Path of the Apostles Greece & Italy Special - November 2024

Our journey begins as we board our overnight connecting flight to Athens. Meals served on board.

Upon arrival in Athens we meet our guide and travel to our hotel, where we enjoy dinner and retire for our first night in Greece. Tomorrow is a big day!

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 tour of the Parliament House, the Academy, Omonia Square, and the Panathenaic Stadium.

In the afternoon we drive along the coastal road to Corinth, continuing along the beautiful beach of Kinetta to see the handmade Corinth Canal connecting the Aegean Sea with the Ionian Sea. In Corinth we visit the archaeological site where the apostle Paul worked for 18 months with tentmakers Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:1-18). We also see the Bema of Saint Paul, the Doric Temple of Apollo, the Askeleion, the Peirene Fountain, and more before returning to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Today we depart from Athens and travel to Mycenae. The Mycenaeans were fierce warriors and great engineers who designed and built remarkable bridges, walls, and tombs, all featuring Cyclopean masonry and elaborate drainage and irrigation systems. We continue to Patras, where we board our overnight ferry to Bari, Italy.

This morning we head to Pozzuoli (Putuoli) on the Bay of Naples. Here at Putuoli Paul first entered the mainland of the Roman Empire (Acts 28:13).

We pass by the ancient Roman Amphitheater (larger than the Colosseum in Rome!) and enjoy an overview of the seaport of Pozzuoli and the ancient marketplace. Here we can imagine the apostle Paul’s arrival for his continued journey to Rome. We check into our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Following breakfast we embark on an archaeological journey through the ancient city of Pompeii. Buried under a layer of ashes and pyroclastic flow by the sudden eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, the city shows Roman life frozen in the time of the apostles Peter and Paul. We walk through Pompeii’s houses, shops, temples, squares, and streets, as well as the Lupanare (a first-century brothel) and the Suburban Baths, both displaying erotic frescoes and lending insight to Paul’s outrage against the moral corruption of the Romans (Romans 1:26).

We make our way north and rejoin the ancient Appian roadway, stopping at the partially-restored ruins of the Roman village of Minturno. We continue to Foro Appio and its Mansio Hotel, a small lodging situated in the same locale as an ancient Roman “posta” where travelers would rest before continuing their journey. On the property we see (and walk on!) remnants of the original Roman road, the Appian Way, upon which the apostle Paul traveled (Acts 28:14-15). Our evening concludes with dinner and overnight at the Mansio Hotel.

Departing Foro Appio after breakfast, we stop at the Abbey of the Three Fountains, the location of Paul’s martyrdom. Tradition has it that three different springs gushed forth at each spot touched when Paul’s head fell to the ground. We then continue on to the Eternal City of Rome.

We begin our walking tour of Rome along the Via dei Fori Imperiali, the center road in Rome running in a straight line from the Piazza Venezia to the Colosseum. We observe many magnificent centerpieces of ancient Rome, including the ruins of the Imperial Fora of Rome. We visit the Forum of Trajan, the most splendid market of its time and the forerunner of our modern malls, offering all the Roman world had to offer. We see the Capitoline Hill (the religious and political center of ancient Rome) and the Piazza del Campidoglio, designed and rebuilt in the 16th century by Michelangelo. Here we step onto a natural terrace offering a stunning view of the valley of the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill. Moving on, we go to the Mamertime Prison where Paul was held and wrote his “prison epistles”. We also view the 3rd-century Arch of Constantine, commemorating Constantine’s historic victory that gave rise to the legalization and later adoption of Christianity. Next we visit the Colosseum, a stage for the historical fights of the famous gladiators. In the evening we check into our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Today we are in for a sensory overload as we prepare to see some of Italy’s most incredible masterpieces! We start at the Vatican Museums, where we see the Apartments of Julius II, splendidly decorated by Raphael and his assistants. Within the famous Sistine Chapel we admire one of the world’s most esteemed pieces of art: The Genesis and the Last Judgment by Michelangelo. We proceed down the Royal Stairway to Saint Peter’s Basilica, featuring Michelangelo’s stunning Madonna della Pietà and a 10-story bronze canopy over the basilica’s altar. We end the morning at Saint Peter’s Square, centered on a 4,000-year-old monolithic Egyptian obelisk (measuring at 83 feet tall and weighing 326 tons!).

In the afternoon we visit Saint Paul Outside the Walls and the adjoining basilica, where the bones of Paul have recently been located (2 Timothy 4:6-8). We continue to the northern end of the ancient Via Appia to visit the Catacombs of Santa Domitilla. Time allowing, we will continue to the Basilica of San John di Lateran (the oldest basilica in Rome, founded in 324 AD), which was among the most important Christian churches of Rome. We return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

This morning we begin our journey home, rejoicing in our unforgettable experiences in Greece and Italy. Our hearts are full; we explored ancient Christianity and brought new life to our Bible reading, and we will never be the same (Numbers 6:24–26).

Our journey begins as we board our overnight connecting flight to Thessaloniki. Meals served on board.

Today we arrive in 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.

Today we tour along the ancient route of the apostle Paul to Amphipolis (Acts 17:1). Our journey takes us to ancient Philippi, 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 also 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 in Thessaloniki for dinner and overnight.

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 of Meteora. 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 in Kalambaka for dinner and overnight.

Today on our 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. We continue on to Athens, where we have a panoramic orientation tour before checking into our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Today is full of endless opportunities! We are free to shop, dine, take on private sightseeing excursions, or just relax. This is the perfect chance to enjoy free time in the Plaka area, the ancient city of Athens. In the evening we return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.