Group pilgrimages · Multi-country
Following Paul: Greece & Italy Tour
Price on request
This 13-day tour follows the Apostle Paul through Greece, from Kamena Vourla, Delphi and Meteora to Berea, Thessaloniki, Philippi, Athens and Corinth, then continues to Italy for Rome, Florence and the Vatican.
Day by day
Day 1
- Arrival at Athens Airport, where our guide meets the group
- Drive across the plains of Thebes, famous for the Sphinx
- Visit Lake Yliki and Kamena Vourla
- Sunset walk along the gulf of Kamena Vourla, from where St. Paul sailed to Athens
- Dinner and overnight at the hotel
Day 2
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Drive to Mt Parnassus and visit the Holy Monastery of Jerusalem, whose architecture is inspired by the New Jerusalem (John 21:13)
- Short nature walk in the Cedars Forest to a hermit's cave
- Panoramic view of the Ionian Sea
- Visit Delphi: the archaeological museum and the Gallio inscription, on which the dating of Paul's time is based (Acts 18:12), the Sphinx of Thebes, and the Temple of Athena, goddess of wisdom
- Dinner and overnight at the hotel
Day 3
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Drive to Meteora and its six monasteries
- Short nature walk at Agios Athanasios
- Panoramic view of the 'stone mushroom' of Agia Triada
- Visit the western monasteries (St. Paul as the first Christian hermit)
- Evening tour of the illuminated cliffs of Meteora
- Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight
Day 4
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Visit Vergina to see the golden treasures of the ancient kings of Macedonia
- In Veria (Berea), walk along the Barbouta River into the old Jewish quarter
- Visit the ancient synagogue and see the step where Paul spoke to the Bereans (Acts 17)
- Drive along the Aegean coast to Thessaloniki
- Visit the Jewish quarter, including the synagogue, the ancient Jewish bathhouse and the Modiano Market (Acts 17; 1 Thessalonians 1)
- Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight
Day 5
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Drive east to Philippi to visit Paul's prison (Acts 16), the Christian basilica and the Greco-Roman theater
- Visit Lydia's baptismal site at the Zygaktis River (Acts 16:15)
- Drive to Kavala for a panoramic view of the port of Neapolis, where Paul first set foot in Europe (Acts 16:7-11)
- Short walk along the Via Egnatia, which Paul walked on his way to Thessaloniki
- Dinner out at a taverna in Ladadika
- Return to the hotel for overnight
Day 6
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Drive across the Macedonian river delta to Mt Olympus
- Visit the village of Litochoro and continue to Mt Olympus, Greece's biggest nature reserve, with a nature walk near Stavros and panoramic views of Mytikas, traditionally the 'Palace of the Gods'
- Visit Agios Dionysios, an ancient monastery named after the first Athenian converted by Paul (Acts 17:34)
- Drive to Larissa
- Dinner and overnight at the hotel
Day 7
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Tour Larissa, including the ancient Roman theater and the Byzantine acropolis
- Drive up Mt Metamorphosis for a panoramic view of the Gulf of Kamena Vourla
- A short walk leads to the monastery commemorating the Transfiguration of Jesus
- Visit the monastic garden and the church with its well-known depiction of the Transfiguration
- Drive to Athens
- Dinner and overnight at the hotel
Day 8
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Visit the Acropolis and Mars Hill, where Paul spoke to the Athenians near the altar to the Unknown God (Acts 17), converting Dionysius and Damaris
- Drive past the city sights from the King's Palace to the first Olympic Stadium, with free time at the Plaka market
- In the afternoon, drive along the Saronic Gulf to the Corinth Canal
- Visit ancient Corinth and the Roman sites associated with Paul's ministry: the Agora, the Bema, the Temple of Apollo and Gallio's seat
- Dinner and overnight at the hotel
Day 9
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Transfer to Athens Airport and fly to Rome
- Arrival at Rome Fiumicino (FCO) airport
- Rooms available from 2 pm
- Rest of the day on your own
- Dinner at the hotel
Day 10
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Meet our guide at the hotel
- Walking tour of ancient Rome: the Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheatre), where our guide explains how the games were organized and enjoyed by the people of ancient Rome; the Roman Forum; and the Mamertine Prison, where both St. Paul and St. Peter were held
- The tour ends at the crypt of Santa Maria in Via Lata, where St. Paul is said to have spent two years under house arrest awaiting his trial
- Free time for lunch
- Afternoon guided walking tour of the Trevi Fountain (toss a coin to return to Rome), the Pantheon, a temple to all the gods later consecrated as Santa Maria della Rotonda, and Piazza Navona with its fountains
- Return to the hotel; dinner at the hotel
Day 11
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Early-morning departure with our driver from Rome to Florence
- Walking tour with a local guide in the cradle of the Renaissance, the city of Michelangelo: the Bell Tower, the Baptistery with its bronze doors, and the exterior of the Duomo of Santa Maria del Fiore, with Brunelleschi's dome and Giotto's bell tower
- Continue to Piazza della Signoria and the Basilica of Santa Croce (interior visit)
- Free time for lunch and personal activities
- Meet our driver to return to Rome
- Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Rome
Day 12
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Meet our guide at the hotel
- Guided visit to the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica, the largest Catholic church in the world, including Michelangelo's Pietà
- Free time for lunch
- Afternoon guided walking tour of the Roman Ghetto, ending at the Church of San Paolo alla Regola, where the apostle is said to have stayed after his imprisonment in Jerusalem, in a room later turned into a chapel
- Return to the hotel
- Our assistant and driver take you to Via Cavour, then walk to the restaurant
- Farewell dinner and show at Ristorante Terme del Colosseo, with a set Roman menu (antipasti, cacio e pepe ravioli and rigatoni all'amatriciana, roast veal, seasonal side dishes, dessert, mineral water, ¼ wine and coffee)
- Return to the hotel with our driver
Day 13
- Transfer to Rome Fiumicino Airport for your flight home to the USA
Good to know
- San Paolo alla Regola may be closed for restoration work. If it is closed on the day, it will be visited from the outside only.
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