Free Preview ! Virtual Visit & Vino Vero : Sistine Chapel

Enjoy a high-quality virtual visit to the treasures of the Vatican.  Rather than traveling thousands of miles, across seas and oceans only to walk thousands of steps to visit the high-traffic areas of the Vatican, now you can make that journey from the comfort of your home!  

Staying safe and staying home, you will enjoy a decade's worth of insights gleaned from leading pilgrims and patrons through the beauitful & compelling drama of sacred beauty. It is also a perfect opportunity to get some real *insider* information with a small group of online friends.

The theme of this virtual visit will focus on the famous Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. Making use of the virtual tour provided by the Vatican Museums, we will explore the history, theology, philosophy, and art of this sacred space.  This visit will serve as a general introduction to the 'whoosh' of salvation history that swirls around all the visitors swept up in the Sistine experience !

Finally, to keep things interesting, we are pairing our virtual visit with REALwine, or in Italian: vino vero. Giulia, from the Merumalia Wine Estate outside Rome, will select wines that accompany the insights into the lessons of theology & philosophy we will explore on our visit.  Wines will also be chosen according to the details found in the many scenes that cover the walls and ceiling of the chapel.  For example, did you know that the scenes from Genesis in Michelangelo's ceiling culminate in Noah drinking wine? Is there a delicious wine today that can connect us to that Biblical episode? This way you can *taste* the beauty that will surround you on your virtual visit of the Sistine Chapel.

At the end of our virtual visit and wine tasting, our small group participants will have the opportunity to ask questions of both the scholar and the winemaker. Also, following your visit, you will receive a set of 'class notes' that help you to relieve the experience over future glasses of wine, and/or in anticipation of future in-person visits!!

This is not a boring Zoom; this is a highly-interactive and highly-produced virtual cultural experience.

All the virtual walks will take place online, of course.  To participate you will need a computer with a good (fast) internet connection, and a phone or an iPad with WhatsApp installed and working.  Directions and assistance will be provided to our guests prior to the virtual walk.

For making the most of the wine tasting, guests will receive instructions on how to purchase wine, and have it delivered to their homes, in advance of the virtual visit & wine tasting.  The cost of the wine & shipment is not included in the cost of the event, and there is no obligation to buy (or drink) during the online conference.

Once you register, all the log-in details, instructions, and directions will be sent to you via email. A tour assistant will contact you via text (and WhatsApp) to make sure you are prepared with all the set-up and onboarding assitance you might need.

As a courtesy, if you plan to no longer participate in the virtual tour, we ask you to please provide us with a cancellation notice at least 24 hours before the event. We cannot guarantee refunds for cancellations made within 24 hours, though we will endeavor to do our best !