Saint Mark's Basilica in Venice : Majesty & Mystery

Enjoy a high-quality virtual visit to cultural wonders of Venice! Rather than traveling thousands of miles, across seas and oceans only to walk thousands of steps to visit the high-traffic areas of the canal city, 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 St. Mark's Basilica in Venice. Making use of the 3D virtual tour provided by the Basilica itself, we will explore the history, theology, philosophy, and art of this sacred space.  This visit will serve as a general introduction to the intersection of ancient and medieval beauty & myserty that this church illustrates so beautifully.

To keep things interesting, we are pairing our virtual visit with authentic Italian wine from the region of Venice, called the Veneto. We will select wines that accompany the insights into the lessons of theology & philosophy we will explore on our visit.  Wines will be selected to evoque the strong feelings and sentiments often evoked when one finds oneself immersed in the magnificence of Saint Mark's, and transmits some of the divine mystery of Venice. Did you know that some of Italy's most refined, luxury vintages come from the Veneto?  Why not pair them with the unmatched luxurious interiors of this sacred space?

As a part of our curriculum for the Wine Masterclass, Jennifer Burke from Total Wine & More will lead us on a virtual tasting of Prosecco sparkling wine during our hour together.  You get to virtually visit one of the most beautiful buildings in all the world AND you get to have a high-class guided tasting.  Viticulture & world culture: it's the perfect pair!

If you would like to *actually taste* the wine we will be drinking, you can order our Online Wine Harvest Festival Package Pass.

Anyone who orders this package get the real, can't-get-anywhere-else select wines, gets access to this LIVE virtual visit, AND gets access to the upgraded recording of the visit, when it becomes available on-demand in October 2020.

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 Zoom downloaded onto your computer or device. We recommend  that you have WhatsApp installed and working, but this is not necessary.

Once you register, all the log-in details, instructions, and directions will be sent to you via email.

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 with less than 24 hours' notice, though we will endeavor to do our best !