Martin Luther's Germany & Counter-Reformation Rome
Day by Day

April 24 - Fly by night

We recommend an evening flight from the US, as the average flight time from JFK to Frankfurt is over eight hours.

April 25 - Guten Tag!

The tour begins at the Frankfurt airport where we'll meet your arriving flight, board a private coach and travel to our German base city - Erfurt, in the green heart of Thuringia. After hotel check-in and lunch, there will be time to stroll through the quaint streets or perhaps visit the botanical gardens before gathering for a briefing about tomorrow's activities and dinner (included). Evening at leisure.

April 26 - Eisleben

This morning, travel by private coach to Eisleben and visit its UNESCO designated Luther sites including the house where he was born in 1483, the house where he died in 1546, the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul where he was baptized and St. Andrew's Church where Luther preached his last sermons. The historical center of Eisleben is also noted for its marketplace surrounded by excellent examples of medieval architecture, as well as St. Anne's Church with the only stone-carved biblical scenes in Europe. Lunch and dinner on your own; evening at leisure.

April 27 - Erfurt

This morning is free and those who wish may attend either Protestant services or Catholic mass at the church of their choice. We will furnish you with a list of churches and their times for services. After lunch on your own, we will meet for a private walking tour of the place where Luther lived from 1505 to 1511 and which he called "the perfect place for a city". Erfurt has many restored Renaissance buildings and half-timbered houses. Points of interest include the Augustinian Monastery, Merchants' Bridge, Castle Hill, numerous churches with Luther connections, and the German Horticultural Museum. Dinner on your own and evening at leisure.

April 28 - Eisenach

This morning we travel by private coach to Eisenach which Luther called "my dear town" to visit the house in which he lived as well as Wartburg Castle - the only UNESCO designated castle in Germany. It was here that in only ten weeks Luther translated the New Testament from the original Greek into German. It was his home in exile, the inspiration for Richard Wagner's opera Tannhauser, and has been a pilgrim's mecca since the 16th century. Eisenach is also the birthplace of Johann Sebastian Bach and his home, now a museum, may be visited. We will spend the morning in the city proper and after lunch on your own, visit Wartburg Castle as a group. Dinner on your own and evening at leisure.

April 29 - Wittenberg

April 30 - Mainz and Worms

This morning we depart Erfurt and journey to Mainz. We will make a stop in Worms to visit Dom St. Peter, the setting for the historic Diet of Worms and a fine example of High Romanesque style before continuing on to Mainz. After hotel check-in and lunch on your own, we will visit the Gutenberg Museum to learn how moveable type influenced the spread of reformation and intellectual enlightenment throughout Europe. Other interesting sites you may choose to visit include St. Martin's Cathedral, St. Stephen's Church with its windows designed by Marc Chagall, and numerous museums. You might also enjoy a stroll beside the Rhine or wandering along Augustinerstrasse in the heart of the old quarter. We dine together this evening (included).

May 1 - Flight from Frankfurt to Rome

After an early breakfast we fly from Frankfurt airport to Rome. Upon arrival and hotel check-in, Rome is yours for discovery - perhaps a walk through Ancient Rome, Trastevere, or the old Jewish Ghetto. We will gather in the early evening for a briefing on tomorrow's activities before dinner on your own and evening at leisure.

May 2 - Rome

Today we will visit Vatican City and the treasures of St. Peter's. Those who wish may choose to attend mass in the Basilica, the grandest church in Christendom. The Vatican Museum is a vast collection documenting Western civilization. It includes art from Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece and Rome, the Etruscans, as well as the Renaissance, in many varied forms including sculpture, tapestries, maps and paintings. The grand finale is the Sistine Chapel, the personal chapel of the pope and the place where new popes are elected. For those already familiar with St. Peter's and the Vatican Museums, we would be pleased to suggest alternate activities. After dinner on your own, evening at leisure.

May 3 - Rome

We begin this morning with a visit to San Giovanni in Laterano; the first Christian church in Rome. Today it is the home church of the Bishop of Rome - the pope. We will climb the Scala Sancta; the 28 marble steps of Pilate's residence which Jesus climbed the day he was sentenced to death. With visible stains from Jesus' blood, this was considered the holiest site on earth in the Middle Ages. It was after climbing the Scala Sancta - said to shorten the soul's time in purgatory - that Martin Luther began to question the practices of the Roman Church. After lunch on your own, we will visit Gesu Church; the center of the Jesuit order and a symbol of Catholic Counter-Reformation. Nearby, is the building where Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, lived, worked and died. The church is filled with artworks, many of them depicting the dire fate of Protestant heretics who separated themselves from the Roman Church. One statue depicts Luther as a serpent being stepped on while an angry cherub destroys the pages of a heretical book. We will meet this evening in the Campo de Fiori at the statue of Giordano Bruno, burned here as a heretic in 1600. After dinner together (included), we may take an evening walk across Rome.

May 4 - Return to US

The tour concludes after breakfast and hotel check-out this morning. We are happy to discuss your travel arrangements - either to the airport or on to other adventures. Connections are easy to Fiumicino Airport using public transportation.