Rome, Naples, Pompeii Amalfi Coast, Florence, Tuscany
Rome, Naples, Pompeii Amalfi Coast, Florence, Tuscany
For me to live is Christ and to die is gain
Prepare for an active exploration! Many destinations on our itinerary are accessible only on foot, requiring daily walking of 3-6 hours. Comfortable footwear is essential for this journey. Please notify us of any special needs or mobility concerns before signing up, so we can assess the feasibility and support you in any way possible.
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Enjoy your flight and relax! We will be waiting for you in Rome.
Welcome to Italy. You will arrive in Rome and, once our group is completed, head toward Naples, the homeland of Pizza, Limoncello, and Ice Cream. After checking in at your hotel, you will enjoy a welcome dinner. In the evening, you will join local believers to worship together and make new local friends.
WELCOME DINNER
We will spend the day visiting Naples. The city has been immortalized in many songs, the most famous “O Sole Mio”. The song tells about how the gulf is bathed in sunshine from morning till sunset. Indeed, the view of the gulf of Naples with Mount Vesuvius as a background is one of the most breathtaking views in the world.
After breakfast, we will immediately proceed to visit Pozzuoli, the port where Paul arrived as a prisoner described in Acts 28. We will read the Scriptures, visit the old city, and pray there; then, we will proceed to the Catacombs of San Gennaro, which date back to the 2nd century AD. It was probably the tomb of a noble family, who then provided spaces for the Christian community. Here, Christians often met, were baptized, and buried. It will really help you to understand what Christians believed, how they lived, and how they worshipped.
After our visit, we will go to downtown Naples, the homeland of Pizza and ice cream, whose gulf, overseeing Mount Vesuvius, is called the most beautiful in the world. Lunch and dinner on your own. After a walking tour of downtown Naples, you will be able to visit the city on your own, and do some shopping.
BREAKFAST
After breakfast, we will visit Pompei. The city was destroyed in 72 AD by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, the biggest continental volcano in Europe, which is still active today. Many believe Pontius Pilate died during that eruption. Visiting this almost intact city, you will understand the Roman Empire and its influence on the world today.
After lunch, we will continue with our visit to the Amalfi Coast. Deemed by Unesco as being an outstanding example of a Mediterranean landscape, the Amalfi Coast is a beguiling combination of great beauty and gripping drama: coastal mountains plunge into the sea in a stunning vertical scene of precipitous crags, picturesque towns, and lush forests. There are multiple shops in the towns we will visit where you can enjoy dinner or snacks on your own.
BREAKFAST – LUNCH
After breakfast, we will say goodbye to Naples and proceed to visit the Monastery of Montecassino, founded by Saint Benedict. In this place, he wrote the Benedictine Rule which became the founding principle of Western monasticism. Here, Thomas Aquinas lived and worked. We will pray at the monastery. This visit will help you understand how Christianity preserved education, arts, and medicine during the Dark Ages. An incredible experience!
After leaving Montecassino, we will enjoy lunch at a local trattoria and then continue on to Rome. Upon our arrival, we will walk and pray along the Appia Way. This is significant because Paul, Peter, and many others walked on the same stones we will walk and it will provide us with a great experience of how Christians traveled and expanded the Gospel in the first centuries. Check-in at our hotel.
BREAKFAST – LUNCH
After breakfast, we will visit the Colosseum & the Fori Imperiali with a local tour guide. The Roman Forum, known as Forum Romanum in Latin, was a site located at the center of the ancient city of Rome and the location of important religious, political, and social activities. Historians believe people first began publicly meeting in the open-air Forum around 500 B.C. when the Roman Republic was founded. The rectangular-shaped area, sited on low-lying land between Palatine Hill and Capitoline Hill, was home to many of the ancient city’s most impressive temples and monuments. Today, the Roman Forum and the Colosseum, are some of the most famous tourist sites in the world, attracting more than 4.5 million visitors annually. Visiting the Forum, we will see Rome as Paul saw it. We will also visit Paul’s prison, the same place where he wrote letters to Timothy and Philemon and his last home on earth. There, we will take time to pray and read some portions of Paul’s letters at that spot.
After lunch, you can choose to visit on foot places like the Circus Maximus, the Isola Tiburtina, and la Bocca Della Verita’, a marble mask that stands against the left wall of the portico of the Santa Maria in Cosmedin church the site of the ancient Forum Boarium (the ancient cattle market). It attracts visitors who audaciously stick their hands in the mouth of the mask or you can keep visiting Rome on your own.
During the evening, we will enjoy dinner and Roman’s nightlife.
BREAKFAST -DINNER
After breakfast, we will visit with our tour guide Vatican City, the smallest country on earth, the Capella Sistina, and some of the Vatican Museums. We will also visit St. Peter’s Basilica. Designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, St. Peter’s is the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture and the largest church in the world. It has been described as “the greatest of all churches of Christendom.”
You’ll have the remainder of the day to explore Rome at your own pace, providing a wonderful opportunity to visit iconic sites such as the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps. Enjoy strolling through the city, soaking in its vibrant atmosphere, and perhaps indulge in some shopping along the way.
BREAKFAST
After breakfast, we will leave Rome to visit the famous Tuscany countryside. the Tuscany landscape is incredibly beautiful, with its olive groves, fields of sunflowers, vineyards and stone farms, ancient medieval castles, and enchanting Renaissance cities. It will be a delight just to contemplate the infinite paintings that will be found on our trip.
We will head out to a unique location in the Chianti countryside to enjoy a delicious lunch and wine tasting. where you will be introduced to the estate’s fascinating history and background with our local hosts.
After lunch, we will stop to visit San Gimignano, a Unesco Heritage Site. This small town contains within itself the essence of Tuscany: its aspect, simply elegant and sophisticated, is a perfect combination of local art and architecture, which harmonizes perfectly with the surrounding enchanting landscape. San Gimignano rises on top of a hill 334m above sea level, clearly visible in the distance with its many towers. Today 13 towers remain of the 72 towers of the fourteenth century when every well-off family built a tower to show its economic power (many of them are still visible in the buildings, even if they were cut off).
In the evening, we will proceed to Florence where we will check in at our hotel.
BREAKFAST – LUNCH – WINE TASTING
After breakfast, we will explore Florence, the most renowned city in Tuscany and known as the Cradle of the Renaissance with our local expert. You’ll have the chance to delve into the rich history of the Renaissance era, learn about the influential Medici family, and discover the story of Savonarola, who sought to bring reform to Christianity.
Our guided tour will take you across Florence on foot to visit places like the Duomo, a cathedral with a terracotta-tiled dome engineered by Brunelleschi, and a bell tower by Giotto, Ponte Vecchio, and Palazzo Pitti. We will also visit Piazza dell’Accademia, which displays Michelangelo’s “David” sculpture. After our tour, we will enjoy lunch at a local trattoria.
For the remainder of the day, feel free to explore Florence at your own pace. You might choose to indulge in some shopping or visit the Uffizi Gallery at your leisure, which showcases masterpieces such as Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” and da Vinci’s “Annunciation.” Enjoy the blend of art and culture that the city has to offer.
BREAKFAST – LUNCH
After breakfast, we will leave Florence and continue to Siena for a guided tour of its enchanting architectural styles, including the Cathedral (exterior only) and Palazzo Comunale (Municipal Building, again exterior only) in Piazza del Campo, The famous shell-shaped square provides the stage for the thrilling Palio horse race. Siena is an eminent medieval city with a UNESCO-listed historic center. Once one of the most important cities of the European Middle Ages, this small city of roughly 50,000 still retains much of the architecture from its storied past. Surrounded by a well-preserved 1,000-year-old wall, it’s best known for hosting the Palio horserace, which takes place twice yearly, as well as plenty of medieval masterpieces.
We will then depart to Rome, where we will check in at a hotel near the airport and enjoy our last dinner together.
BREAKFAST – DINNER
Today, we head back home. After an early breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight.
Buon viaggio, ed a presto!
