June 21 – July 3, 2022 / $4290.00 (all-inclusive)
Roman Adventures is a summer program in Italy for young men ages 15-19. With campuses in Rome and Assisi, our boys explore the greatest stories of the Roman and Christian world, told through the adventures on which they will partake.
We’ve removed the classroom completely and added the hiking shoe, the raft, the carabiner and the mountain bike. The boys will learn about saints and martyrs, great men and heroes, as they compete in historical games and sport throughout the ancient sites and medieval sites of Rome and beyond. We will teach through the medium of imagination and adventure, as we relive the epic stories of those giants of men who came before.
As the world around us collapses into decadency and chaos, we’re going back to our Christian roots. The boys will also have the incredible opportunity to attend daily Latin Mass and venerate the relics of dozens of incredible saints and martyrs along the way.
The program is capped at thirty five participants, which includes five adult chaperones (male family members ages 22-60). We hope to see you in Italy!
An Expedition for Young Men
We're going to take you on an expedition through the history, stories and heroes of the Catholic faith, in all of their glory. Join us on the trip of a lifetime to Italy next summer.
Explore Rome's Greatness
Every morning we will exit our private hilltop villa and descend into the busy streets below. We will explore Rome’s greatest sites, from the tunnels of crypts and catacombs to the enormous expanses of ancient amphitheaters and early Christian churches.
Hiking & Rafting
We’re headed up to the epic Marmore Falls (550 ft waterfall made by the ancient Romans) for some hiking and whitewater rafting. The boys will learn all about the engineering genius of the Romans as they raft along ancient canals and climb Roman bridges!
Climbing and Hiking in Assisi
We will spend three days touring the medieval city of Assisi and adventuring in the mountains above. The boys will have the unique opportunity to get to know one of history’s greatest saints and adventurers, St. Francis, as they walk in his footsteps.
Biking & Lake Swimming
The Castelli Romani – the mountainous area south of Rome – is characterized by its castles and lakes – Nemi and Albano. We’re going to bike through these mountains and swim in these incredible volcanogenic lakes (hoping that these volcanoes are dormant!)
Trip Preview
Program Details & Itinerary
Rome, Assisi, Siena, Florence, Castel Gandolfo & the Mediterranean
June 22 - June 25
Assisi
The program begins in Assisi, where we will spend three days touring the medieval city and adventuring in the mountains above. Assisi is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Tucked into the side of a mountain overlooking a great plain below, the boys will have the unique opportunity to get to know one of history’s greatest saints and adventurers, St. Francis.
Many do not know the true story of St. Francis. In reality, St. Francis experienced terrible despair before his great conversion – and only recovered by clinging completely to God. His story is an incredible one, and his deeds following his mid-life conversion are absolutely epic. We’re going to relive his story – from his decadent youth to his pursuit of poverty, and from his hermitage in the mountains to his crusade to Egypt. Throughout our time in Assisi. St Francis will become a friend, a mentor – and hopefully – a model for our boys.
In Assisi we’ll also have the incredible opportunity to go hiking and rock climbing. We’ll send a full day exploring the national park Monte Subasio where professional climbers will take us on a rock climbing adventure (beginner level).
June 25 - July 3
Rome
In Rome we are going to relive the greatest stories ever told. We’re going to experience the epic deeds of heroic men, and learn the even more glorious stories of saints and martyrs, who gave their lives for what they believed.
From Rome there shines a light, a light that – once small – now illumines the entire world. This light compelled a small village on the banks of the Tiber river to conquer the world, and this same light then converted the Roman world to Christ. In Rome – like nowhere else in the world – is God’s involvement in human affairs so clear. The ancients called it fate. We call it Divine Providence. We’re going to see it and experience it first hand!
Our Rome itinerary includes a Papal Audience, the Colosseum and Roman Forum, the Catacombs, the Four Major Basilicas, the Best Baroque Churches and Monuments of Rome, the Jesuit Churches, Rome’s Best Museums (the Vatican Museums, the Borghese Gallery and the Capitoline Museums) and so much more.
Our campus in Rome is the magnificent Villa Magnolia, a private villa that atop the Janiculum Hill, a ritzy area of the city just one mile from the Vatican. This quiet and safe retreat is the perfect place to relax after a long day touring.
The villa is composed of three levels and features a grand refectory, an audience hall and a kitchen, a number of dorm rooms (with private bathrooms), a laundry facility, and a beautiful and private yard and terraced garden. The surrounding buildings are Vatican residences and embassies, and a large wall separates us from our neighbors. The entrance is guarded by a an enourmous gate and features security cameras.
Exploring the Castelli Romani
After a few days in Rome we going to take the train out to the Castelli Romani for a full day of mountain biking, boating and swimming! The Castelli Romani offer some of Italy’s most incredible landscapes, complete with crater lakes (formed by volcanoes), mountains and rivers to explore. We’re going to see it all before returning to Rome after a pizza-dinner on Lake Albano. The term Castelli Romani translates literally as ‘Roman Castles’, but the name actually refers to several wine-producing mountain towns to the southeast of Rome.
These small towns and villages are scattered over the wooded slopes of the Alban Hills, a landscape created by long-ago volcanic activity. The circular craters of Lake Nemi and Lake Albano recall the area’s geological past. The tiny towns of the Castelli Romani are dominated by beautiful villas and palaces built by the area’s wealthiest noble families of days gone by.
Exploring the Wild of Umbria
The Marmore Falls are one of Italy’s most impressive sites. The ancient Romans built this nearly 600 ft waterfall in the 3rd century BC and it still works today. We’re taking a day trip from Rome to this ancient man-made wonder, where we will go hiking and climbing. In the afternoon we will then join up with our rafting guides for an afternoon of whitewater rafting and canyoning on the river (and no, parents – we won’t go over the waterfall!). Rome would have never become great had it not been for the Romans’ ability to control and transport water. The boys will learn all about the ancient Romans’ mastery over water and will witness their engineering prowess still at work to this day.
PROGRAM DETAILS
Pricing & Registration
Planning Timeline
Register
In order to register simply fill out the form on this page! Your place on the trip is then secure!
Purchase Travel Insurance
When you register we will send you a quote. To cover preexisting conditions insurance must be made within two weeks of registration.
Get Your Passports Ready
Apply as soon as possible. NB - Passports that expire within six months of the travel dates are not valid to enter Europe.
Get Welcome Packet & Pack Your Bags
Two months before the trip we will send you Welcome Packets with lots of useful information. Pack your bags and get ready!
Meet the Team
Frequently Asked Questions
Program Patron
St. Francis of Assisi is perhaps the most misrepresented man in history. On Roman Adventures we are going to introduce you to the true St. Francis – the soldier turned prisoner, the beggar turned vagabond, the pauper turned saint. This man’s imagination permitted him to see the world through a spiritual lens – to understand the reality that God is involved in all things, and our very salvation hinges on our response to each and every moment in our life. There is no greater adventurer than St. Francis, and no better hero to emulate.
“All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.”
