Exploring Italy

It's a spectacular party!

The Piazza Navona in downtown Rome is a place of spectacle (and has been for a long time).

Today it is a public space for shopping, eating, and relaxation.

In the 17th century, it was a showcase of Baroque art with impressive pieces still on display (note Bernini’s “Fountain of the Four Rivers” behind the bubble-maker in the photo above).

In the first century the public square was the location of the Stadium of Domitian, a sports stadium called the Circus Agonalis.

Consider this your invitation to join us in Rome in the coming year. We’ll be there twice. The first occasion will be part of a land-only tour of the peninsula that starts in Venice and ends in Pompeii. Dates are May 28-June 6. To learn more, see the link here. The second occasion will be a pre-trip connected to an Aegean Cruise, October 22-November 3. Again, here’s the link.

These trips will be party and then some. We aim to highlight New Testament World connections all along the way.

Italy in 2026

Bible Land Explorer is headed back to the Vatican in 2026. The visit will be part of our "Taste of Italy" tour that will sample the cuisine, art, history and archaeology of the peninsula. Venice, Florence, Assisi, Rome, and Pompeii are among our stops. Consider joining us, May 28-June 6, 2026. For details, see the link here: https://www.jcbs.org/tours/jx26052826z62606

Atlas Shrugged

Kneeling Atlas from the odeon ("The Little Theater") in Pompeii, Italy. This entertainment venue was built in the first century BC and destroyed in the first century AD. Pompeii--and its odeon--was enveloped in several meters of ash when Mt Vesuvius erupted in AD 79.

If seeing the well-preserved wonders of Pompeii are of interest to you, you should consider joining us as we return for a taste of Italy next year. See the link here for details.