Kindersley Travel Club’s Italy tour coincides with Pope’s passing
By Heidi Marchant
KINDERSLEY - Our Kindersley Community Travel Club's 2025 tour took us on a "Grand Tour of Italy." We had 44 amazing travelers, with the youngest being in grade 8. We had a great group of students (many who were accompanied by a parent/grandparent), and community members, making it a very diverse group. We flew into Milan on April 15th, and flew out of Rome on April 26th. Our itinerary included the following visits: Verona, Venice, Pisa, Florence, Assisi, Pompeii, Sorrento/Capri and Rom, including the Vatican, Coliseum/Roman Forum, Catacombs, and Ostia Antica archaeological site).
The Kindersley Community Travel Club picked a historic time to tour Italy. During their April 15th - 26th visit they happened to be at the Vatican the morning the Pope’s body was brought to St. Peter’s Basilica for viewing. SUBMITTED
It was a historic time to be in Italy with the Pope's passing. We were at the Vatican on the morning that his body was brought to St. Peter's Basilica for viewing, which meant that we could not visit the Basilica, and things looked much different in Saint Peter's Square. There was a huge security presence including snipers, security helicopters and lots of security guards (including specialized drone guns). There was a media camp, with cameras and reporters from all over the world. We were able to spot lots of North American news stations among the group, and there was filming happening constantly.
It was interesting to tour the Sistine Chapel and learn about the process of the upcoming Conclave that will take place in there very soon. We flew out the day of the funeral, which was good because there were many road closures and squares being set up with huge TV monitors in preparation for the city to view the funeral together, and for the dignitaries and church officials from all over the world to attend.
We had an amazing tour director Nikola who taught us a great deal about Italy's history, art, architecture, and modern life. We also had some amazing local guides who shared their knowledge on all of our guided tours. The weather was amazing! It was a fantastic experience for everyone involved.
We are planning our next tour to Greece at Easter of 2027. We are just working to finalize the itinerary. Details and registration will come out soon! We will also be opening a 2028 tour before the fall as well, with a location to be decided.