Join historian and top guide Tiffany Deluca on this journey through the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major, Rome’s most important church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. This immersive tour is designed for travelers of every background—pilgrims, history enthusiasts, and art lovers alike. Explore ancient mosaics dating to the 5th century, walk through the Holy Door during the 2025 Jubilee, and see relics connected to Christ’s birth and crucifixion. Learn how Bernini, medieval popes, and ordinary Romans shaped this sacred space. You’ll leave with a deeper sense of how art, faith, and history intertwine in one extraordinary basilica.

Created by Tiffany Deluca
Tiffany is a historian, guide and tour planner who grew up in North Carolina and Indiana. She first fell in love with Rome while studying abroad and this September marks her 20th year in the Eternal City! She is a Lilly Scholar who attended Saint Mary's College at Notre Dame and studied Humanistic Studies: a historical analysis of Western Culture, focusing on literature, philosophy, theology, politics and art. She loves making history come alive through her storytelling and curating the perfect travel itinerary for her fellow Americans.
Listen to a preview

Piazza di Santa Maria Maggiore
Begin the tour outside the main entrance

Holy Door
Only opened once every 25 years

Central Nave
Admire the church from this viewpoint

Tomb of Lorenzo Bernini
Tomb of one of Rome's greatest artists

Confessio
View a sacred relic

Statue of Pope Pius IX
Depicts his strong devotion to Mary

Pauline Chapel
Discover a treasured painting

St. Mary Major Basilica
Discover how the basilica came to be
