DAY 1 / 02 Feb (Sun): KUL – ROME                                                                    

• Borneo Pilgrims – Depart to KLIA and meet main group at Check in counter.
• Borneo or KL Pilgrims - Assemble at KLIA 3 hours before departure. Check in at Airport for flight to Rome via Dubai.

DAY 2 / 03 Feb (Mon): ROME                                                               (D)           

• Arrive Rome, proceed for immigration and customs clearance.
• Visit Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major.
• Dinner, check in to hotel and overnight.

 

DAY 3 / 04 Feb (Tue) : ROME – MANOPELLO – SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO   (B/L/D) 

• Breakfast at the hotel and check out.
• Visit St Peter’s Basilica and visit Holy Door.
• Proceed for lunch.
• Depart for Manopello.
• Upon arrival, visit Basilica del Volto Santo di Manoppello.

The Basilica of the Holy Face (Basilica del Volto Santo in Italian) is located in Manoppello, a small town in the Italian region of Abruzzo, which is situated on a hill among the mountain massifs of Gran Sasso and Maiella and the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Il Volto Santo, the sanctuary of the Holy Face is located above the town on the slope of a wooded hill. Capuchins have been the sanctuary's curators for ages. From the square in front of the church one can see the pretty Neo-Romanesque facade which was built with pink and beige stone blocks forming a geometric pattern.

• Continue journey to San Giovani.
• Check in to hotel and overnight.

DAY 4 / 05 Feb (Wed): SAN GIOVANI ROTONDO                                          (B/L/D)

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Visit the Padre Pio Old Church Our Lady of Grace and St. Pio Pietrelcina Church and St. Mary of Grace Church.

Padre Pio died in 1968, and when his body was exhumed in 2008, it was found to be in remarkably good condition, although it is not incorrupt. His body is now on display in the tomb inside the Church of Our Lady of Grace (Santa Maria delle Grazie).

• Lunch at local restaurant.
• Proceed to visit St. Michael Archangel Cave.
• Rosary at Padre Pio Old Church Our Lady of Grace.

DAY 5 / 06 Feb (Thu): SAN GIOVANI ROTONDO – BARLETTA – BARI         (B/L/D)

• Breakfast at the hotel and check out.
• Drive to Barletta.
• Proceed to visit Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
• Continue drive to Bari.
• Upon arrival, proceed for lunch.
• Then continue for city tour with sightseeing of Piazza Mercantile, Piazza Ferrarese, Teatro Petruzzelli and Piazza Garibaldi.
• Proceed for dinner.
• Continue to hotel for check in and overnight.

DAY 6 / 07 Feb (Fri): BARI - PALERMO                                                         (B/X/D)

• Breakfast at the hotel and check out.
• Visit Basilica St. Nicola and Bari Cathedral.

About the real Saint Nicholas:

One of the world’s most beloved Saints, the story of Saint Nicholas has been blurred over time to where the original saint is lost in the telling. Yet, he was a real person, who lived in the city of Mrya (modern-day Turkey) in the fourth century. He was known for his generosity to the poor, especially for giving anonymously in the middle of the night. Hence comes our legend of Santa Claus.

One of the things that makes the Basilica unique is that it hosts both Catholic and Eastern Orthodox services. The Catholic Mass is held in the main church upstairs and the Orthodox in the crypt below.

• Free time to explore.
• Transfer to airport for flight to Palermo.
• Upon arrival, continue to hotel for check in.
• Dinner and overnight.

 

DAY 7 / 08 Feb (Sat): PALERMO – MONREALE - PALERMO                       (B/L/D)

• After breakfast, proceed to visit Sanctuary of St. Rosalia, Mount Pellegrino.

Monte Pellegrino (AKA Mount Pellegrino) is a small mountain located next to Palermo – the capital city of Sicily in Italy. One of the main attractions a top Monte Pellegrino is Santuario di Santa Rosalia (Sanctuary of Santa Rosalia), which is an astounding church located inside a cave.

• Photo stop at Cappella Palatina, Palazzo della Zisa, Palazzo Senatorio and Piazza Bellini.
• Lunch at local restaurant.
• Transfer to Monreale.
• Entrance to Duomo Monreale.
• Transfer back to Palermo.
• Dinner and overnight.

DAY 8 / 09 Feb (Sun) : PALERMO – TINDARI – CEFALU - PALERMO            (B/L/D)

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Proceed to Tindari.
• Visit Santuario Maria.

The Santuario Maria di Tindari is an impressive pilgrimage church perched high on the cliffs above the Tyrrhenian coast. This religious gem is not only a place of worship but also offers a spectacular panoramic view of the azure Mediterranean and the nature reserve Laghetti di Marinello. The history of the “Basilica Santuario di Maria Santissima del Tindari” is shrouded in legends. The church was built in the 8th century and is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It is said that the statue of the Black Madonna, located inside the church, possesses miraculous powers.

• Proceed to visit Cathedral of Cefalu.

The Cathedral of Cefalù is a Roman Catholic Basilica in Cefalù, Sicily. It is one of nine structures included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale.Transfer to Messina.

• Transfer back to Palermo.
• Dinner and overnight.

 

DAY 9 / 10 Feb (Mon) : PALERMO – AGIRA – TAORMINA                                   (B/X/D)                                                                                                                         

• Breakfast at the hotel and check out.
• Transfer to Agira Outlet Village for shopping.
• Own lunch.
• Continue drive to Taormina.
• Visit Duomo Taormina.

The Duomo of Taormina is dedicated to St. Nicholas, with its austere stone façade, the battlements crowning and the massive bell tower that make it resemble a fortress, stands in the charming Piazza del Duomo. The building that is that of the ecclesia munita, the church-fortress, can be dated between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, certainly built on a previous medieval basilica. 

• Proceed to hotel and check in.
• Dinner and overnight.

 

DAY 10 / 11 Feb (Tue) : TAORMINA - CATANIA -  SIRACUSA – POZZALLO – VALLETA                                                                                                                                                    (B/L/X) 

• Breakfast at the hotel and check out.
• Drive to St Agatha Catania.
• Continue drive to Siracusa.
• Visit Cathedral of Siracusa and sightseeing.

The Cathedral in Syracuse (Siracusa) was built by bishop Zosimo in the 7th century over the Temple of Athena (5th century BC). This was a Doric temple with columns that still can be seen incorporated in the walls of the current church. The roof of the nave is from Norman times, as well as the mosaics in the apses. The façade was rebuilt (1725–1753) by Andrea Palma (1664–1730), with statues by Ignazio Marabitti (1719–1797).

• Proceed for lunch.
• Free time to explore.
• Transfer to Pozzallo for ferry to Valleta.
• Upon arrival, continue to hotel.
• Check in, own dinner and overnight.

 

DAY 11 / 12 Feb (Wed) : VALLETTA                                                                    (B/L/D) 

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Visit to Saint John’s Co-Cathedral and Oratory for Caravaggio painting, St Paul’s Shipwreck Church.
• Continue to Three Cities: Birgu (Vittoriosa), Senglea and Cospicua.

CARAVAGGIO

The Italian artist Michelangelo Merisi, better known as Caravaggio, was born in 1571. He ranks amongst the most influential painters in the history of art. Caravaggio’s creative hallmark was the incorporation of psychological realism. Whilst in Malta, Caravaggio painted ‘The Beheading of St John the Baptist’ and ‘St Jerome Writing’, both of which are preserved at St John’s Co-Cathedral.

THE SHIPWRECK

Popular belief implies that Paul was shipwrecked in Malta in 60AD and though some academics are skeptical, based on the wind direction prevalent during his voyage from the Levant, to his execution in Rome for his Christian beliefs, Malta has been described as the most likely location.

According to the Acts of the Apostles, Paul was being taken to Rome to be tried as a political rebel, however, the ship carrying him, and another 274 people was caught in an extremely violent storm. God let him know in advance that he would be shipwrecked, but would spare the lives of all those on board, a promise that was later kept.

• Proceed for lunch.
• Then continue to Medina and St Paul’s Grott (Wigna Court Museum).
• Continue for dinner.
• Back to hotel and overnight.

 

 

DAY 12 / 13 Feb (Thu): GOZO - MALTA                                                                   (B/L/D) 

• Breakfast at the hotel then proceed to Gozo.

Gozo is an island in the Mediterranean Sea, one of 21 that make up the Maltese archipelago. Inhabited for thousands of years, it shows evidence of historic immigration and rule by the Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Sicilians, French and British, among others. It’s known for its Neolithic Ġgantija Temple ruins, rural hiking paths, beaches and scuba-diving sites.

•  
• Proceed to transfer to St Paul’s Bay.

Saint Paul's Bay (Maltese: San Pawl il-Baħar) is a town located on the northeast coast of Malta in the Northern Region. It is a major residential and commercial area and a centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life. As per the 2021 population census, it has also become the most populated town in the country. Its name refers to the shipwreck of Saint Paul as documented in the Acts of the Apostles on St. Paul's Islands near St Paul's Bay, on his voyage from Caesarea to Rome, which laid the foundations of Christianity on the island.

 

• Transfer back to hotel for dinner and overnight.

 

DAY 13 / 14 Feb (Fri) : MALTA – KUL (B/X)

• Breakfast at the hotel and check out.
• Proceed to Marsaxlokk (Malta Fishing Village).
• Own lunch
• Then continue to transfer to airport for flight back to Kuala Lumpur via Dubai.

 

DAY 14 / 15 Feb (Thu) : KUL                                 

• Arrive Kuala Lumpur with beautiful memories of Malta and Italy.
• For Borneo pilgrims, continue back to Borneo.

                            

                                         ~~~~~~~~~~~ End of Pilgrimage ~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Note: *** No refund or replacement in the event it clashes on festival/event or weather conditions***