Assisi the birthplace of St. Francis, who founded the religious order in1208 and St. Clare, the founder of the Poor Sisters which became the Order of Poor Clares after her death. Saint Gabriel Of Our Lady of Sorrows of the 19th century was also born in Assisi. Churches include the Basilica of San Francesco of Assisi (pictured on the far left), Santa Maria Maggiore, The Cathedral of San Rufino, Basilica of Santa Chiara, Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, Chiesa Nuova, Santo Stefano and Eremo delle Carceri a small monastery with church at a canyon. In Assisi we will hear Dr. Dyer speak in the Abby of St. Pietro – a Benedictine Monastery built in the 13th century and established in the heart of Assisi. From the Basilica we go to a masterpiece called the Porzuincola (pictured above) which is a structure built around the little church that became the home of St. Francis.

Spello,"Jewel of Umbria" (pictured right) is a medieval Roman settlement in the countryside. Located 10 minutes from Assisi it's a gateway for culinary adventures, wine, olive oil tasting, truffle and porcini mushrooms. Spello is known for its frescoes by Pinturicchio depicting scenes from the New Testament. With plenty of art galleries in this charming village as well as small churches Spello offers splendid views and warm traditions.

Lourdes is a small market town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains. Famous for the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes that are reported to have occurred in 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous. At that time, the most prominent feature of the town was the fortified castle that rises up from a rocky escarpment at it's center. Following the reports that Our Lady of Lourdes had appeared to Bernadette on a total of eighteen occasions, Lourdes has developed into a major place of Roman Catholic pilgrimage and of alleged miraculous healings.

Today Lourdes is the largest pilgrimage site in France. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes (pictured on left) is a place of mass pilgrimage from Europe and around the world. The spring water from the grotto (right) is believed to possess healing properties. The Roman Catholic Church has officially recognized 67 miraculous healings which were stringently examined for authenticity.

St. Bertand de Comminges, a minuscule ancient village in the upper Garonne valley in the Pyrenees (founded in 72 BC) was apparently the place to which Herod had been exiled after the Crucifixion.

After a three hour scenic tour along the one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world we arrive at one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Europe. It was in the small village of Medjugorje that on June 24th 1981, six local teenagers claimed that the Holy Virgin appeared and spoke to them.

Since then, the village and its surroundings have become a booming attraction for visitors from all over the world hoping to glimpse the Virgin Mary on Apparition Hill (or Visionary Hill as sometimes called), where she supposedly was first seen.

A tour with our guide depicts the place of the alleged vision, near the village marked by a statue of the Virgin. The village’s only street leads to St. James Church (pictured above), in the center of all religious activity with prayers in many languages from loudspeakers surrounding the temple.

During our stay in Croatia we will visit the Museum of Dubrovnik. Plus you'll have a chance to visit the Sephardic Synagogue, second largest in Europe! We'll cruise to the Elafiti Islands onboard the 18th century Spanish Tirena Galleon, the only one of its kind in operation today!