Rome to Venice

Days 1-2

Your group will take an overnight flight into Rome where your Joshua Expeditions guide will be waiting for you at the airport. After checking into your hotel, you will have a chance to explore the city and do a little shopping. There will be opportunity to see Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps before enjoying your first Italian dinner of the trip. In the evening the group will head back to the hotel for devotions and discussion.

Day 3

This morning your group will head out to Vatican City to tour the Vatican Museum and see the famous Sistine Chapel. Following lunch you will enjoy a short walk to St. Peter’s Basilica before heading off to Piazza del Popolo. The group will have dinner in the city before returning back to the hotel for a time of devotions and discussion.

Day 4

Today you will have your first chance to extensively tour the Eternal City of Rome! You will visit the ancient Colosseum, Arch of Constantine, Arch of Titus and the Roman Forum, then take a tour of Mamertine Prison, the traditional site of St. Paul’s captivity while in Rome. You will have lunch in the area and head over to Piazza Navona and then the Pantheon. In the evening you can take a stroll over to dinner then back to the hotel for devotions and discussion.

Day 5

This morning the group will transfer by bus to Florence in the beautiful Tuscany region of Italy, stopping in Siena for lunch and a chance to explore the Duomo and climb the Tower of Mangia (optional activity). After check-in at the hotel in Florence, you will enjoy dinner with an atmosphere only Florence can provide. The evening will close with devotions and discussion at the hotel.

Day 6

Your group will make its way to the Galleria dell'Accademia this morning where you will see the marvelous statue of David. Later, the group will take a walk over to the Church of San Lorenzo then break for lunch and some free time to shop in the open market. In the afternoon, you will visit the massive church called the Duomo and maybe even climb to the top if you wish to take all 400+ stairs (optional activity). In the same area you will also see Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise and Giotto's Bell Tower. The group will later move to tour Piazza Signorina and stroll by the Uffizi and across the Ponte Vecchio, and then take a walk over to the Piazzale Michelangelo to get a breathtaking view of the city from above. You will enjoy dinner in the city and then return to the hotel for devotions and discussion.

Day 7

This morning your group will begin the journey up to Venice, making a stop first in Verona to check out Juliet’s Balcony and the Arena. Following lunch, you will continue on to the hotel in Venice, where the day will close with dinner and devotions.

Day 8

Your group will spend this final full day exploring the beautiful city of Venice. You will board a boat in the morning and journey over to Piazza San Marco, where you can amble through the area and even take the option to see The Doge's Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica. You will enjoy lunch on your own, and you may even decide to take an optional gondola ride through the canals. You could also spend some time shopping at the Rialto Bridge and step into a glass-blowing factory for a demonstration. Dinner will be on your own this evening and then the group will meet back together to catch the boat back to the hotel. Devotions and discussion will round out the day. (Fees for optional activities are not included in the price of the trip, but per diem will be given to cover your evening meal.)

Day 9

Your unforgettable tour of Italy concludes this morning as your group heads to the airport for the flight home.