Virtual Visit & Vino Vero : Papal Apartments & Raphael Rooms

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 paintings of Raphael found in the Papal Apartments of the Vatican.  This is a great opportunity to delve into the 2020 'Year of Raphael': a special international celebration of this great artisit that marks the 500th anniversary of his death.

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 flavors and scents that were familiar to Raphael in his time.  Giulia will introduce the wine at the beginning of the event, and we encourage all our guests to sip away as we get into the visit.  Let the art & let the philosophy literally SINK IN with your delicious wine as we go about our hour-long visit.

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 !