castle where San Francisco Xavier was born and lived.
Then we will return to Pamplona (55 km / 1.0 h).
Self-catering.
In the afternoon, we will take a pedestrian tour through the old part of the city, capital of the old Kingdom of Navarra. We will walk through the iutadella where San Ignacio was wounded by a cannonball, the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, the Cathedral of Santa María, the Plaza del Castillo, the Jardines de la Taconera, etc.
Dinner and accommodation at the hotel in Pamplona
DAY 4: PAMPLONA – ARANZAZU – OÑATE – LOYOLA SANCTUARY – AZPEITIA – PAMPLONA
Breakfast at the hotel.
Departure towards Vitoria until reaching the Sanctuary of Aránzazu (115 km / 2.0 h) where the image of the same name is venerated and where Saint Ignatius went to say goodbye before embarking on the road to Manresa and the Holy Land.
After the visit, we will go to Oñate (10 km / 20 min), where we can visit the center of the municipality with interesting monuments. We will continue towards Azpeitia (45 km / 1.0 h).
Self-catering.
In the afternoon, we will visit the Birthplace of Ignacio de Loyola, where he was born in 1491, and the sanctuary; The basilica of Baroque architecture dates from the 17th century and inaugurated in 1738.
After the visit, we will go to Tolosa, Lecumberri and Pamplona (110 km / 2.0 h).
Dinner and accommodation at the hotel.
DAY 5: PAMPLONA – TUDELA – ZARAGOZA – MANRESA
Breakfast at the hotel.
Exit by motorway towards Olite and Tudela (100 km / 1.5 h) where we will make a pedestrian visit through the city center.
Then we will continue to Zaragoza (85 km / 1.5 h) where we can see the expo area and visit the Basilica del Pilar.
Self-catering.
In the afternoon, through Lleida and Cervera, we will arrive in Manresa (240 km / 3.5 h), the cradle city of the Jesuit order.
Dinner and accommodation.
DAY 6: MANRESA – BARCELONA – ROME
Breakfast at the hotel.
Departure for Barcelona (70 km / 1.5 h). Transfer to the airport to take the flight to Rome.
Arrival in Rome and meeting with our accompanying guide who will accompany us throughout our Ignatian experience in Rome.
We will go through the door of San Sebastián, which Ignacio went through when he first arrived in the city on Sunday in Palma, March 29, 1523.
Transfer to the hotel.
Dinner and accommodation.
DAY 7: THE GREAT BASILICAS: SAN JUAN DE LETRAN AND SANTA MARIA LA MAYOR
Breakfast at the hotel.
This morning we will visit the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, the largest church in Rome dedicated to the Virgin Mary. At Christmas 1538, Ignacio celebrated his first mass. Then we will visit the Church of San Andrea al Quirinale, built on the site of the first Jesuit novice. Former students here included Ss. Stanislaus Kostka, Robert Southwell, and Luis Gonzaga.
We will visit the tomb and the reconstructed rooms of Saint Stanislaus.
Self-catering.
In the afternoon we will visit the Papal Basilica of Saint John Lateran. It was here that Saint Francis persuaded Pope Innocenzio III to give him permission to start the Franciscan Order. The night before, the Pope had seen a man in a dream who was holding up the unstable building of St. John Lateran. The next day, when Francis appeared before Pope Innocent, his Holiness recognized the face of the dream and consented to Francis his request. Nearby is the Holy Stairs, supposedly the stairs that Christ climbed before the conviction of him by Pontius Pilate.
The rest of the afternoon we will have it free.
Dinner and accommodation at the hotel.
DAY 8: SAN PABLO EXTRAMUROS AND CATACOMBS, FREE TIME
Breakfast at the hotel.
In the morning we will go to the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, home of the tomb of the Apostle Saint Paul, also known as the Apostle of the Pagans. It was here that on April 22, 1541, Ignacio and five Companions made their solemn vows.
Self-catering.
Then we will continue to the Catacombs of San Calixto, the underground burial place of the first Christians.
The rest of the day is free.
Dinner and accommodation at the hotel.
DAY 9: TOUR NECROPOLIS, BASILICA DE SAN PEDRO AND PRIVATE VATICAN MUSEUMS
Breakfast at the hotel.
In the morning, transfer to the Vatican City for the Papal Audience with the Holy Father (subject to Vatican programming).
Guided tour of St. Peter’s Basilica. Here we will see Michelangelo’s famous statue of the Virgin Mary holding her crucified son, known as La Pietà. We will also visit the Tomb of Pope John Paul II.
Then, we will have free time available to visit the excellent shops in the area with religious articles, or go up on our own to the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica, where you can contemplate a wonderful view of the city.
Self-catering.
Later we will make the private visit of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, where we will admire the beauty of Michelangelo’s work of the Last Judgment and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
Dinner and accommodation at the hotel.
DAY 10: ROME: VISIT OF THE JESUIT SITES
Breakfast at the hotel.
This morning we started on the Capitoline Hill overlooking the Forum. The stairs leading to the plaza, known as the Cordonata, were designed by Michelangelo (as was the pattern of the plaza’s pavement). Walking down the famous staircase of Michelangelo, we come to the Church of Jesus, the Mother Church of the Jesuit Order, which began in 1568. This is where Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit Order, rests in peace. The building of this church from the s. V marks the arrival of Christianity in Rome. We will also visit the Ignatian Rooms that are nearby. We will also visit Saint Ignatius and Saint Louis of the French, the house of Saint Matthew Caravaggio and the Angel.
Self-catering.
The rest of the afternoon is free.
Dinner and accommodation at the hotel.
DAY 11: ROME: THE STORTA AND THE ANCIENT ROME
Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer by bus to visit the Chapel of the Storta – marks the place outside the city where Ignatius, on the way to Rome, stopped to pray and received his mysterious vision of Christ and the Father. We will continue along the path of Ignacio and enter the city walking through the Puerta del Pueblo as Ignacio did with Pierre Favre in November 1537, shortly after his experience at La Storta. In March 1540, another Jesuit, Francisco Javier, from Portugal – and successively India – passed through this door. After going through the gate and reaching the interior of the city, we will pray in the Church of Santa María del Pueblo, as so many pilgrims have done for centuries.
Self-catering.
In the afternoon, after having lunch on our own, we will visit Ancient Rome. We will see the Roman Forum; We will also visit the interior of the Colosseum. Its real name is Flavian Amphitheater, after the emperor who built it in the s. I A.D. Colosseum refers to the “colossal” statue of Nero that once stood at the entrance.
Dinner and accommodation at the hotel.
DAY 12: WALKING TOUR OF THE CITY AND EXCURSION TO TIVOLI
Breakfast at the hotel.
We will start the day with a visit to the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. Then we will start our walking tour of the city, we will start with the Trevi Fountain, where we will throw the traditional three coins. We will continue with the Plaza de Trinità dei Monti at the top of the Plaza de España, from where we will be able to admire such a romantic panoramic view of the city of Rome, then we will cross the city towards the Pantheon and end in the Piazza Navona. Later we will go to Tivoli, built on the slopes of the Sabina Hills.
We will visit Villa d’Este, one of the most charming places of the late Renaissance, famous for its gardens, fountains, waterfalls and statues.
Tonight we will all gather for our farewell dinner at a local restaurant. After dinner, return to the hotel.
DAY 13: RETURN TO YOUR CITY OF ORIGIN
Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to the Rome airport to board our flight back home.
