Founder & Managing Director
My name is Joseph Long. My great-grandfather was Gaetano, the son of an Italian immigrant by the name of Giovanni. In 2012 I pursued my heritage and officially became an Italian citizen. Shortly thereafter I moved to Italy, intent on living there forever. Like so many others, I was could not resist the draw to Rome.
When I think Rome, I think beauty, life lived to the fullest, and truth. The first two are obvious, but the latter is the most important because it answers the questions and tells the story. The Roman Empire was defined by truth – law and order, justice, and religion. These things were fundamental to ancient Roman society, and the empire felt compelled by a sacred duty to promote and defend them. It was this sacred duty, in fact, that led to the terrible persecutions of Christians. In professing Jesus Christ, the Christians denied the underlying truth of the Roman empire – that the Roman religion was more important than other religions, and that the Roman gods were first among all gods.
We know that the persecutions would eventually cease, and that over the course of a few hundred years Rome and the entire Roman Empire would be converted to Christ. The inquisitive mind wonders “how could this happen?” The answer is one thing: truth. You see, Rome never ceased to pursue and defend the truth. She simply climbed higher, illuminated by Christ and His Church. This is the story of Rome’s greatness. You might say that whereas pagan Rome was limited as a human institution, Christian Rome under the banner of Christ, is limitless. ProRome was born out of love for this story and seeks to share it passionately, in Rome and all throughout Europe. In 2014 we led our first group tour of Rome and in 2015 we began exploring the vast wellsprings of Christian and Roman culture outside of Rome and all throughout Europe. We now offer a robust portfolio of trips – nearly forty in total. These include pilgrimages, academic adventures, and luxury trips, such as river and med cruises, ski trips and more. Our tours are highly personalized and seek to provide life-changing experiences of faith, history and culture for our groups. I sincerely hope to host you on one of our adventures in Europe
