«Ancient and Holy in Italy»

June 15 – 28, 2009  

Our pilgrimage will include visits to Padua, Venice, Ravenna, Rome, Naples, Pompeii and Bari. The focus of our pilgrimage is on the veneration and worship of the holy sites that were sanctified by the lives of the Saints of the Ancient Church that are holy as the treasury places of numerous relics and miraculous icons. We, also, will see the splendid remains of the Byzantine Civilization and will visit a number of major Ancient ruins in order to understand the true triumph of the Ancient Church over the glory and splendor of Ancient Rome.

Day 1. Monday, June 15, 2009.
Group assembles in the airport and departs from the US

Day 2. Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Group arrives to the airport in Venice, Italy. Meet up with a guide and transfer to the hotel in the historical part of Venice. Based on the time of arrival, en route to the hotel a visit and a tour of the historical city of Padua, renown Christian center in Northern Italy, where in the Basilica of St. Justina the relics of St. Apostle and Evangelist Mark are laid to rest.  Tour to Padua, will include a visit to Scrovegni chapel with well know frescoes by Ambrosio Bondone, better known as Giotto. Overnight in the hotel in Venice. 

Day 3. Wednesday, June 17, 2009.
Today we will explore the city of Venice, a city with countless historical monuments, cultural attractions and Christian holy places. For many people, the city of Venice is associated with the canals, palaces, gondolas and gondoliers that are singing something mysteriously romantic. To an extent Venice is indeed that. But very few people realize that Venice had a mighty naval power at one time and that the Venetian Republic sponsored the conquest of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade in 1204. Since then many of the Christian treasures from the Imperial City are still stored in numerous Cathedrals and churches of Venice. In the morning hours we will make a pilgrimage walk through several churches and will venerate relics of numerous saints, such as Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappodocia; Athanasius the Great and John the Almsgiver, Saintly Patriarchs of Alexandria; righteous Zachariah, father of St. John the Baptist; Holy Warrior and great martyr Theodore Stratylates; Venerable fathers Paul of Fayoum and Kosmas of the desert; holy unmercenaries Cosmos and Damian of Arabia and many others.      
After a lunch break we will visit the most famous monuments of Venice. One of them is the Cathedral of St. Mark that in its glory and splendor is not any less beautiful than the most elaborate Cathedrals of Constantinople. Cathedral of St. Mark in addition to its breathtaking beauty is doubtlessly a holy place to any Orthodox as it is also a resting place of holy apostle and evangelist Mark and place of veneration of the miracle working icon of the Theotokos “Nicopea” (“The victory bearer”) that is attributed to the hand of the apostle Mark. After our visit to the Cathedral we will visit the palaces of the Dodges, where you will be able to enjoy the splendor of the interiors and to learn a lot of interesting facts about the history of the city.  
 
Day 4. Thursday, June 18, 2009.
Today we will visit several islands of the Venetian Lagoon. Our first stop will be at Murano that is famous from the medieval period due to its multiple glass factories. To us Murano is even more interesting because of the beautiful Basilica of St. Donatus of Evria that houses relics of that fourth century saint, along with the relics of Saint Gerard, the martyr and enlightener of Hungarians. After Murano we will transfer to Torcello, a little island that is world famous for its 7th century basilica and splendid medieval mosaics. As so many other Venetian churches, Dormition Cathedral houses a number of relics, among them the remains of Saintly Bishop Heliodorus and female martyrs Fabra and Fabrata. Our last stop in the lagoon will be on the island of Burano, the resting place of holy martyrs Barbara, Alban, Dominic and Ursus. This small island is most famous of its lace factories. Here you will be given some free time for shopping and lunch.
Upon return to the “mainland” you’ll be free to explore the city on your own, to go back to the places that you liked the most or just enjoy yourself in this fabulous, romantic and holy city.

Day 5. Friday, June 19, 2009.
This morning we will start our journey toward the Eternal City. On our way we will make a stop at a very interesting historical town of Ravenna that in itself is a splendid page of the Byzantine History. For a short period of time Ravenna was a capital of the Byzantine Empire in the West. In this small town, several Byzantine monuments from the period of Justinian survive like nowhere else. Basilicas of St. Appolinarius “in the Fields”, Cathedral of St. Vitale, mausoleum of Galla Placidia, the city Basilica of St. Appolinarius, Orthodox and Arian Baptisteries are doubtlessly among the gems of the Byzantine Art and Architecture. Even those people who saw the reproductions of the mosaics, will be conquered by their liveliness, colors, and simplicity of the pre-iconoclastic depictions and symbolism. 
After our visit to Ravenna we will continue our way down South and will stop for overnight in one of the small towns of Umbria or Toscana.

Day 6. Saturday, June 20, 2009.
After breakfast we will transfer to Rome. We will start our exploration of the
Eternal City with a visit to Vatican. Actually, Vatican itself is the smallest state in existence.  But it is more famous as the residence of the Pope of Rome, once the most important out of five keepers of the ancient Christian Patriarchal sees. The Complex of the Vatican Palaces and churches is built on the place of an early Christian cemetery where many Christian martyrs were buried.  St. Peter’s Basilica itself is a resting place of many Orthodox saints. There are no words to describe the glory and beauty of St. Peter’s Basilica, the collections of the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. For those who desire, an additional tour can be organized to the excavations under St. Peter’s basilica to see the tomb of the “Chief of the Apostles”. In the afternoon we’ll attend Vigil Service at the Russian Orthodox Church in the heart of Rome.

Day 7. Sunday, June 21, 2009.
After Divine Liturgy at the Russian Orthodox Church we will continue the exploration of the Sacred Christian Sites of Rome. We will visit Churches of Sts. Cosmas and Damian and “St. Peter in Chains”, the church where the prison chains of the apostle are venerated, and basilica of St. Sabina on the Aventine Hill. We will pray at the front of the relics of St. Alexis the Man of God, and will visit some of the most beautiful churches and ancient churches of Rome, among them, St. Maria Antiqua and St. Maria Trastavere.  
Your evening will be at leisure, unless you feel like continuing for a little while and explore Rome by twilight. During optional tour you will be able to visit famous Spanish Steps, fountain of Trevi and some other romantic places in the heart of the Eternal City.

Day 8. Monday, June 22, 2009.
Today we will start with the exploration of the remnants of the city that gave Rome its title “Eternal”. We will see the largest amphitheater of Antiquity, the Coliseum, a circus that hosted up to 80,000 spectators, and yet even larger Circus Maximus, the horse race stadium, witness to the cheer of 250,000 Romans. We will see ancient Rome’s downtown, the Forum and Palatine Hill, with a splendid museum hosting countless articles from distant times.
In that ancient place we will also visit the place of Apostle Peter’s imprisonment – Mamertime Prison. Also, we’ll see one of the most ancient churches, named after St. Nicholas, which is built within the walls of ancient pagan temple and curious excavations in its basement. After visiting the “Mouth of Truth” at the vestibule of the Greek Uniate Church nearby, we will end our tour at the Pantheon, long time place of the panopticum of all Ancient Roman gods, and then a venerable Christian Church for centuries. Despite it rather humble appearance; the Pantheon is one of the most remarkable structures of Antiquity. Till the present day it has the widest dome anywhere in the World.
 
Day 9. Tuesday, June 23, 2009.
This day we will continue the exploration of the Christian inheritance of the Eternal City. We will visit magnificent Cathedral of St. Paul, known as “St. Paul outside the Walls”, the Catacombs of St. Callistus with the church “Quo Vadis” that is located near catacombs, Basilicas of St. Lawrence and St. Sebastiano
The rest of this day will be at leisure. You may shop or just enjoy yourself at a café on one of the many Roman piazzas. I would strongly encourage you to visit, if possible, Galleria Borgese (advanced reservations are required and entrance hours are rather limited) one of the most special places among the endless attractions that Rome offers to see.

Day 10. Wednesday, June 24, 2009.
On our last day in Rome we will visit some of the most important churches of Rome: St. Maria Maggore Church, St. John Lateran Cathedral is the cathedral of Rome, Santa Croce Church or Church of the Holy Cross, The Church of the Holy Stairs was built for one reason, to hold the stairs that Christ ascended to the Roman Praetorium in Jerusalem on the day of His judgment by Pontius Pilate.
Our formal tour of Rome will end with a visit to the catacombs of St. Priscilla that contains some of the best preserved Ancient Christian frescoes. In the afternoon, we will transfer South of Rome, to the city of Naples.

Day 11. Thursday, June 25, 2009.
This morning will be dedicated to sight seeing of Naples. After a brief sightseeing tour of the city, we will visit the Chapel were the relics of the first Bishop of Naples, St. Januarius are housed and Duomo with some of the most ancient
Christian Mosaics to be found anywhere. Then we’ll visit the national archeological museum of Naples. In the afternoon, we’ll visit the site of the ancient town of Ercolano or Herculaneum, a sister city of Pompeii, who shared its tragedy on the day of the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. Herculaneum is much smaller and less famous than Pompeii and yet it is much better preserved, less crowded and gives you a better understanding of what ancient cities looked like. 

Day 12. Friday, June 26, 2009.
This morning we’ll explore the city of Salerno and visit the Duomo – Cathedral that hosts the relics of the apostle and evangelist Matthew.  From Salerno we will continue to the most famous ancient ruin, the city of Pompeii. The ruins are absolutely splendid and even a full day won’t be enough to explore it all. We will have a tour of the most important sites and you will be given some time to explore the city on your own and to have a lunch at the air-conditioned cafeteria in the midst of the ruins. After our visit to Pompeii, we will be heading toward our final destination of our Italian pilgrimage, to the port city of Bari, on the Adriatic coast.   

Day 13. Saturday, June 27, 2009
Today we will start our day with the Divine Liturgy in the city of St. Nicholas. The body of the saint is laid down in a crypt in the basilica of his name in Bari. Up until the present day countless miracles proceed from his body. We hope that local authorities will allow us to celebrate Liturgy on that Holy Place. If for some bureaucratic reason that won’t be possible, we will have a Liturgy or a prayer service in the local Russian Orthodox Church and we’ll prayerfully venerate the remains of the saint in his basilica. In the afternoon, we’ll head toward the Village of Alberabello, famous for its unique cone type architecture known as trulli. That architectural style was typical for that area for thousands of years, and remains practically unchanged till the present day.

Day 14. Sunday, June 28, 2009.
This morning we’ll leave from Bari back home to the US via Rome or Milan

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE TOUR:

Financial arrangements:
The current cost of the trip is about $3,000 per person, based on a double occupancy in a group of 26 people. The additional fee for single accommodation is $600 and is subject to availability and confirmation. In case of major currency fluctuation or reduced number of participants, all prices are subject to change according to the rate of exchange available at time of final payment. Our hope is that the price of our pilgrimage will remain essentially the same. In any case you'll be informed right away of any possible financial changes or adjustments.
 
AIR PORTION:
We are constantly working on finding better fees for group air travel and hope to find cheaper solution, however the best available group rates at the present are as follows:

New York – Venice, Bari - New York:
$961 net per person + approx. $445 (current airport taxes and fuel surcharges) for economy class air travel on Alitalia Airlines from JFK or Newark to Venice (via Rome or Milan) and from Bari to JFK or Newark (via Rome or Milan)

San Francisco – New York, New York – San Francisco:
$280 (+ applicable taxes & fuel surcharges) net per person for economy class air travel on Continental Airlines from San Francisco to Newark

Price includes:
• Accommodation in good Tourist-Class Hotels* (good 3***) or Religious Guest Houses** with Breakfasts Daily;
• Some extra meals (Lunches or Dinners)
• Deluxe Air-conditioned motorcoach for the transfers all along the Tour according to the program;
• Road and local taxes for the tourist bus
• English-speaking Tour Escort for the whole Pilgrimage;
• City Tours as per the above Itinerary;
• Entrance tickets to the Museums and Churches as per the above itinerary
*The hotels that we offer for this tour are local equivalent of 3*** and in some places the best available. Please note that, the level of accommodations and services may be different from the expectations of similarly rated hotels in North America.
**Some of the religious houses may have a curfew that usually starts at 10pm. 

Price does NOT include:
• Meals other than specified
• Beverages during meals
• Optional/additional tours and associated entrance fees
• Porterage, gratuities* and extras
• Anything that is not specifically mentioned in “Price includes”
* It is customary for the tour participants to tip, on a personal basis, the tour escort, driver and local guides based on the satisfaction of the services received.  Please use the following as a guideline: Driver/Tour Escort: 2,00 Euros per person/per day; Local guides: Euros 1,00 per person/per guided tour (half-day) or 2,00 Euros per person/per full day.

Sign up and Payment:
We would request $500.00 deposit at the time of signing up for the trip. Deposit is non-refundable. The entire amount is requested 90 days prior to the departure (March 15, 2009).
All payments should be made by check to the "Palomnik, LLC". Any returned checks are subject to $20 fee.
The dead line for signing up for the trip is January 30, 2009. If decide to join the pilgrimage after the deadline, please contact tour coordinator right away.

Special requests:
You can make flight arrangements on your own, if you would be able to find a better deal with another airline. However, in that case it will be your responsibility to arrange transportation to the hotel and back to the airport at the port of entry/departure.
All special requests, concerns and suggestions must be submitted in writing to Fr. Ilya Gotlinsky no later than the date of the final payment (March 15, 2009). 

Cancellation:
In the unlikely event of cancellation, the charges, in addition to the full amount of the deposit are*:
• No penalties, except air ticket (if issued) over 91 days to departure 
• 50% of the tour cost, 90 to 31 days prior to the departure
• 100% of the tour cost 30 days prior to the departure
*Air travel cancellation policies are in force in accordance with the regulations of the particular airline once tickets are issued.
 All the cancellations must be in writing and sent directly to agent/coordinator - Fr. llya Gotlinsky, and must be received for reimbursement by the dates shown in the cancellation schedule.

Rules on the road:
• It is strongly suggested for a traveler to obtain insurance covering medical needs and coverage regarding personal property;
• be aware that all medical needs and all associated expenses will be sole responsibility of the traveler; 
• act in a manner consistent with the surrounding environment;
• make arrangement to have sufficient funds to cover personal needs and unexpected happenings.

The places that we will be visiting may not have the same amenities that one may be accustomed to. Medical facilities may be limited in some areas. Because of the difference in language and customs, it is expected that the traveler will follow the directions of the Tour Director at all times.
The Director reserves the right to restrict a person’s participation in the group’s activities, including exclusion from the group, when, in the opinion of the Director, such action is appropriate.

Please note:
The Director of the trip (Fr. Ilya Gotlinsky) does not hold any legal responsibilities concerning any of the arrangements. He plays only the role of an agent/coordinator.

Passport and Visa:
A valid passport needed to travel to Italy. The passport must be issued at least three months prior to the departure and must be valid until your return. The US citizens do not need a visa to travel to Italy or other countries of the European Union. However, if you are not a US citizen, please contact the Italian Embassy or Consulate General if you do need visa to travel to Italy.

Security:
Italy generally is a very safe country. Although, petty street crime as pick pocketing is quite widely spread, especially in large cities. Don't keep all of your cash in one place, and carry important documents (like your passport) with you in a hidden pocket or secure bag. You don't want to be in a foreign land without money or travel documents. Expensive jewelry and fancy are best left at home.

Medication:
Italy has very good health system and drugs are widely available at many pharmacies. Most of the clerks at the pharmacies speak fluent English. However, we still would recommend you to bring whatever medications that you think you may need, especially, prescription drugs.

Church and services:
We are going to visit a lot of churches and cathedrals. While the dress code is generally loose, I want to encourage all to show moderation and respect. People in shorts and open shouldered outfits most likely won’t be allowed in most monasteries and churches. There are several services scheduled during the trip. They are open to all who want to attend, but are not mandatory. Those Orthodox travelers who would like to receive Holy Communion during the Divine Liturgy must come for Confession prior to receiving the Holy Communion.

Currency:
Most of the places in Italy accept credit cards (mostly Visa or MasterCard, no Discover or American Express). The easiest way to obtain cash is to use the ATM machines that are literally all over the place. For ATMs use your debit card because you won’t be charged any interest on cash withdrawals. On your credit card purchase or with you debit card cash withdrawal you get the best exchange rate, that of the day. It is a good idea to let your bank or Credit Company (the one that you’ll be using a card) know that you are traveling overseas. Without such a notice some companies may “freeze” your account in a prevention of the foreign card fraud. 

Be sure to bring:
An alarm clock; alcohol-based hand sanitizer or wet wipes; Kleenex; film and extra batteries for your camera (at the tourist places they are widely available but significantly more expensive); comfortable shoes (do not start the trip with new shoes). Electric/electric outlet adapter is necessary if you plan to use any electric gadgets from the US.    

Italian food:
…is world famous and absolutely excellent, although calorie content is obviously not a major concern. Since you are going to have some meals on your own shop around before settling anywhere. Most restaurants have menus available in English. Before deciding what to order, ask them about a special complex meal. Such meals usually significantly cheaper, but yet just as reach and tasty and you still have some choice within the fixed price. Please note that soft or alcohol drinks in Italian restaurants are always extra. Make sure to plan your time, especially during the lunch brake. Italians see meals as social and cultural events, and take their time to dine. So, usually services and the restaurants or trattorias won’t be as fast as we used to them in the US. Some sandwiches, delicious pastry, excellent coffee and other Italian delicacies that are readily available everywhere, usually is a good, fast and relatively inexpensive solution for your lunch. Please note that you will be charge different price for the same food or drink based on whether you will choose to take it out, stand by the counter or will sit down to eat.