The Social World of the Apostle Paul:

Italy, Greece, and Turkey under Roman Rule

 

JUNE 16-JULY 5, 2012

 

 

 

OPTION 1:  ITALY (JUNE 16 to 22)

 

June 16 Sat        DEPART HOME COUNTRY

Fly from home city to Rome, Italy (travelers arrange their own flights)

 

June 17 Sun       ARRIVE IN ROME (FCO)

Upon arrival, take a taxi to the hotel in the Fiumicino beach area, near the airport, and check in.  Rest from the flight and enjoy some time on the beach while waiting for others to arrive.  Dinner at the hotel or a restaurant close to the hotel. 

 

June 18 Mon      OSTIA ANTICA – ISOLA SACRA – POMPEII

Today we begin our tour with a visit to Ostia Antica, ancient Rome’s bustling port city, whose extensive remains give us a rare and detailed glimpse of life in a busy and densely packed urban center.  While there, we will view ancient Roman apartment buildings, granaries, markets, shrines, tombs, and baths, while gaining a sense of what urban life was like in Rome, the nearby capital, in the time of St. Paul.  From here we will drive to the Isola Sacra necropolis, the Roman burial ground whose numerous tombs, erected over hundreds of years, feature outstanding examples of paintings, mosaics, and sculpture.  Later in the afternoon we will drive to Pompeii, where we will have dinner and spend the night.

 

June 19 Tue      POMPEII

Our entire day will be spent exploring the world-famous remains of ancient Pompeii, a city that flourished in Paul’s day until it was buried by the ash and pumice ejected by Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79.  Pompeii is the best surviving example of a fully functioning Roman city in the time of St. Paul.  While there, we will look closely at its shops and residences, its amphitheater, temples, brothels, and forum.  We will conclude by touring the famous ‘Villa of the Mysteries’ on the outskirts of Pompeii, which boasts some of the best surviving Roman wall painting in the world.  Overnight in Pompeii.

 

June 20 Wed     HERCULANEUM – ROME

We begin the day at the Villa Regina, an interesting example of a humble Roman farm that produced wine in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius.  Then, on our way up the coast to Rome, we will stop at Herculaneum, a city that, like Pompeii, was destroyed by Mt. Vesuvius, but whose remains (unlike Pompeii’s) were encased in a hard lava shell, making them extraordinary for their completeness and detail. Overnight in Rome.

 

June 21 Thur     ROME

A day in the heart of Rome!  St. Paul was, of course, a Roman citizen, and we will tour some of the most important monuments in the heart of his capital: the Roman Forum, the Colosseum (a.k.a. the Flavian Amphitheater), the Palatine Hill, and the Markets of Trajan—all emblems of a pagan empire that would eventually turn to Christianity.  If time permits, we will make a leisurely evening stroll to the Pantheon, one of the most breathtaking buildings in the world, a former Roman temple and a landmark in the history of architecture.  Overnight in Rome.

 

June 22 Fri        ROME

In the morning we will make our way by bus to the Via Appia Antica (“Appian Way”), perhaps the most famous ancient street in the world. Paul traveled this road when he was brought as a prisoner to Rome.  While in the area, we will tour one of the catacombs (ancient underground burial chambers) and stop for an up-close look at the monumental tomb of Caecilia Metella, daughter of a famous Roman consul. Along this same stretch of road is the Circus of Maxentius, the best-preserved horse-racing track in the Western empire.  Late in the afternoon we will travel to Rome airport (FCO) to catch a flight to Athens.  (Note:  Those who wish to end their tour after the Italy segment will fly home on this day rather than to Athens.)