Day One and Two
Departure and Arrival
Arrive at Florence Airport and transfer to San Gimignano for the next six nights. (D)
Day Three
Pisa
Pisa is famous for its Leaning Tower. It is a strangely appealing building yet it is just a single component of Pisa's breathtaking and dazzling architectural buildings of the Campo dei Miracoli where we visit the Duomo and Baptistry before an optional climbing of the tower. Return to San Gimignano. (B, L, D)
Day Four
Siena
Siena is one of the most appealing towns in Tuscany with its well-conserved medieval streets and the square, the Piazza del Campo. The piazza's focal point is the Palazzo Pubblico which dates back to 1250. We also visit the monumental Duomo, Siena's cathedral. Return to San Gimignano for overnight. (B,D)
Day Five
Tuscan Countryside
We slow down the pace but not the experience. We explore the beautiful countryside of Tuscany with its verdant vineyards. Take an optional vineyard tour with a Tuscany farmhouse lunch included as well as a local wine tasting event. Or on your own explore the countryside and soak up the local atmosphere. Simply stroll the streets of San Gimignano and climb one of its towers. The medieval towers of San Gimignano are among Tuscany's most famous views and are a World Heritage Site. End each day with a palate-pleasing Tuscan dinner. (B)
Day Six
Florence
Florence is truly one of the amazing cities of Italy. Some of the greatest works by Michelangelo are found here. We visit the Academia and view the majestic David, then to the Duomo, Brunelleschi's sloping, red-tiled dome, predominant on Florence's skyline and the world's fourth-largest cathedral. The Gates of Paradise on the Baptistery are not to be missed. Then to the Basilica of Santa Croce with its walls lined with the tombs of Michelangelo, Macchiavelli, Galileo and Bardi. Return to San Gimignano for overnight (B,L,D)
Day Seven
Tuscan Cooking
Again, we slow down the pace but not the experience. Take an optional Tuscan cooking class and prepare a full Tuscan menu as you spend time with a local chef. You may choose to visit the many find churches of San Gimignano or shop for ceramics, local wines, or water colors of the sunflower fields of Tuscany. We will end the day together with a wonderful Tuscan dinner. (B)
Day Eight
Umbria Countryside/ Assisi
Walled Assisi is miraculous with its many churches including Santa Maria Maggiore, San Pietro and St Clare. St Francis was born here and work began on his basilica two years after his death. It's a magnificent tribute to the patron saint of animals, with frescoes by Giotto, Cimabue and Martini. Overnight in nearby Spoleto. (B,D)
Day Nine
St. Peter’s and Vatican City, Sistine Chapel
We stroll along the Tiber and enter Vatican City where we visit the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, world famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling frescoes and The Last Judgment. We also visit St. Peter’s Square and Basilica where Michelangelo's "Pieta" is but just one of many highlights. An afternoon walking tour to the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps is also available. (B,D)
Day Ten
Rome: Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Colosseum
All roads lead to Rome…for thousands of years tourists, merchants and pilgrims have journeyed to the city of seven hills on the Tiber. Rome has unarguably one of the richest, fullest histories of any city on earth…and all the while incorporating some of the finest architecture still surviving. The tour begins with a visit to the Colosseum followed by a walking tour through the ancient Roman Forum, the very center of the powerful Roman Empire. (B)
Day Eleven
Martyrdom of Apostle Paul
We travel along the Appian Way and visit the Catacombs. Then we visit the church of St. Paul of the Three Fountains, site of his martyrdom as we spend time in worship, thanking God for this great man of faith. Concluding Paul’s life, we visit the church of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls, built over the recently excavated site of his tomb. We end our time in the Eternal City with our farewell dinner. (B,D)
Day Twelve
Departure to USA
Return home with renewed faith and new friends!
Gordon College Alumni & Friends Tour
ITALY 12 DAYS
June 25 - July 6, 2012
$4,549 from Boston
Itinerary
Note: B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner
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2012 Tour
June 25 - July 6
or
Contact Us for more information on this exciting tour
We'd love to have you travel with us!
We'd love to have you travel with us!
Dear Friend,
Gordon’s Alumni and Parent Relations Office is pleased and excited to offer alumni, parents, and friends the opportunity to travel together to Italy in June 2012. This trip will be fun, educational, refreshing and inspiring. It can truly be the experience of a lifetime.
During your travels in Italy, you will marvel at the creativity of artists such as Michelangelo and Raphael, and the architectural monuments in Florence, Pisa, Siena and Rome. In Assisi you’ll learn from the life of St. Francis how to be instruments of God’s love. In Rome you’ll journey back to the first century world of the Apostles Peter and Paul as you tour the Coliseum and the Roman Forum. St. Peter’s Basilica will allow you to focus on Peter’s final days, and throughout your entire tour, you’ll be gleaning wonderful biblical insights from Paul’s letter to the Romans.
Your leaders will be Dr. David Sparks and his wife, Elizabeth Iliadou Sparks. David is president of Footstep Ministries, is an adjunct professor at Gordon and he has traveled extensively in Italy. His insights into how the first century context shaped Paul’s letter to the Romans will encourage you, for he will also relate the message of Paul to today’s world. Elizabeth is a native of Greece and came to America for her first time in 1976 for her freshman semester at Gordon. She will add her rich understanding of Italian cuisine to our journey. You will experience more than you can imagine in this renaissance land of art, culture, beauty, history and the Bible.
You will not want to miss this!
Come join us,
Adrianne Cook ’92
Director of Alumni and Parent Relations
