PILGRIMAGE TO ITALY WITH FR. STEVE TSICHLIS

May 16 – 27, 2020

Day 1. Saturday, May 16, 2020 Meals: Dinner Arrival to Venice. Check-in at the hotel.

Day 2. Sunday, May 17, 2020 Meals: Breakfast We’ll start our tour with a Liturgy at St. George Greek Orthodox Church. After Liturgy visit to St. Mark’ Cathedral, that in addition to many holy relics, contains an exquisite exhibit of Late Byzantine and post-Byzantine art, and which hosts the relics of the evangelist, St. Mark. The cathedral was built in distinctive Byzantine style in the mid-11th century to store the relics of St. Mark, which the Venetians stole from Alexandria. The cathedral is of exceptional beauty, and also has a magnificent collection of Byzantine treasures that came to Venice, for the most part, after that universal tragedy, the sack of Constantinople by the Crusaders in 1204. There are over thirty Orthodox Saints that are in repose in Venice, among them St. Zacharias, St. Athanasius of Alexandria, St. John the Almsgiver, St. Theodore and many others. These relics and church historical artifacts deserve the most serious attention compared to

similar ones throughout Western Europe, because most of them came to Venice from Constantinople. Your afternoon prior to the welcome dinner may be at leisure, unless you’d like to continue your exploration of Venice with a visit to the Doge’s Palace – the place where the mighty rulers of the prosperous marine republic lived and where the city councils gathered for various assemblies. Overnight: Mestre

Day 3. Monday, May 18, 2020 Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Today we will dedicate to the exploration of the Venetian Lagoon. Venice was known for centuries for its outstanding glass. We will start our day with a stop at the island of Murano, to see the glass factory and museum. Then we will continue to the island of Burano famous for its brightly painted houses and wonderful linens and lace. Here you can have a nice lunch at one of the numerous local restaurants. You also may shop at the dozens of shops that present local products. After lunch we will continue to the island of Torchello with its exquisite Byzantine basilica, the origins of which date back to the early 12th century. The mosaics inside are still able to overwhelm you with their color and liveliness. In the late afternoon we will transfer to the Byzantine capital of the West, beautiful Ravenna. Overnight: Ravenna

Day 4. Tuesday, May 19, 2020 Meals: Breakfast and Dinner After breakfast we will have a pleasant transfer to Ravenna, the former capital of the Byzantine Empire. Despite the fact that it has not been the capital of the mighty empire for over a thousand years, this present day sleepy Italian coast along the Adriatic shore conquers your imagination with images from the past. Its splendid basilicas with the most luxurious mosaics earned it the name of the mosaic capital of the world. No picture, photograph, exhibit or story will ever do justice to what we are about

to see today. Several basilicas, baptisteries and a splendid tomb will uncover to you the images of the glorious art and religious devotion of the ancient Christian Empire. Overnight: Assisi

Day 5. Wednesday, May 20, 2020 Meals: Breakfast and Dinner In the morning, we will drive to the Umbrian city of Assisi. Its foremost importance is due to the shrine of St. Francis, one of the most famous and beloved Western saints of all times. The basilica built in his honor contains frescoes from the 13th century.

While in Assisi we will also visit Basilica of St. Clare and a replica of the original church of St. George where the Cross that spoke to St. Francis originally hung. In the

afternoon, we will transfer to the “Eternal City” of Rome.

Day 6. Thursday, May 21, 2020 Meals: Breakfast This day will continue the exploration of the Christian inheritance in the Eternal City. Today we’ll see St. Maria Maggiore Church, one of the largest and oldest churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary. In a special chapel you may see a few pieces of wood that supposedly are that of Christ’s manger. St. John Lateran Cathedral is the cathedral of Rome, since the Vatican is a different state. The cathedral is built on the place where the ancient papal palaces once stood. The most important relics the church contains are the heads of the apostles Peter and Paul, executed in 64 AD during the persecutions of Nero. We will see Santa Croce Church or Church of the Holy Cross, built on the place of the first Christian church built by Emperor Constantine and Empress Helen. Here also St. Helen’s palace once stood and here she brought some artifacts from her expedition-pilgrimage to the Holy Land. In the afternoon we’ll continue our exploration of Christian Rome by visiting Cathedral of “St. Paul outside the Walls” and Abbey of Three Fountains, place of the execution of Apostle Paul. Overnight: Rome

Day 7. Friday, May 22, 2020 Meals: Breakfast We will continue our exploration of the remnants of the city that gave Rome the title Eternal. We will see the largest stadium of antiquity, the Coliseum, a circus that hosted up to 80,000 spectators, and the even larger Circus Maximus, the horse race stadium, witness to the cheer of 250,000 Romans. We will also 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 and the church that holds Peter’s chains. Also, we’ll see some of the most ancient churches, named in honor of St. Clement and St. Nicholas, which were built within the walls of ancient pagan temples. Overnight: Rome

Day 8. Saturday, May 23, 2020 Meals: Breakfast Vatican City is the smallest state in existence. But it is more famous for the residence of the Pope of Rome, once the most important out of five keepers of the ancient Christian Patriarchal sees. Besides that, few people know that the Vatican 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, among whom is the beloved Orthodox and

Ecumenical Teacher St. John Chrysostom, the author of our weekly celebrated liturgy. There are no words to describe the glory and beauty of St. Peter’s Basilica, the collections of the Vatican Museums of the

Sistine Chapel. For those who desire, a tour can be organized to the excavations under St. Peter’s basilica to the tomb of the Apostle. Overnight: Rome

Day 9. Sunday, May 24, 2020 Meals: Breakfast and Dinner We will start our day with a Liturgy at the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Theodore, located next to the Roman Forum. After the service we are planning

to visit the Catacombs of St. Priscilla, and Galleria Borghese. In the afternoon we will travel some hours south to the City of Naples Overnight: Naples

Day 10. Monday, May 25, 2020 Meals: Breakfast and Dinner This day will be dedicated to sightseeing in 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 in the Duomo (Cathedral). Adjacent to the cathedral is an ancient baptistery with some of the most ancient Christian mosaics to be found anywhere. From the Cathedral we’ll proceed to the ruins of Herculaneum, buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD, and then onto national archeological museum of Naples, one of the most important archeological museums worldwide. Here on several floors you’ll see a lot of treasures discovered in the nearby ancient Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Later in the evening we will take an hour flight to Sicily. Overnight: Palermo

Day 11. Tuesday, May 26, 2020 Meals: Breakfast and Lunch Today we will explore Palermo, capital of the Normano-Byzantine Italy. Our first visit will be to a church, known as Martorana, that is situated in the center of Palermo. It was built by the Greek Admiral in Norman service, and reflects the Byzantine preference of the commissioner, who spared no expense on adorning the church with the most splendid mosaics. The other two monuments that we will visit during our last day in Italy are considered to be climactic in the history of Byzantine Art. Both sacred spaces, Capella Palatina and Cathedral of Monreale, are adorned with the most spectacular

mosaics that the medieval period has produced and that survive until the present day. Overnight: Palermo

Day 12. Wednesday, May 27, 2020 Meals: Breakfast Departure back home

Financial arrangements: The current cost of the main part of the tour is: USD3600 per person, based on double occupancy in a group of 25+ participants Single supplement: USD1000 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 the 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. Price includes:

• Accommodation in good Tourist-Class Hotels* (4****) with Breakfasts Daily;

• City hospitality taxes

• Airfare from Naples to Palermo

• Extra meals (Six Dinners)

• Deluxe Air-conditioned motorcoach for the transfers all along the Tour according to the program;

• Road, local and city taxes for the tourist bus

• Private boat for the tour of the Venetian Lagoon

• English-speaking Tour Escort for the whole Pilgrimage;

• City Tours as per the above Itinerary;

• All entry fees to the Museums and Churches as per itinerary

• Whisper sets *The hotels that we offer for this tour are local equivalent of 4**** (except religious houses). 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. Price does NOT include:

• Meals other than specified

• Beverages during meals

• Optional/additional tours and associated entrance fees

• Porterage, gratuities* and extras

• Optional Extensions

• Entrance to temporary exhibits

• … or to any exhibits that cost extra to the general museum fee

• Entrance to the museums at the churches

• 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 request $700.00 deposit at the time of signing up for the trip. Deposit is non-refundable, unless trip is cancelled by the organizers. Please obtain emergency/cancellation insurance to protect your investment. The entire amount is requested 90 days prior to the departure (February 15, 2020). All payments should be made to the "Palomnik, LLC". Payment could be done by wire, check, or by credit card via PayPal. Any returned checks are subject to $30 fee. The deadline for signing up for the trip is January 30, 2020. 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 (February 15, 2020). Cancellation: If trip is cancelled by the organizers due to lack of participation or for some other serious reason, your deposit will be fully reimbursed. In the unlikely event of cancellation by the participant

please note the schedule of the charges, in addition to the full amount of the deposit: • No penalties, except deposit and air ticket fees (if issued) over 91 days to departure • 50% of the tour cost, 90 to 46 days prior to the departure • 100% of the tour cost 45 days prior to the departure *Air travel cancellation (if the reservations are made via Palomik, LLC) 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 a visa to travel to Italy. Security: Italy generally is a 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 items 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 attend Confession prior to the pilgrimage. 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 to prevent foreign card fraud. Be sure to bring: An alarm clock; alcohol-based hand sanitizer or wet wipes; Kleenex; memory cards 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). An 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 are usually significantly cheaper, but yet just as rich and tasty and you still have some

choice within the fixed price. Please note that soft or alcoholic drinks in Italian restaurants are always extra. Make sure to plan your time, especially during the lunch break. Italians see meals as social and cultural events, and take their time to dine. So, usually services at the restaurants or trattorias won’t be as fast as we are used to in the US. Some sandwiches, delicious pastry, excellent coffee and other Italian delicacies that are readily available everywhere, usually are a good, fast and relatively inexpensive solution for your lunch. Please note that you will be charged a 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. Copyright © 2001 - 2019 Palomnik, LLC dba Orthodox Tours. All Rights Reserved. 53 Baxter Street, Binghamton, NY 13905. Telephone: 001-607-797-1058 Member of the International Association of Travel Agents Network (IATAN)

REGISTRATION FORM:

BYZANTINE AND EARLY CHRISTIAN ART IN ITALY

DATES: MAY 16 – 27, 2020

To register please complete this registration form and return it to along with your deposit check ($700.00)

made to PALOMNIK, LLC. Please write “Byzantine Italy 2020” on the memo line.

Please mail this form and your deposit check to:

Palomnik, LLC, 53 Baxter Street, Binghamton, NY 13905

Full Name:

Date of Birth (day/month/year):

Passport #

Issue and expirations date (day/month/year):

Address:

City, State, Zip/Postal Code

Home phone:

Alt. phone and Email:

Emergency Contact Information (Name, Phone, Relation):

Medical restrictions:

Dietary restrictions:

Would you prefer single accommodations at additional costs specified in the itinerary?

Would you prefer to make your own flight reservations, or would you like us to help you to find the

best airfare?

Please let us know if there is anything else that we should know in order to make your travel experience

more comfortable and pleasant:

Your signature below confirms that you have read the itinerary and agree to abide by Terms and

Conditions that accompany the itinerary.

NAME/SIGNITURE: DATE: