ITALY: “Paul’s Response to the Roman World”
October 12 - 19, 2025
(Program #251005, Taught by Dr. Smith)
Land Only Price: $3,999.00
Air Included Price: TBD
Single Supplement of $660.00 for individual passengers
GOALS FOR OUR JOURNEY:
First, each participant should be able to “put on the skin” of an ancient Roman as we carefully identify the challenges of reaching them with the Gospel.
Second, with text in hand, we will highlight outreach methods that help establish a pattern for what has worked well in pluralistic pagan settings of the past.
Third, we will immerse each participant in common “Roman street” imagery that fills the Epistles to help us more thoroughly understand their meaning.
OUR TRAVEL ITINERARY
Day One. Sunday, October 12, 2025: Depart USA.
For “Land Only” travelers: We recommend you choose an airline that offers “through fares” from your home airport, all the way to Rome, even if the price seems less competitive. Bear in mind, should you purchase tickets from a domestic carrier (to transport to a city where there is a flight to Rome) then purchase a second ticket for the international leg to Rome, you may save some money but you take on significant risk. If your first flight were delayed, the second carrier has no reason to honor a forced last-minute change.
Make sure you are scheduled to arrive by 9:45 AM at FCO on October 13. Should you desire to arrive before the program, contact our office and we will do our best to help you find a hotel with a shuttle near the airport, etc. Call a Travel Consultant at our office at (800) 371-4485 or email ctsp@studytrip.info for more details.
Day Two: Monday, October 13, 2025: Introducing Rome.
Arrive no later than 9:45 AM into Leonardo da Vinci Airport, as our bus will pick up the group for a trip into Rome. After dropping our luggage at the hotel and picking up passengers who arrived previously, we will visit Rome for lunch and a short walking tour. The city is a feast for the senses and can seem overwhelming, but this short introduction will offer some interesting overviews and highlights of what has been dubbed the “Eternal City.” Dinner and overnight. (1 night) (D)
Day Three: Tuesday. October 14, 2025: Stepping into Paul’s World
Carefully examining two excavated ancient sites, Ostia and Minturno, we will look at the key features of Roman identity and begin to “settle in” to what a Roman in “class-layered society” experienced daily. Walking ancient streets and peering into ancient homes, shops and communal areas, we will begin to embrace the magnitude of reaching that world in the first century. We will also open the Epistles of Paul to see how these views improve our understanding of the writings. Dinner and overnight: Castel Volturno or Pozzuoli area. (1 night) (B,D)
Day Four: Wednesday, October 15, 2025: Peering into the Epistles of Paul
Most of what we know about life in the first century finds its source in the sites that were violently engulfed in ash, pumice and pyroclastic flows of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE, just some twelve years after Paul’s journeys led him through the Bay of Naples. Today we will walk the streets of Ercolano (Herculaneum) and Pompeii. Few sites in the world offer as much to the student of the New Testament to expose the past. Overnight: Pompeii area. (B)
Day Five: Thursday, October 16, 2025: Uncovering Education in the Early Church
In addition to Pompeii and Herculaneum, other sites were also covered by Vesuvius that have been excavated and preserved. We will look at the beginnings of an elite education that began in Maritime Villas of the first century like Villa San Marco, as well as an ancient farm at Bosco Reale. A special visit to Villa Poppea (Oplontis) will offer us a view of what scholars believe was of one of the homes of Nero’s second wife. Tonight, we have a special dinner and sleep at a “mansio” along the Appian Way. Dinner and Overnight: Foro Appio. (B,D)
Day Six: Friday, October 17, 2025: Paul on Trial
Today we are back in Rome to look at Paul’s first visit and defense before Nero. We will explore the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, and a visit to Osteria Romana in the region of St. Paul alla Regola, near where Paul likely stayed during the writing of his so-called “prison epistles.” Overnight: Rome. (B)
Day Seven: Saturday, October 18, 2025: Facing Death
As we close in on the end of Paul’s life and ministry, we will visit the place that recalls his execution while considering his words to Timothy. We also want to see some of the physical evidence in the progress of the Gospel in the early centuries at the Catacombs. We expect to have a few hours this afternoon free to explore Rome on your own (time permitting). Overnight: Rome. (B)
Day Eight: Sunday, October 19, 2025: Return to the USA.
Flights should be scheduled after 10:30 AM to take advantage of our group transfer to the airport. You will normally return the same day. If you choose to stay longer, you can extend at the hotel, or a Travel Consultant in our office can help you book additional hotels.
PROGRAM CONDITIONS
TOUR PRICE INCLUDES air (departing airport TBD), group transfers, hotels, European buffet breakfast daily and dinners as specified in program, with all tips for group services, full sightseeing, the services of an English-speaking local guide, and all entrance fees to sites as listed in the program. All taxes and surcharges in effect as of September 1, 2024 are included. If additional surcharges or taxes are imposed by the airlines or governments, any additional amounts will be the responsibility of the passenger. Full Tour Price determined 10-11 months prior to departure. This price is based on a minimum of 15 passengers.
LAND ONLY PRICE INCLUDES all of the above except air and transfers.
NOT INCLUDED are any expenses required for COVID compliance, personal items such as laundry; drinks or coffee with dinners; lunches, tips for personal favors; excess baggage and forwarding of baggage; transfers other than with the group; optional travel insurance.
YOUR ACCOMMODATIONS are based on First Class (4*) hotels using double occupancy in a twin-bedded room with private bath. There is a supplemental charge of $660 if you prefer a single room. Individuals enrolling without a roommate may request to be matched with a roommate. In the event that a roommate is not available, individuals will be required to pay the single supplement charge. All single rooms are subject to availability and may be smaller than normal twin rooms.
SPECIAL NOTE ON SINGLE SUPPLEMENTS: European hotels do not cater to singles, but they charge additional (over which CTSP has no control). They often provide smaller rooms in spite of the additional fee. We don’t want travelers to come and be surprised.
PAYMENT: A nonrefundable deposit of $400 per person, is required to secure your place on the program. A second payment of 50% of the balance is due six (6) months prior to departure. Final payment is due to CTSP three (3) months prior to departure. Thereafter, a late payment fee of $100 per person per month will be assessed.
CANCELLATION FEES:
90+ days prior ….. non-refundable deposit
66-90 days prior ….. 50% plus non-refundable deposit
0-65 days prior ….. No refund
*If your cancellation results in a roommate needing a single supplement, that amount will be charged to you in addition to the above fees.
*All refund claims must be in writing to CTSP. There is no refund for any services not used.
TRIP INSURANCE IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. Insurance purchased within two weeks of deposit provides the best value, and may cover pre-existing conditions. Carefully choose a plan from any trusted provider. If you want CFAR (cancel for any reason) insurance, it will come at a premium price, but may allay concerns for those who choose to do so.
ITINERARY LENGTH: Flight times are subject to change without advance notice. CTSP is not responsible for changes and delays in airline schedules and does not reimburse passengers for expenses resulting from delays. Because airlines often change flight times and dates at the last minute, CTSP strongly recommends that if passengers are purchasing any connecting tickets they should be able to be changed without heavy fees or penalties. If airline(s) change flight schedules, CTSP reserves the right to lengthen or shorten the itinerary accordingly, and whenever possible, you will be notified in writing. If changes necessitate extra overnights, you will be charged (per person, per night) US$180 double occupancy, or US$320 for single rooms (includes single supplement).
AIRLINE ARRANGEMENTS from the US are normally included in the Full Tour price as soon as available. Air Transportation will be economy class aboard regularly scheduled carriers utilizing non-refundable, non-transferable, non-amendable tickets. Once your ticket has been written, it cannot be transferred, rewritten, or refunded.
YOUR LUGGAGE is restricted in size and shape by the airline, and is limited to one checked piece (max 50#), one carryon, plus a smaller personal piece. You should check with the airline for the specific restrictions.
STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITY
CTSP agrees to provide the itinerary described for this trip, and it represents the entire agreement between the passenger and CTSP. No changes or deviations are effective unless approved in writing and signed by an authorized officer of CTSP. Except as stated herein, no person is authorized to cancel, modify, or vary the study program arrangements (during the course) or to make any representation of warranty concerning the program.
All prices, itineraries, and schedules are subject to regulations and changes thereof by acts of Government, International Agreement and Airline tariff adjustments, rules and regulations.
CTSP reserves the right to change or withdraw the program, in whole or in part, at any time. In the event of a change, the sole exclusive obligation of CTSP will be to refund pro rata any recoverable payment received, based on recovered funds. In the event of rescheduling of the program due to unforeseen circumstances, the cancellation and refund clause will apply. CTSP reserves the right to refuse or to revoke travel to anyone who is, in the sole judgment of CTSP, incapable of or detrimental to group travel.
Except for the willful negligence of its direct employees, CTSP assumes no liability or responsibility for any injuries, inconveniences, illness, irregularity or incidental damages occasioned by circumstances beyond the control of CTSP, or by any person or reason whatsoever, including, but not limited to events such as strikes, revolts, wars, natural disaster, closures of airports or hotels, default or omission of any common or private carrier or the default, negligence, or omission of any by any third party providing services or facilities related to or included in this program.
The commercial carriers are not to be held responsible for any act, omission or event during the time the passengers are not on-board commercial carriers. The passenger contracts, in use by all commercial carriers involved, when issued, shall constitute the sole contract between the commercial carriers and the passenger or purchaser of this program and/or passage and program operator assumes no liability or responsibility in connection therewith.
ENROLLMENT in and payment of the deposit for the tour constitutes your acceptance of the Program Conditions and Statement of Responsibility.