Seminario Vescovile Beato "Giovanni XXIII" tours, things to do and tickets

What exactly can you expect from this tour?
Immerse yourself in the Rome of the Popes, where stories, wonders, legends and reality blur and harmonize with today's Rome.

You will be guided by one of our local, certified tour guides. What makes our guides special is their passion for Rome and they want to share it with you.

Highlights of the tour:

On this tour, you will experience "Santa Maria Maggiore", which contains one of the four Holy Doors.

Then we will reveal the hidden basilica "Santa Prasede" and its secrets.

Followed by "San Pietro in Vincoli" where you will see the statue of Moses by Michelangelo and the miraculous chains of St. Peter.

Then we will visit two of the oldest churches in the city:
"Santi Quattro Coronati" with the legend of Pope Sylvester
"San Clemente", dedicated to the fourth Pope "Clemens I"

The tour culminates in a visit to the arch-basilica of "San Giovanni in Laterano", which contains another of the four Holy Doors.

From the very beginning, the Gallery was conceived as a large boardroom, which was to celebrate the victory of the Christian fleet over the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. The commander of the Papal fleet, Marcantonio II Colonna, is depicted numerous times throughout the vault of the Great Hall of the Gallery and in the Room of the Battle Column.

The Gallery includes works by Lorenzo Monaco, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Palma the Elder, Salviati, Bronzino, Tintoretto, Pietro da Cortona, Annibale Carracci (painting of The Beaneater), Guercino, Francesco Albani, Muziano and Guido Reni. Ceiling frescoes by Filippo Gherardi, Giovanni Coli, Sebastiano Ricci, and Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari celebrate the role of Marcantonio II Colonna in the battle of Lepanto (1571).

Venture north from Rome to Tuscany on a privately guided day trip, and spend the day in San Gimignano and Siena. As your driver chauffeurs you around the cities, learn about medieval Tuscany and see UNESCO-listed attractions, fine architecture and much more. Check out stunners like the Gothic cathedral of Siena Duomo, and hear about the horse race of Il Palio on an amble around Piazza del Campo. Later, visit San Gimignano where medieval towers and the artisan craft stores of Via San Giovanni await.

San Giovanni Rotondo is famous all over the world as the native city of St. Pio (known as Padre Pio) of Pietrelcina, and as the city where the venerated monk worked his miracles. Pio was beatified in 2002. In the Capuchin Monastery Padre Pio received the stigmata in 1918, and there where all those supernatural events that led to his sainthood and canonization took place as well. Visiting this Monastery and viewing the chambers where St. Pio conducted his life means jumping into a context of spirituality and mysticism; it is a destination that the devout and tourists alike should make every effort to visit.

This unusual walking tour takes you underground, to the secret world beneath the churches of Rome and to the catacombs, the ancient cemetery of the first Christians. Discover layers of history beneath San Clemente - including ancient churches, pagan temples and an underground river - explore the Roman houses buried under the church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo and wander through the dark tunnels of the catacombs, where thousands of Christians were buried. On this tour, recently chosen by Independent Traveler as one of the best walking tours in the world, you’ll realise that some of Rome’s most fascinating history is hidden underground. If any site is closed, it will be replaced with another.

Discover hidden gems of Rome on this 2-hour tour to the Cathedral of Rome in San Giovanni, the oldest church in the city, the Holy Steps, and the Basilica of the Holy Cross.

San Giovanni Rotondo is famous all over the world as the native city of St. Pio (known as Padre Pio) of Pietrelcina, and as the city where the venerated monk worked his miracles. Pio was beatified in 2002.In the Capuchin Monastery Padre Pio received the stigmata in 1918, and there where all those supernatural events that led to his sainthood and canonization took place as well. It is a destination that the devout and tourists alike should make every effort to visit. The Church’s crypt also hosted, up until a few years ago, the tomb of St. Pio. The Sanctuary of the Archangel Michael, or San Michele, in the grotto dates from the 5th - 6th centuries and is the site where devotion to the Archangel Michael began. The original grotto of San Michele is said to have been consecrated by the archangel and is the only church not consecrated by human hands.

Your private storyteller will let you experience an authentic pilgrimage to sacred places of Rome during this tour, discovering three of the Great Basilicas in Rome: S.Giovanni in Laterano, S.Paolo fuori le Mura, and S.Maria Maggiore.

During this tour, you will have the opportunity to learn about Christianity and see impressive artwork and masterpieces from many different centuries.

The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore is an absolute Early Christian masterpiece of art and architecture.

Outside the historical district, you'll find the Basilica of Saint Paul outside the walls. Imposing, elegant, majestic, and built where Saul of Tarsus (St. Paul) was buried.

The Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, defined also as the "mother of all churches" is part of a great monumental complex including the great obelisk, the Lateran Palace, and the Sanctuary of the Holy Stairs. Upgrade your tour with a visit to the world-famous Scala Sancta!

On the East coast of Italy lies one of the most popular pilgrimage destinations in Italy. It attracts visitors from around the world. He was to spend the rest of his life here and was known for his many mystical experiences and spiritual gifts. It was said that he could read souls–if you went to confession to him and left something out he would not hesitate to remind you. And his confessions were highly popular, with long hours devoted to the Sacrament. You can still see his confessional when you visit his shrine today.Other gifts that he received were prophecy, bilocation, odor of sanctity and miraculous healings. It was said that he predicted that Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II) would one day become Pope.But he is perhaps best known for having received the Stigmata (the wounds of Christ). He was pierced with the 5 wounds of Christ while praying before a crucifix.

What exactly can you expect from this tour?
Immerse yourself in the Rome of wonders, saints, and the Roman Inquisition. Experience the contrast between the veneration of exemplary saints and the secular side of the former Papal States.

Highlights:

You will visit the Church of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini, the last resting place of Master Borromini.

After that follows the famous Campo de'Fiori. A former field of flowers, transformed into a place of execution.

Then "Sant'Andrea della Valle" will enchant you with the Barberini chapel.

Then you will visit "Piazza Navona", with the fountain "Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi", by Bernini, and the church "Sant'Agnese in Agone", designed by Borromini.

Afterward, we visit the church "Santa Maria delle Anima" with its colourfulness and "San Luigi dei Francesi", with the paintings of Caravaggio and Guido Reni.

Finally, you will reach the highlight of the tour, the "Pantheon" and you will also discover the seat of the Roman Inquisition.

Follow the footsteps of Saint Padre Pio to the Puglian town of San Giovanni Rotondo on a 2-night independent trip from Rome! The pretty town is one of Italy’s most sacred Catholic pilgrimage sites, home to a shrine dedicated to the Padre Pio – a humble Capuchin monk with miraculous healing powers. With 3- or 4-star hotel accommodation, round-trip train tickets from Rome to Foggia plus private transfers to San Giovanni Rotondo included, this trip allows you to learn all about the much-loved Italian saint at your own pace.

Begin your experience at Villa Torlonia where, accompanied by an expert and entertaining guide, you will discover this stunning neoclassical complex.
Small lakes, exotic plants, columns, obelisks, a tournament area, a medieval village and the Casina delle Civette which plays host to a stained glass museum will be part of your itinerary.
Inside the park, you will visit the so-called Casina delle Civette, the residence of Prince Giovanni Torlonia until his death in the 1930s. Today this house is a museum with 20 rooms full of paintings, mosaics, colorful stained glass windows and porches decorated with maiolica. Continue your experience admiring the impressive collection of sculptures kept in the Casino Nobile. End your tour with a stroll through the remarkable Coppedè quarter, an Art Nouveau gem in the heart of Rome designed by the architect Gino Coppedè. See the symbol of this neighbourhood like the lovely Fountain of the Frogs in the famous Piazza Mincio.

The picturesque, well-preserved medieval town of Siena lies in scenic hill just south of Florence, between the Chianti area and Maremma. Siena is a treasure trove of art, pageantry and architecture. Visit Giovanni Pisano's wonderful black-and-white Gothic Cathedral and tour the Palazzo Pubblico; the climb up to the bell Tower - Torre del Mangia - rewards the visitor with a great view over the city. If you're there at the beginning of July or in the middle of August, try not to miss the world - famous Palio horse race, a tradition dating from the Renaissance, that takes place in the Piazza del Campo, a marvellous, sloping plaza in the shape of a half-shell whose circumference is topped on race day with a layer of dirt to create a track. Visit San Gimignano a wonderful tuscan village.

The picturesque, well-preserved medieval town of Siena lies in scenic hill just south of Florence, between the Chianti area and Maremma. Siena is a treasure trove of art, pageantry and architecture. Visit Giovanni Pisano's wonderful black-and-white Gothic Cathedral and tour the Palazzo Pubblico; the climb up to the bell Tower - Torre del Mangia - rewards the visitor with a great view over the city. If you're there at the beginning of July or in the middle of August, try not to miss the world - famous Palio horse race, a tradition dating from the Renaissance, that takes place in the Piazza del Campo, a marvellous, sloping plaza in the shape of a half-shell whose circumference is topped on race day with a layer of dirt to create a track. Visit San Gimignano a wonderful tuscan village.
Including your lunch and wine tasting at Torciano When you visit Tenuta Torciano Winery, you will totally immerse yourself in Italian culture, together with a Tuscan family consisting of 15 generations.

Together with your guide, you will go to Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli, where the chains with which St. Peter was held prisoner are kept. The origins of this basilica are very ancient.

Next, we will see the Basilica of San Clemente, brought to light during the excavation work begun at the end of the 1800s.

The last attraction of our tour is Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, the cathedral of Rome. It is the mother and head of all the churches of Rome and the world. On the left side of the piazza is the Scala Santa: according to tradition, it is the same that Jesus went up to the Praetorium of Pontius Pilate.

In the right corner of the piazza is the Baptistery, built by Constantine, where it is said that he was baptized by San Silvestro.