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.)