Trip Italy 2026
Thank you for joining us on this 2026 journey through Italy: a pilgrimage of faith, food, wine, art, and fellowship. Below you will find entries from the places we visit and the people traveling together through Rome, Assisi, Tuscany, Florence, and Venice. Pr. Jim has organized this journey with Elias Tours, and as we travel we carry with us our St. Luke family back home in Spokane, giving thanks for a community where faith is lived out in worship, friendship, service, and care for one another. We hope you will enjoy the sites and insights along with us. Blessings from Italy from your sisters and brothers in Christ.
Day 10 – Venice
Our last full day before departing for home tomorrow. Today we took the bus to Venice (we stayed at a hotel just outside the island) where we then caught a ferry that took us to St. Mark’s Square. We split…
Day 9 – Last Day in Tuscany and travel to Venice
We left our Tuscan Villa this morning and went a short distance to Winery where we had a cooking class making pasta (that we ate later for lunch), having a wine education and tasting, and ate lunch (and, of course…
Day 8 – Hilltop Towns in Tuscany
Today we visited the hilltop town of Montalcino. We then went to a quaint winery below the hilltop town of Montepulciano. There we had a wonderful picnic lunch. The Tuscany region is beautiful! We returned to our Tuscan Villa for…
Day 7 – Tuscany Villa and Wine Tour
Today was great! Relaxing, beautiful, happy people and good food and wine. We started by visiting one of the oldest wineries in the Chianti region of Tuscany with a tour of the winery followed by a wine tasting. Then we…
Day 6
This morning, we left Florence and departed for a 1.5 hr. bus ride to Siena. We had a two-hour walking tour of Siena ending in their beautiful cathedral. We then had 2.5 hours to explore, have lunch, find gelato, and…
Days 4-5 in Florence
On day 4 we arrived in Florence in the mid afternoon. We were supposed to have arrived before lunch and had the afternoon free, but that didn’t happen. Some people had plans (tickets for sites) and it made it a…
Vatican Museum & Tour of St. Peter’s Basilica
Today was another hot one (I have a feeling it’s going to be the whole trip). We got up early to go visit the Vatican Museum(s) which ends with the Sistine Chapel. After our three hour tour we reconvened to…
Sun. Worship at St. Peter’s Basilica, wave at the Pope, walking tour of famous sites
Our day started off by going to the Vatican and joining in the throngs for worship in St. Peter’s Basilica on Father’s Day. We then joined the crowded square outside for a viewing and short talk by the Pope from…
The Catacombs, St. Paul Outside the Wall, The Colosseum, and the Roman Forum
Bongiorno! After a long day of travel, we finally made it to our hotel in Rome about 1:30am Saturday. After a short night’s sleep we started our first day, Saturday, June 20 by visiting one of the catacombs of Rome,…