_page-0001_edited_edited_edite.png)
Day by Day
ITINERARY
DAY 1
New York, Istanbul
Tour members are welcomed for our departing flight to Istanbul via wide-body aircraft arriving the next day. Meals served on board.
DAY 2
Athens
This morning we arrive in Istanbul and transfer to our flight to Athens.This afternoon we arrive in Athens and be met and transferred to our hotel for check in. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
DAY 3
Athens, Corinth This morning we start our tour of Athens by visiting the important modern and archaeological sites in the city of Athens, the Acropolis and neighboring monuments. While driving through the main streets of Athens, we have an opportunity to see other places of interest such as the University, the Academy, the National Library, the Temple of Zeus, the Panathenian Stadium, Omonia Square, Constitution Square and the Royal Palace. This afternoon we drive along the coastal road to Corinth. Continue along the wonderful beach of Kinetta, make a brief stop at the Corinth Canal, then on to ancient Corinth to visit the Museum, the Bema of St. Paul, the Doric Temple of Apollo, the Askeleion, Agora, Lechaion Road, and the Peirene Fountain. Return to our hotel for dinner overnight.
DAY 4
This morning we board our bus and begin our journey to Mycenae. The Mycenaean’s were fierce warriors and great engineers who designed and built remarkable bridges, fortification walls, and beehive-shaped tombs, all employing Cyclopean masonry and elaborate drainage and irrigation systems. Their palatial centers, “Mycenae rich in gold” and “sandy Pylos,” are immortalized in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. This afternoon drive to Patras port to board our ferry to Bari, Italy. Dinner and overnight on the ferry.
DAY 5
This morning we will disembark our ship and head to Foro Appio and Tres Tabernaes – Three Taverns, still on the Appian Way, you reach Pozzuoli. This is the same port where Paul landed…and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli. (Acts 28:13). This afternoon we visit the area of the sea-port and the Roman Amphitheater in order to get a sense of what Paul experienced once he arrived on the mainland of the “Roman Empire”. Check into our hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 6
Pompeii, Minturno, Foro Appio This morning we go to Pompeii, and have an archeological journey through the ancient city. Pompeii, which was buried under a layer of ash and pumice by a sudden eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the year 79 A.D., is a town whose daily life of the Imperial Age has been petrified. It is as if it were under a spell in its gestures, secrets and in the panic felt by its inhabitants during its last moments. Visiting the “frozen city” creates a feeling similar to that experienced by Paul when he walked through similar streets from his time. Then we will visit the houses, shops, temples, squares, streets and also the “Lupanare” (which was a brothel with its frescos showing erotic scenes) and the “Suburbane Therm” (with erotic frescoes, among which the only saffico-picture of the Roman world). Now you understand the anger of Paul shouting aloud against corruption and perdition of the Romans. Romans 1, 26…. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature. From Pompeii we go to Minturno, then to Foro Appio for a typical dinner and overnight.
DAY 7
Foro Appio, Tres Tabernae, Rome After breakfast we will have time to meditate on Paul. This was a swamp when Paul arrived here. Stand by the river, full of historical and spiritual meanings. Foro Appio, at “Mansio Hotel” is located in the same place where an ancient Roman “posta” (place where travelers could rest and change their tired horses before continuing their journey). This might be the place where the Sacred Writings remind us of the meeting of Paul with the Christian Communities Acts 28:14 (…”And so we came to Rome. 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.”) Depart Foro Appio late in the morning and travel towards Rome, stopping a few minutes at the Church of St. Paul (built in the place where he met the Christian Community) of TRES TABERNE – Three Taverns …and so we went toward Rome. (Acts 28:14.) Then we will continue to Rome. We arrive in Rome in the late morning. In the afternoon we will visit the Roman Forum, Colosseum and Mamertine Prison, where Paul was held. Check into our hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 8
Rome, Vatican City, Catacombs, St. Paul's
This morning we visit the Vatican Museum and Gallery (and if time permits Raphael’s Rooms with their wonderful frescoes) the Sistine Chapel – where Michelangelo’s recently restored masterpieces adorn the ceilings and walls – and Pincio Garden. We continue into St.Peter’s Basilica and view Vatican City. This afternoon we visit St. Paul’s Basilica Outside the Walls and the Church of St. Peter in Chains with the famed statue of Moses by Michelangelo. We visit the Old Appian Way and the Catacombs of St. Calixtus, then returnto our hotel for dinner.
DAY 9
Rome, USA
We will be taken to the airport for our flight home. with memories to cherish always.
Day by Day
PRE-TOUR: NORTHERN GREECE
DAY 1
USA / Istanbul
Tour members are welcomed for our departing flight to Istanbul via wide-body aircraft arriving the next day. Meals served on board.
DAY 2
Istanbul / Thessaloniki
Today we arrive at Thessaloniki, named after Alexander the Great’s sister. The city features prominently in the New Testament, at which time this provincial capital was considered a world cultural center. This community was the center of Paul’s activities in Northern Greece. It is where he preached and founded a church, and he wrote two epistles to the people of Thessaloniki (Acts 17:1-9; 1 Thessalonians; 2 Thessalonians). This evening we enjoy a welcome dinner at our hotel.
DAY 3
Philippi / Kavala / Thessaloniki Today we tour along the ancient route of the Apostle Paul to Amphipolis (Acts 17:1). Our journey takes us to ancient Philippi, which was named after the father of Alexander the Great. This busy Roman colony boasted a great library and theater. In Philippi, Paul preached and established the first church in Europe, and it was the people of Philippi to whom he wrote one of his epistles while imprisoned in Rome (Acts 16:11-40; Philippians). It was in this area that Paul met Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She and her household accepted Christ and were baptized in the nearby river (Acts 16:11-15). Next we continue to Kavala, ancient port of Neapolis (Acts 16:9-11). We return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 4
Thessaloniki / Veria / Kalambaka This morning we stop in Veria (Beroea of the New Testament), where Paul and Silas were sent by friends after being accused of treason in Thessalonika (Acts 17:5-15). We visit the Bema, where Paul is said to have stood and preached the Gospel to the local community. Next we continue to Kalambaka to see the striking scenery of the “Hanging Monasteries”. Perched on top of huge rocks that seem to be suspended in mid-air are ageless monasteries where we can see exquisite specimens of Byzantine art. There are 24 monasteries in total, with 6 currently inhabited. We visit one of them before checking into our hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 5
Kalambaka / Athens
Today we depart our hotel and drive to Athens. We stop at Thermopylae, the location where the Greeks victoriously fought for their freedom during the Greco-Persian wars in 480 BC. We see the statue of Leonidas, king of the Greek city-state Sparta. Next we continue to Athens, where we have a panoramic orientation tour and may have some free time to explore the Plaka. Dinner and overnight in Athens.
DAY 6
Athens
Today in Athens we visit the Acropolis, the Parthenon, Areopagus, and Mars Hill, where the Apostle Paul delivered his well-known sermon (Acts 17:15-34). We see the Acropolis Museum, then have a panoramic tour of the Parliament House, the Academy, Omonia Square, and Panathenaic Stadium. We have free time in the Plaka area, the ancient city of Athens. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
*The trip will take place in case of a group of 16 people
* * The route, as well as the order of visiting places, may be changed due to quarantine restrictions, as well as for safety reasons or due to the weather, road repair work etc.