Treasures of Italy & Sicily

1. Visit CHA’s website at www.cha-tours.com.

2. Click Enroll on the top of the page or Enroll Online in the center of the page.

3. Click on the link for Participant Application.

4. Enter your Group Access Code: 2501T00125.

5. Click Continue. Review the tour information shown before clicking Enroll Now.

6. Complete the form and follow all instructions on the pages that follow.

7. After submitting the form, an email confirmation will follow. Within 1-2 weeks, CHA will mail a detailed Tour Account Statement along with other introductory materials. The statement will contain login instructions for the traveler’s individual tour account on our website.

8. Make a credit card payment to cover CHA's $95 Registration Fee (required) as soon as possible to secure your spot, or by March 1, 2024. Within 60 days of this payment, make an additional $400 deposit. You can also make an initial payment of $495. The remainder of your payment will be due by November 1, 2024. You can also use the Easy Payment Plan option on the CHA website.

9. For cancellation and refund policy visit CHA’s website.

Printable Itinerary with Full Daily Details (PDF)

Sat. 2/22 - DAY 1: DEPARTURE FROM THE USA
We meet at a gateway city in the US and depart for Italy. Meals will be served aloft.

Sun. 2/23 - DAY 2: MILAN – PADUA – VENICE (or VENICE – PADUA TBD)
Welcome to Milan OR Venice (TBD) where we'll be welcomed by our tour director at the airport. If we land in Milan, enjoy a walking tour, depending on arrival time. We drive east to Padua to begin our exploration of Italy with a visit to the Scrovegni Chapel to admire Giotto’s moving frescos adorning its walls and ceiling. Afterwards, we proceed to our Venice area hotel for dinner and overnight. (Hotel TBD)

Mon. 2/24 - DAY 3: VENICE
An expert local guide introduces us to the treasures of Venice. Admire the Doges’ Palace, the Bridge of Sighs, explore bustling Piazza San Marco and visit beautiful St. Mark’s Basilica. After lunch, visit the island of Murano Glass Factory for a glass-blowing exhibit. In the afternoon, take an included gondola ride. We return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Tue. 2/24 - DAY 4: VENICE - BOLOGNA – FLORENCE
Lush Tuscan vineyards and olive groves surround us as we travel to Bologna, the food capital of Italy. Originally an Etruscan city, Bologna has had traces of civilization since the 3^rd millennium BC. On our free time for lunch, see the church of Saint Petronio and Bologna’s medieval towers. Continue to Florence in the heart of Tuscany for the evening. Join our tour director on an evening walking tour to get better acquainted with the Tuscan capital. Dinner and overnight in Florence. (Hotel TBD)

Wed. 2/26 - DAY 5: FLORENCE
In the morning enjoy a guided sightseeing tour of Renaissance Florence, once an important center of artistic patronage under the Medici. We’ll see some of the city’s Renaissance gems including Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Church of Santa Croce, the Baptistery, and Piazza della Signoria. Included are visits to the Duomo, the Galleria dell’Accademia to admire Michelangelo’s “David.” The afternoon includes a guided tour visit of the Uffizi Gallery. In our free time stroll across the Ponte Vecchio for views of the Arno River. Dinner and overnight in Florence. (Hotel TBD)

Thu. 2/27 - DAY 6: FLORENCE - ASSISI
Drive to Assisi for a visit to the Basilica of St. Francis to see its remarkable collection of frescoes by Giotto depicting 28 scenes in the life of the saint. Other sites include the Basilica of Santa Chiara, the Piazza del Commune, the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. After dinner explore the streets of this medieval town. Dinner and overnight in Assisi. (Hotel TBD)

Fri. 2/28 - DAY 7: ASSISI – ROME
In the morning we journey to Rome, the Eternal City, where we will discover the city’s ancient treasures with our expert local guide. Visit some of the treasures of ancient Rome. Included are the Arch of Constantine, the Circus Maximus, and Capitoline Hill. Visit the sprawling Roman Forum, once the commercial, political, and religious center of life in ancient Rome, and the mighty Colosseum which once held as many as 55,000 spectators. Sightseeing ends as we visit the Church of St. Peter in Chains to see Michelangelo’s powerful Moses. Dinner and overnight in Rome. (Hotel TBD)

Sat. 3/1 - DAY 8: ROME
This morning’s guided tour highlights the wonders of Vatican City, the center of Roman Catholicism. Included are visits to St. Peter’s Basilica to see Michelangelo’s moving “Pieta,” the lavishly decorated Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo’s superbly painted ceiling and the Vatican Museum to see its collection of Greek, Roman and Etruscan antiquities. The afternoon is ours for sightseeing the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, Spanish Steps, and souvenir shopping, OR enjoy an optional excursion to the ancient catacombs of Saint Callixtus, the fascinating underground burial chambers of Roman Christians, the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls and the Abbey of the Three Fountains The optional excursion, led by Dr. Jeanne Serrao, will cost $55 per participant. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

Sun. 3/2 - DAY 9: ROME
Enjoy a free day exploring Rome on our own, enjoy shopping OR some may wish to visit several of the most important art museums and basilicas in the area or see the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Trevi fountain, Spanish Steps. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

Mon. 3/3 - DAY 10: ROME - POMPEII – SORRENTO
Follow the Highway of the Sun to ancient Pompeii for a guided tour of the city’s well-preserved treasures once buried beneath the ashes and lava of Mount Vesuvius. This includes visiting the Villa of the Mysteries. Later, we take a scenic drive around the azure bay of Naples leading to Sorrento's magical cliffside setting. Dinner and overnight in Sorrento. (Hotel TBD)

Tue. 3/4 - DAY 11: SORRENTO - REGGIO CALABRIA - FERRY TO MESSINA - TAORMINA
Drive to Reggio Calabria to board the ferry crossing to Messina in Sicily, where Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Saracens, and Normans have all left their marks through the ages. We proceed to the hilltop town of Taormina on the east coast of Sicily. It sits near Mount Etna, an active volcano with trails leading to the summit. Dinner and overnight in Taormina. (Hotel TBD)

Wed. 3/5 - DAY 12: TAORMINA - SIRACUSA - TAORMINA
Sightseeing of Taormina’s Roman and Greek remains includes a visit to the Greek Amphitheatre dating from the 3rd century B.C. Then drive to the former Greek colony of Siracusa to visit the Ear of Dionysius, the Greek Theatre, and the Roman Amphitheatre. Dinner and overnight in Taormina.

Thu. 3/6 - DAY 13: TAORMINA – PALERMO
Journey to Palermo where guided sightseeing of the Sicilian capital reveals the Quattro Canti, the Piazza Pretoria, and the Piazza Bellini. Included are visits to the city’s 12th-century Sicilian Norman-style Cathedral and the magnificent Palace of the Normans. Dinner and overnight in Palermo. (Hotel TBD)

Fri. 3/7 - DAY 14: DEPARTURE FOR THE USA
Drive to the airport to board our return flight to the United States.

Figures reflect anticipated rates*

• Tour cost: all-inclusive fee of $5,895 per person (double occupancy)
• Single room supplement fee: $720
• Includes:
  • Roundtrip airfare between Columbus, Ohio - Rome, Italy
  • 12 nights in 3-4 star hotels
  • Sightseeing as per the itinerary
  • All escorted transfers, including ferries.
  • Daily breakfasts and dinners (including a special dinner in Florence).
  • Transportation by private, climate controlled, bus with driver throughout the tour.
  • English-speaking professional tour director and city tour guides.
  • Entry fees to all scheduled sites and museums as noted in the itinerary in italics.
  • Minimum tips for tour guides and drivers.
  • The registration fee of $95 is part of the total cost.
  • Applicable air-related taxes, fees, and fuel surcharges as well as taxes assessed by hotels. and restaurants and tips for services provided by hotel and restaurant staff.
• Excludes:
  • Supplemental airfare from those not flying out of Columbus, Ohio. Our travel agency will work with you directly on these arrangements.
  • European Union visa (ETIAS) 7 Euros (approximately $8). More information at this link.
  • Lunches and all drinks (approx. $6-15 per meal), snacks or any drinks for lunch or dinner (approx. $3-5 per meal). Coffee, milk, and juice are included in the breakfasts.
  • Personal expenses, such as souvenirs, or snacks.
  • Additional travel and health insurance.
  • Optional excursions.
  • Any other service which is not mentioned above.

*For passengers not departing from Columbus, Ohio this cost may vary. Please email Prof. John Donnelly or call (740) 501-2172 for more information.

Important Note: Tour prices are based on group minimum of 36 passengers, projected 2025 airfare rates, and cost of land arrangements as of September 2023. These are subject to any changes that may be imposed prior to departure.

• Read Me First! Information for All Travelers 
• Medical Information & Release
• Assumption of Risk and Release
• Permission to Secure Medical Treatment
• Permission to Release Information
• Foreign Travel Assistance Procedures
• Preventing Sexual Harassment Training and Test (Only for MVNU faculty/staff/students. See Title IX below for guest form.)
• Title IX Guest Compliance Form (For everyone else not directly affiliated with MVNU)
• Emergency Housing Request Form (MVNU students) – TBA for 2025 dates

Print, fill out and mail these forms to:
Fairbanks Center for Global Engagement / MVNU
c/o Christy Taylor
800 Martinsburg Rd.
Mount Vernon, OH 43050

OR email them as attachments to Christy Taylor

• ART2013G: Art and Architecture in Historical Italy (3 credits) - Meets general core educational requirement for either Exploration in the Arts or Crossing Cultures and the art major/minor history requirement. - Prof. John Donnelly
• ART4093: Special Topics in Art History (1-4 credits) - Prof. John Donnelly
• ART5019: Independent Studies in Art, Design or Art History – Prof. John Donnelly
• ITD1009: Crossing Cultures (0-2 credits) - C. Jeanne Serrao
• BIB3043: Paul’s Life & Letters (3 credits) – Dr. C. Jeanne Serrao
• ITD5013: Contemporary Concerns (3 credits) – Prof. Carlos M. Serrao
• Directed and independent study options are available. Please speak to Prof. Donnelly or Dr. Serrao for more details.

Course availability may be dependent on the number of students registered. Credit is available for both undergraduate and graduate levels. Courses are not required for alumni and friends of MVNU. Lifelong Learning Units (formerly CEU) credits are available for Nazarene pastors.