Thank you, Cloverdale! Everything was great! Lucia was a great tour guide!

This is my fifth trip to Italy; once on my own, 3 with another travel agency and this one. This was my least favorite trip to Italy. The first hotel's room was very nice; location-so far from anywhere; food--dinner specifically was AWFUL. The second hotel's room was lovely; location-still too far from anywhere; food was much better and I appreciated the ability to choose for dinner--more authentic Italian choices. The third hotel's room was fine; location too far outside of Rome proper; food was AWFUL again. If the hotels were closer to things, we could have all done some dinners on our own in the towns. The spiritual aspects were very nice. Mass daily at the different locations was lovely. However, it would have been nice to have better tours of St. Peter's, St. Mary, St. John Lateran and St. Paul Outside the Walls. We basically did walk-throughs-- I like more. Assisi was lovely. The Holy Stairs were a faith experience. Nemi was lovely. I could not even have purchased a remembrance from each basilica for the Jubilee Year. The Buffalo farm was a highlight. The last day was way too busy. We left the hotel at 6:30am and returned at 11:00pm--Then needed to rise really early for the airport. It would have been nice to have gone to the papal audience--had the afternoon free and then have a last dinner with the group. Also, that evening-a tour of the vineyard was scheduled at 6pm??? When it was dark?? that makes no sense to me. The whole trip was rushed from here to there. There was no time for just experiencing anything. There was never enough time for lunch and/or shopping--this was terrible. I came with money to spend and came home with few souvenirs and too much euro. I had gelato twice in ten days-- that is a sin. There was not enough time built in for bathroom breaks (consider your audience). We ate a a road side "truck" stop--awful-when right next door there was a bar that had great lunch options and plenty of seating for a group. We were constantly told to hurry up--we were late, there was no time for shopping/leisure, etc. This happened throughout the entire time. I know it was a large group, but I feel like we were herded all over-- needing to walk great distances that was not always necessary and consideration for the age of the group was not given--, given "American" food and honestly not treated very nicely by the guide. An example of this was when we were in Amalfi and three of us decided to skip the church tour to explore and shop. When we were seen by our guide, she scolded us for leaving the tour. Excuse me? I am a grown an adult who paid a lot for this trip and chose to have a little free time. I realize you may have wanted to pack sites in because it was many people's first trip to Italy, however, I would have preferred a few things done well and the longing to make a return trip. It would also have been nice to have some free time to experience Italy on our own--and not just an hour to get lunch. My lessoned learned is to never book another trip with so many people.

In 2023, I had the privilege of visiting Rome with a different pilgrimage group and travel agency. That journey exceeded all of my expectations: It not only calmed my initial fears and anxieties but also provided a deeply enriching spiritual experience. Naturally, when I signed up for this year’s pilgrimage, I anticipated something similar: Meaningful encounters at the sacred sites, balanced with opportunities to explore other parts of Italy such as Orvieto, Assisi, Sorrento, and Capri. I expected differences, of course, given the expanded itinerary, but I assumed the overall quality would remain consistent. Unfortunately, this was not the case. While I truly valued the chance to see additional cities, meet new people, and share fellowship with my fellow parishioners, I found myself increasingly disappointed by how tightly packed the schedule was. Others felt the same throughout the trip. The pace left us with little opportunity to engage with the sites in the depth they deserve. For example, our visit to St. Peter’s Basilica lasted only 10–15 minutes. For first-time visitors, this was especially disheartening. We stood in a single spot near St. Andrew’s statue after entering through the Holy Door and passing St. Peter’s tomb before we left. Similarly, we did not even have the chance to tour St. John Lateran Basilica, one of the most significant churches in Rome. The sheer size of our group, nearly 50 people, was a major factor in these limitations. Managing such a large number inevitably slowed down transitions, made it difficult to adhere to the schedule, and reduced the time available at each destination. The tour guide, Lucia, did a great job with handling such a large group, but overall, it was a challenge time and time again. The extensive travel required by bus, van, and on foot only compounded the issue. With so many people moving together, the logistics became unrealistic, and the planned itinerary simply could not be executed as intended. Although I remain grateful for the opportunity to see more of Italy and to share in the communal aspects of the pilgrimage, I cannot overlook the frustration of feeling rushed through places that deserve reverence, reflection, and time. Pilgrimages are meant to be transformative, not hurried, and this experience highlighted how critical thoughtful planning and group size are to ensuring that the journey fulfills its spiritual purpose.

Unbelievable experience!! Beautiful towns & Basilica's. Nice hotels & excellent tour guide! True pilgrimage in an historic sacred place!

Great itinerary, but skipped major tourist sites in Rome due to poor use of time. Little time for lunch. Common question among group: What are we doing, where are we going? All of my questions were answered with “I’ll talk to you later”.