Stalking Paul in Europe part 3

Third Location: Naples and Rome, Italy

Naples is built at the place of Potsuola, the port where Paul docked on his way to Rome. Paul sailed to Rome as a prisoner and spent two years under house arrest from 61-63 AD. During this time he wrote the books of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. Some of the books were written with Timothy, a young man who eventually became the Bishop of Ephesus. After his release in 63 A.D., Paul wrote the books of Hebrews, Titus, First Timothy, and Second Timothy.

The ancient city of Pompeii near Naples

Mount Vesuvius view from Pompeii

The famous Colosseum

The Vatican and St. Peter’s Church

Roman Forum

The Amalfi Coast, south of Naples

My Final thoughts:

I thought this trip was amazing! With America having a limited amount of history compared to Europe, traveling there was an unforgettable experience. I regret not paying attention in high school history…History to me has always been such a bore. But after traveling here, I truly began to appreciate the story behind each building and landmark. Stalking Paul and visiting the places that he went to really made him seem more...and this is going to sound corny...real. I always knew he existed but it was always through books, history classes, and Sunday school. It was blessing to have gone on this trip, I loved every minute of it!

My favorite country was Italy, hands down. Most of the famous historic buildings were built during the Roman Empire days and some even before that (ancient Pompeii!). One would need at least a month to explore all of Italy. I also really liked Greece. There’s a strong Roman influence in the structure of most of the buildings but the Greek islands are absolutely gorgeous. The beaches are pristine and it’s very tourist friendly. The Greek islands are known to be the vacation hot spot for many European celebrities, especially the Greek island of Mykonos.