13 Days in Italy

Call (847) 537-3651 for travel dates and rates.

From north to south, highlights of Italy with emphasis on Paul’s final journey and the early protestant movements.

Day 1—Depart USA

Day 2—Arrival and Torre Pellice

Upon arrival at Milan International Airport, meet your professional tour escort and depart towards the west to reach the Waldesian sites around the city of Turin. You will be warmly welcomed by the Waldesian Cultural Center.

The Foundation is situated in Torre Pellice, in the heart of the Waldesian Valley, a borderland district within the context of the growing European reality; it is intended to be a meeting place for dialogue and exchange in the spirit of cultural pluralism.

The Foundation has strong links with the surrounding area, the present-day Italian society and with the Protestant churches in Italy and abroad. You will have a guided tour throughout the most important museums, churches and sites of the Waldesian Valley. 

Dinner and overnight in the Waldesian hotel of Torre Pellice

Day 3—Milan/Verona/Venice

Early morning departure towards the east to reach the center of Milan, a 2.5-hour drive.
Milan is Italy's fashion and business capital. You'll enjoy a panoramic tour, highlighted by the enormous gothic cathedral known as "Il Duomo" and perhaps the world's premier opera house, the Teatro alla La Scala.

Your tour proceeds with a visit to the refectory of the domenican convent adjoining the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, which houses one of the world's most celebrated works: Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper." Reboard your bus and depart from Milan towards Verona.

The first glimpse of the city is love at first sight.

“There is no world without Verona walls": the pen of William Shakespeare has lent Verona fame and immortality with his tale of two star-crossed lovers, Romeo Montecchi (Montagu) and Juliet Capuleti (Capulet). . " The story of their tragic love is set in two precise locations: Juliet's house and the tomb.

Recently awarded the status of a "World Heritage Site," Verona has delighted painters, poets, travelers and celebrities for centuries.

A walk through its narrow streets allows you to get in touch with its varied and fascinating aspects.

Reboard your bus and relax during the short transfer to reach your hotel in Venice/Mestre Dinner and overnight

Day 4—Venice

Soon after breakfast, transfer to central Venice by private motorboat and meet your local guide.

Enjoy a tour of the magnificent Piazza and Basilica of St. Mark, its marvelous           Byzantine-style architecture studded with colored marbles and glittering gold mosaics and housing the tomb of the Evangelist Mark. Visit also the elaborate Doge's Palace, sumptuous home of the former Venetian rulers with its famous Bridge of Sighs, where prisoners crossed before being led to the dungeons

Some time at leisure for an optional gondola ride or for shopping. In the afternoon you might have a visit to the permanent historical exhibition called: “The Waldesian: eight centuries of history” in the centrally located “Palazzo Cavagni”

The Waldesian Church of Italy is the oldest protestant Church of the world.

 Or walk on your own throughout the “calle” (streets) and squares where the Italian Reformer Paolo Vergerio used to make speeches against the Church of Rome. Return to your hotel in the late evening, dinner and overnight

Day 5—Siena or Pisa/Florence

Depart Venice soon after breakfast.

Option 1

Traverse the Appenini Mountains and drive through the scenic Tuscan countryside to reach Siena in a 4-hour drive…
Famed for the rich red color of its cityscape, Siena is home of the Palio, a horse race dating from medieval times and which takes place each July in Siena's central square!

Enjoy Siena's major treasures, including its fabulous marble gothic cathedral.

Proceed through the cypress groves and vineyards of Chianti country to Florence for dinner at your hotel and overnight.

Option 2

Instead of stopping in Siena, you might decide to visit Pisa and the world reknown Leaning Tower” and other monuments of the Miracles’ Square before proceeding towards Florence for dinner and overnight.

Option 3

Adding one overnight in Florence, we might give the group the option of visiting both Siena and Pisa.

Day 6—Florence

Your guide will meet you at hotel this morning and stay with you for a full day guided tour of the city. Discover the cradle of the Renaissance, where one breathes art in the medieval streets, in the craftsmen's workshops, and in the Renaissance Palaces.

Here the memories of the Medici family are united with the splendor of the works of illustrious artists such as Michelangelo, Da Vinci and Botticelli.

You will visit   the Baptistry of St. John, the religious essence of the city, the Duomo with the Medici Chapel, the Church of St. Lorenzo, Piazza della Signoria, and the Basilica of Santa Croce, a masterpiece of Gothic art and the pantheon of famous Italians such as Michelangelo, Machiavelli…

The tour ends at the Accademia Gallery. Which hosts Michelangelo’s famous David.

The rest of the day is at leisure to explore additional treasures of Florence and shop on your own. The outdoor Market of San Lorenzo boasts leather products, and the Ponte Vecchio, covered since medieval times with goldsmiths' shops, is a must for Florence's other specialty, gold jewelry.

The local Protestant Community would be delighted to meet and welcome you in Florence…and give you the opportunity of celebrating Services in one of the Protestant churches of the city.  Dinner and overnight in Florence.

Day 7—Florence/Assisi/Caserta

Early morning departure towards the south, through the Umbrian green hills covered in olive groves and vineyards to reach Assisi in a 2-hour drive… Upon arrival, meet your local guide and  and start an unforgettable walk through the narrow streets of the ancient town which sweeps the flanks of Monte Subasio. You will visit the Church of Santa Chiara, the site where St. Francis was born and then on to see the house where he spent the first years of his life. You will then reach the very heart of the town, the Piazza del Comune (Town Hall square), with its Roman and medieval buildings. Then, near the ancient city walls, you will visit the Basilica of St Francis, which houses the tomb of the Saint. The interiors are decorated with frescoes from the 12th and 13th centuries. Some time at leisure for lunch before transfer by bus to the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli to visit the small Portiuncola chapel and the site where St. Francis died in 1226.
Continue your trip towards the south….  You will pass Rome and arrive close to Naples…

Tonight you will spend a night in Caserta, the city which hosts the famous “Reggia,” commissioned by the King of Naples in 1752 and the largest building erected in Europe in the 18th century, and which is today listed among the World Heritage Sites… Dinner at your hotel and overnight .

 

 

 

Day 8—Pompei/Pozzuoli/Gaeta

Leave your hotel after breakfast and reach Pompei in less than a one-hour drive…. Meet your local guide to have an archeological journey through the ancient city. Buried under a layer of ashes and lapilli by a sudden eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D., after 1700 years the excavations have brought to light Pompeii, a town whose daily life of the Imperial Age has been crystallized, as under a spell, in its gestures, secrets, in the panic felt by its inhabitants during the last moments.

Reboard your bus and continue towards Pozzuoli…

.and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli. Acts 28:13

Visit the area of the seaport and the Roman Amphitheater in order to get a sense of what Paul experienced once he arrived on the main land of the “Roman Empire”…

Take a break to taste a real Napolitano coffee or a pizza before continuing your trip towards the north….

You will reach Gaeta in time for dinner at your hotel and overnight …  

Gaeta is a quaint old village on the sea, which is today, is used as a NATO naval base.

Day 9—Minturno/Foro Appio/Tres Tabernae/Rome

Early morning departure towards the north.  You will reach Minturno.                     

Stop to visit the ruins of this well-preserved Roman village located along the Appian Way, which is the same that St. Paul would have seen during his trip to Rome. Continue north passing along the sites of Foro Appio and Tres Tabernaes, still on the Appian Way where the Sacred Writings remind us of the meeting of Paul with the Christian Communities…

Acts 28:14  And so we came to Rome. 15 The brothers there had heard that we were coming and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us.

Onboard boats, similar to the ones used during the times of the swamp  when Paul arrived in this place, you can go up the river on an itinerary full of historical
and spiritual meanings. 

…and so we went toward Rome. Acts 28:14

Arrive in Rome in the late afternoon, room allocation, dinner and overnight

Day 10—Ancient Rome/Fountains and Squares

This morning you have a walking tour through the real core of Ancient Rome.

From the magnificent Trajan's Column, jewel of architecture and sculpture made by Apollodorus of Damascus, our guide will show you along the Via dei Fori Imperiali (street of the Imperial Fora), the ruins of the fori that the great emperors built as lasting memory of their power.

You will see the Forum of Trajan, the biggest and most splendid of all, whose markets, true forerunners of the modern commercial centers, offered to the Roman citizen any goods to be found at that time.

On foot you will reach the Capitoline Hill , once political and religious center of the town, which today is the seat of the Municipality. The stairway will lead you to the Piazza del Campidoglio, the magnificent result of a single project by Michelangelo, with a copy of the most famous equestrian statue in the world, the statue of Marcus Aurelius, in the middle. Behind Piazza del Campidoglio you will find a natural terrace providing the best panoramic point over the valley of the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill.

Walking through the valley of the Roman Forum the great Rome with its important buildings will revive before your eyes; the Curia, seat of the Roman Senate, the State Archive, the basilicas, palaces of justice, the temple of Vesta, and the House of the Vestals, the virgins in charge of keeping the sacred fire always alive, and all around temples and columns and arches of triumph erected to commemorate gods and men of Roman history.

From the Forum the guide will show you to the place linked to the fabulous origins of Rome: the Palatine. Here Romolus founded the town in the year 753 B.C. and starting with Augustus the great emperors settled here. From the valley of the Roman Forum you will admire the Domus Tiberiana only partially explored and the ruins of the Imperial Palaces. Leaving the Roman Forum you will find the Arch of Constantine, erected to commemorate the victory of the emperor over Maxentius in the 4th century A.D..(Tradition says that before the battle the Emperor saw a brilliant cross in the sky and said the famous words “in hoc signo vinces”)

The tour ends at the Colosseum everlasting symbol of the greatness of Rome and the stage for the historical fights of the gladiators.

The rest of the day is at leisure to have the opportunity to discover the Baroque center of Rome on your own…  You can see the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps…
Relax in a coffee bar or do shopping in the fashion district around via Condotti..

Dinner is at leisure tonight…  Taste the typical Roman food in some nice “trattoria” in the city center or in the Medieval area of Rome, Trastevere…

Overnight at hotel

Day 11—Early Christian Churches/Vatican

Meet the guide at your hotel and transfer to the Vatican Museum.

Passing through the Court of the Pigna, designed by Bramante in the 16th century, you will enter the Belvedere Palace to reach the heart of the museum, the Belvedere Courtyard.
Proceeding with the visit you will quickly pass the secondary galleries to reach the Greek Cross Room where the splendid Sarcophagi of St. Helene and St. Constance are housed. Walking through the Galleries of the Candelabra, of the Maps and of the Tapestries you will reach the Apostolic Palace, the oldest section of the complex of the Vatican Palaces. Your guide will show you the Apartments of Julius II, splendidly decorated by Raphael and his assistants, and then the Sistine Chapel, where you will admire one of the highest masterpieces of art: the Genesis and the Last Judgement by Michelangelo, that have gained their original splendour after the latest restorations.

Leaving the Sistine Chapel and going down the Royal Stairway, projected by Bernini, the guide will conduct you to the Basilica of St. Peter, the most important temple of Christianity, which gathers inside 2000 years of history and famous works of art such as the Pietà by Michelangelo.

The visit ends at St. Peter’s Square, which is embraced by the colonnade, an architectural masterpiece by Bernini, under the symbolic protection of the "Cuppolone", as the Romans call Michelangelo's dome.

 

The afternoon is dedicated to the visit of two among the most important Basilicas of Rome… San John di Lateran and the Holy Cross-of Jerusalem. These two churches are symbolic of the importance that Constantine placed on his adopted new faith… The properties for both were donated by Constantine’s family, signifying that importance.

You will visit also the Santa Scala, the Holy Steps, which are reputed to be the steps that Christ went up when he was called for a meeting with Pontius Pilate.  A visit to these steps was recorded as one of the sites that Martin Luther visited when he was called by the Pope to Rome. 

 

 

Day 12—Paul’s Day

This tour is a combination of the most interesting sites that are linked with the life of the Apostle Paul in Rome.

Insula di San Paolo alla Regola

Tradition (see Martyrium Pauli)  has it that Paul used to live in this area during the years of his first imprisonment. As the majority of the people living there, Paul worked as a leather tanner. Here Paul met with the first Christians in Rome. This area became known by the name of  “Contrada Pauli” (Paul’s district) In a legal document of the year 1245, we find the words “In loco qui dicitur Pauli”  (In that place called “ of Paul”)

With the reconstruction of the Constantinian Age, the walls were strengthened and one storey was filled with earth in order to protect the buildings from the floodwaters of the Tiber. After a period of use, the buildings were abandoned and fell into ruin.

In 366 AC, Pope Damaso wanted to build a church over the ruins and dedicated it to Saint Paul.  Visiting the church, you will see the oratory which has been created using the room where Paul lived and on the main beam you can read the following: “This is the place where the Apostle Paul lived and taught.”

Church of Santa Prisca

A second place which tradition says to have been another site of Paul is the church dedicated to Santa Prisca on the Aventino Hill.

Prisca came from a rich Roman family and Aquila, her husband was probably Greek.
Paul spent a couple of years with them in Corinthes and this is very often mentioned in his Letters and the Book of Acts  (see Rom 16,1-23 and Rom 16, 3-5) and ( Act 18, 1-3)

The House on the Aventino Hill where Paul lived is named in a legal document of the 5th century, as “Titulus Priscae.” 

Today it is possible to visit the church where you can still see the big Doric Capital used by Apostle Peter to baptize Prisca.

Catacombs of San Sebastian

Located on the Ancient Appian Way, this is the place where the bodies of Apostle Paul and Apostle Peter where kept during the Christian persecution of Valeriano (253 – 260 AC) which gave the first Christians the opportunity to venerate the tombs of the two Apostles.  This is the reason why this place is still today called Memoria Apostolorum. To prove this, there are a lot of “grafiti” in Latin and Aramaic in the catacombs and in the Basilica of San Sebastian, as well.  The Basilica itself was built over the catacombs during the “Costantinianum Peace” in the name of the two Apostles.

Abbey of the Three Fountains

The place of Paul’s martyrdom, where tradition has it that three different springs gushed out at each spot touched when Paul’s head fell down.

St. Paul Outside the Walls

St. Paul Outside the Walls is a Benedictine Abbey, which shares its name, origins and centuries of history, both joyful and sorrowful, with the adjoining basilica, visit the Basilica where the bones of Paul have recently been found and you will leave Italy with the real spirit of first Christians in your mind and in your Heart….

Day 13—Departure

Early morning transfer to the airport for your flight back home.

Call (847) 537-3651 for travel dates and rates.