Overview
Paideia Classical Tours is a full-service student travel program, designed by teachers for teachers. This sample itinerary was specifically designed around the interests and needs of English teachers and their students, highlighting the dialogue between major figures of 19th and 20th century English literature and the rich histories of Rome and the Bay of Naples. To facilitate student travel, we have developed our Classical Tours service to cover all aspects of educational travel, allowing our partner teachers to concentrate on their teaching and time abroad with their students. Whether you have traveled with your students abroad before or it will be your first time, Paideia Classical Tours will help make your vision for the trip a reality.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Rome, Walking Tour of the Campus Martius
Visit the Campus Martius, an expansive public area in Rome that served as a significant gathering place and training ground for the Roman army in ancient times. Today, it is a vibrant district featuring historical monuments such as the Pantheon and Piazza Navona.
The Pantheon and the Macuteo Obelisk
Day 2: Non-Catholic Cemetery, Baths of Caracalla, Capitoline Museums
The Non-Catholic Cemetery in Rome is the final resting place of the renowned English Romantic poets John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley's tombstone features the famous line from Shakespeare's Tempest, "Nothing of him that doth fade, but doth suffer a sea-change into something rich and strange." The Baths of Caracalla, constructed in Rome during the 3rd century AD, were among the largest and most impressive public thermal baths of the ancient world, and also inspired Shelley's poetic drama, Prometheus Unbound.
The Baths of Caracalla
Day 3: St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican Museums, Spanish Steps, Keats-Shelley Museum
Explore the vast art collections of the Vatican Museums and see Michelangelo's renowned frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. Tour the so-called "English ghetto" of Rome around the Spanish Steps and Via del Babuino, which was historically inhabited by a significant number of English-speaking expatriates and tourists, including many of the Romantic poets.
Bernini's towering Baldacchino in St. Peter's Basilica
Day 4: Colosseum, Forum, Galleria Borghese
In Henry James' novella Daisy Miller, the iconic Colosseum serves as a backdrop to the scandalous romance between the eponymous character and the Italian youth, Giovanelli. See the Galleria Borghese's magnificent collection of sculptures and paintings, including masterpieces by renowned artists such as Bernini, Caravaggio, and Raphael.
Galleria Borghese
Day 5: Cumae Archaeological Site, Walking Tour of Naples
Cumae is an ancient city near Naples, Italy, known for its historical significance as the oldest Greek colony on the Italian mainland and its fascinating archaeological remains, including the impressive Cave of the Sibyl, which appears in the introduction to Mary Shelley's dystopian science fiction novel The Last Man.
Piazza del Plebiscito in Naples
Day 6: Pompeii, Naples Archaeological Museum
Pompeii, a Roman city destroyed and preserved by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, is an extraordinary archaeological site that provides a unique glimpse into ancient Roman life with its well-preserved buildings, frescoes, and artifacts. The Naples Archaeological Museum, located nearby, houses a vast collection of artifacts from Pompeii and other archaeological sites, including intricate mosaics, sculptures, and household items.
Streets of Pompeii
Day 7: Departure
Transfer back to Rome and departure.
Request a Proposal
To request a proposal for a Paideia Institute Classical Tour, please click the button below and submit the form. A member of our staff will be in touch shortly thereafter to begin your journey.