ITALY:
October 5-12, 2027
Paul’s Response to the Roman World
WITH MARTINSBURG GRACE BRETHREN
(Program #260204, Taught by Dr. Smith)
Full Tour: TBD
Land Only: $3,529.99
✅ INCLUDED:
Accommodations: First-Class (4★) hotels with private bath, based on double occupancy
Meals: Daily buffet breakfast and dinner.
Sightseeing: Full program of sightseeing as listed in the itinerary.
Guide: Licensed, English-speaking local guide throughout.
Entrance Fees: All included for sites listed in the program.
Tips for Group Services: All standard gratuities for hotels, restaurants, and drivers during group travel.
Taxes & Surcharges: All taxes and fuel surcharges in effect as of May 1, 2025.
Group Transportation: Motorcoach transfers and touring per itinerary.
Study Materials & Coordination: Assistance from CTSP staff before and during the journey.
Airfare (with Full Tour): Round-trip economy class airfare from the U.S. on regularly scheduled carriers.
Luggage: One checked bag (max 50 lbs), one carry-on, and one small personal item, per airline limits.
❌ NOT INCLUDED:
Personal Expenses: Laundry, phone calls, snacks, bottled water, soft drinks, or coffee with dinners.
Lunches: Not included unless specifically noted.
Tips for Personal Favors: Such as hotel room service or private assistance.
Optional Travel Insurance: Highly recommended but not sold by CTSP.
COVID-related Expenses: Any required testing or compliance costs.
Excess or Forwarded Baggage: Airline fees for overweight or additional luggage.
Private Transfers: Any transfers not operating with the main group.
Single Room Supplement: ~$1,150 per person (required if a roommate cannot be assigned). The exact price for the supplement will be available in the Tour Conditions when it becomes available.
Passport Fees & Visas: Costs associated with obtaining or renewing your travel documents.
Additional Taxes or Airline Surcharges: If imposed after May 1, 2025.
Extra Nights: Any overnights caused by airline schedule changes ($180 pp double / ~$320 single per night). The exact price for extra nights will be available in Tour Conditions when available.
Cancellations: Non-refundable deposits and applicable cancellation fees as listed in the Tour Conditions.
This travel study program has three important objectives:
First, we want to “put on the skin” of an ancient Roman to understand the challenge the Apostles faced in disseminating the Gospel to the people of their time.
Second, we want to examine how the Gospel effectively punctured and eventually overcame the ideology that dominated the pagan world.
Finally, we want to firmly grasp the motifs and images used by the Apostle Paul in his thirteen named epistles that were all fully immersed in the Roman “street mentality.”
Itinerary:
Day One: Tuesday, October 5,2027 Departure Day.
Depart US for Rome, Italy.
Meals and overnight: In flight.
Day Two: Wednesday, October 6, 2027 Arrival Day. “Setting Paul in the Roman World” (Ostia Antica).
Group will convene, and bus will pick everyone up at Fiumicino Airport. Visit to Ostia Antica.
Overnight: Isola Sacra, Fiumicino. B,D. (1 of 1)
Day Three: Thursday, October 7, 2027“Paul’s Writings and the Roman World” (Foro Appio. Sperlonga, Minturno).
Departing early (08:00) from our hotel, we will travel to the ancient roadway of the Via Appia at the Mansio Foro Appia (1h20m) along the route Paul traveled in Acts 28. After a brief time along the ancient road, we will come to the ruins of the Maritime Villa of Tiberius at Sperlonga (1h10m) and Museum for a look at the interplay between Rome and Judea in the Gospels. On to Albergo Teatro Romano at Minturno for lunch and a visit to the nearby site of Minturno. We will finish our day with a drive along the sea to Castel Volturno (45m).
Overnight: Castel Volturno. B,D (1 of 1)
Day Four: Friday, October 8, 2027 “Paul’s World Exposed” (Cuma, Ercolano, Pompeii).
Visit Cumae, and then on to an overview of Pozzuoli, the harbor city where Paul first stepped onto the Italian Peninsula (Acts 28:13). Next, we visit Ercolano and Pompeii. Overnight: Pompei. B,D (1 of 1)
Day Five: Saturday, October 9, 2027 “The People Paul Knew” (Maritime Villas, Villa Poppea, Boscoreale, Abbey at Montecassino.
Villa San Marco, Oplontis (Villa Poppea), Boscoreale Museum, Montecassino. Overnight: Villa degli Angeli at Castel Gandolfo. B,D (1 of 1)
Day Six: Sunday, October 10, 2027 “Paul’s Early Visit to Rome” (Fora Romana, Colosseo, Vatican, St. Peter’s Church).
Roman Forum, Coliseum. Vatican Museum and St. Peter's Church. Overnight: Rome. B,D (1 of 2)
Day Seven: Monday, October 11, 2027 “Paul’s Final Days in Rome” (San Paolo alla Regola, Tre Fontanes Abbey, Via Appia Antica, Catacombs).
San Paolo alla Regola, Three Fountains Abbey, Via Appia Antica walk, Catacombs. Overnight: Rome. B (2 of 2)
Day Eight: Tuesday, October 12, 2027 Return to USA
Depart for USA, arriving later the same day.
Every effort will be made to complete the full itinerary. Yet, because conditions are often unpredictable in travel, we reserve the right to make changes during the tour.
TOUR CONDITIONS:
October 5-12, 2027 ITALY PROGRAM PRICE includes economy group air, hotels, buffet breakfast and dinner as listed on program, tips for group services, full sightseeing, the services of English-speaking lecturers, digital resource notebook, local guide (where required) and all entrance fees to sites as listed in the program. All taxes and surcharges in effect as of May 15, 2026 are included. If additional surcharges or taxes are imposed by the airlines or governments, any additional amounts will be the responsibility of the passenger. This program will operate with a minimum of 20 participants.
LAND ONLY PRICING INCLUDES all of the above except air tickets and transfers.
NOT INCLUDED are any expenses required for visas, ETA requirements for Israel entry, COVID compliance (there are none at the time of this publication); personal items such as laundry; meals not specified as included in program, drinks and coffee during or after meals; lunches, tips for personal favors; excess baggage and forwarding of baggage; transfers other than with the group; optional travel insurance.
WE KINDLY REQUEST THAT ALL PASSENGERS purchase their own travel insurance policy to care for any disruptions or cancellations because of health issues, possible local conditions, etc. Cancel for any reason (CFAR) is available through some companies, but can be quite pricey. Do some research and get the plan that will best cover you. CTSP does not sell or recommend insurance companies.
YOUR ACCOMMODATIONS are based on double occupancy in a four-star (where available) rooms with private bath. There is a supplemental charge of $600 for the land portion 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 subject to the single supplement charge. All single rooms are subject to availability and may be smaller than normal twin rooms.
PAYMENT: A deposit of $500 per person is required to secure your place on the program. This deposit is nonrefundable and is used to secure space, cover administrative costs, and satisfy supplier commitments. A second payment of 50% per person is due six months prior to departure. Final payment is due three months prior to departure. Deposits received within six (6) months of departure require a total initial payment of the deposit and second payment amount. Thereafter, a late payment fee of $100 per person per month will be assessed. FINAL PAYMENTS ARE DUE IN THE CTSP OFFICE BY July 5, 2027.
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.
*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 is recommended on all international journeys. Insurance policies purchased within two weeks of CTSP receiving original deposit provide the best value, and may cover pre-existing conditions (read the inclusion statements from your provider very carefully). See www.SquareMouth.com to help you compare various companies to make an informed purchase of insurance. We are a travel service, not an insurer, and we don’t want you to lose your investment should something keep you from joining us!
ITINERARY LENGTH: Participant’s 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, if you purchase connecting tickets, CTSP strongly recommends they be ones which can be changed without heavy fees and 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$290 for single rooms (includes single supplement).
AIRLINE ARRANGEMENTS 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. CTSP recommends that all passengers who need special services or specific seating requests purchase “land only” and then purchase their own flights.
YOUR LUGGAGE is restricted in size and shape by the airline, and is limited to one checked piece, plus one carry-on. You should check with the airline for their 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 constitute your acceptance of the Program Conditions and Statement of Responsibility.