Italy is full of archaeological history and homage to the Christian faith. Whether you travel solo, with a group or with family, you are sure to return from your visit enlightened.
Taking a group tour is a wonderful way to enrich your faith and experience all that Italy has to offer with people who share your beliefs. Orchestrate a tour with those you worship with, a Bible study class or travel along with a group of seminary or theology students. Structure an itinerary that includes a visit to Italian towns and cities of the Bible with the assistance of a well-versed tour guide.
Catholic Tours
As the homeland of the papacy, a tour of Italy will have special significance for members of the Catholic faith. Visit the Vatican and attend Mass. Each Wednesday when His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI is in town, he holds a “Papal Audience,” typically at 10 a.m. and gives pilgrims and visitors a blessing.
Work with a travel agent based in the U.S. who has experience and established working relationships with travel specialists in Europe and Rome to make every aspect of your trip pleasurable, accommodating and spiritually meaningful.
Holy Sights to See
Make it a must to structure your itinerary to include tours of the Capitoline Hill Museums, referred to as the most sacred of the Seven Hills of Rome. The ancient Mamertine Prison lies on the hill where it is believed that Peter and Paul were imprisoned. Go along the Appian Way and you will find a small chapel, named Domine Quo Vadis, which in Latin means, “Lord, where are you going?” Peter posed this question when he saw the risen Christ on the grounds where the chapel is built. See San Paolo fuori le Mura, the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, built in the 4th century during the reign of Emperor Constantine, where the bones of Paul are laid at rest.
Structured or Self-Organized Group Tours
Form a group and get fellow travelers involved in doing the research, setting your departure date and developing an itinerary to achieve your goals for learning, exploration and discovery.
Create a blog where members of your group can post comments, add pictures and share information. Use the blog to post updates on your itinerary, deadlines for deposits and tips on packing. Let everyone upload their photos to the blog when you return home to share with the group, friends and family.
Private and Individual Guided Tours
If you would rather visit Italy on a less structured and more private basis, arrange your own tour. American Express and major U.S. airlines, including Delta, United, and Virgin offer air and hotel package deals. Some even include several meals. Europe-based Perillo Tours, Trafalgar and Cosmos are established tour operators. Each works in collaboration with U.S. based travel agencies.
Cruise Tours
Combine the experiences of a Christian tour of Italy with a Mediterranean cruise vacation. Consider Christian cruise tour operators so you can take the journey to Italy with those who are of "like mind and kindred spirit."
Plan a cruise that includes Rome as a major port of call so that you can experience the relics of the Christ's Passion, visit the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel, and even walk the 28 marble stairs of the Holy Staircase at St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome. Include a day in Florence to see Michelangelo’s “David.” Round out your cruise by including a day trip to have dinner at a quaint seaside village restaurant and a day for a shopping excursion to Milan.
Educational Opportunities Tours and Templeton Tours are major faith-based cruise operators. Templeton Tours offers a “Journeys of Paul” cruise that also includes ports of call in Greece, Crete and Turkey.
Costs
Plan on spending $2,000 U.S. and up for airfare and four-star hotel accommodations for a one-week stay, and from $3,200 and up for a two-week visit. Prices for a 9-day cruise start at $1,700, and airfare is extra. More than likely, your point of embarkation will be Miami, Florida.
Once you arrive in Rome, guided tours of holy sites, basilicas and museums will run from $60 and up. You can pre-book tours on Sacred Destinations and Tickitaly.
Another alternative is to call or send an email to your hotel concierge in advance to find out about tour guides the hotel works with and to ask them to reserve tours for you.
Be careful about waiting to arrange tours when you arrive. As is the case in most major tourist cities, there are unscrupulous people in Rome, too. Some pose as tour guides but offer little guidance beyond telling you how much money they want.
Additional Planning Tips
Have a planning session to get started on structuring your Christian tour of Italy.
Host an informal brunch or dinner with your group and travel partners. Contact a travel agent and ask them to attend in person or via Skype to answer questions. Prepare a PowerPoint slide show to entice the group about taking a Christian tour. Include pictures of the seven major basilicas, the Vatican, the museums, and show a selection of hotels. Go over airline options and set a tentative department date.
Keep in mind that there are two opportune windows for travel: April to June and end of September through October. Those are the months when crowds are smaller and lines are shorter to get inside of the basilicas and museums.
Talk up your ideas for a trip with your family, friends and church members. Start planning now to take a Christian-based tour of Italy and the “Eternal City” of Rome.
Cheryl Munson - Writer/Creative Director, with over 20 years experience working on brands and services you know as well as your ABCs, including (but not ...
