GALILEE PRIVATE TOUR GUIDE

In the Galilee we will discover the north of the country where we will visit the modern city of Tiberias by the lake, built by King Herod Antipas in the image of Caesar Tiberius and we will visit the ancient synagogue and the famous Sulphur baths.
We will continue the visit towards the Mount of the Beatitudes, where there is an octagonal church on its summit built by the famous architect "Antonio Barluzzi",
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Mount of the Beatitudes recalls the account of the Gospels which tells the famous Sermon on the Mount of Jesus to his faithful followers.
Then we will continue to the site of Tabgha, where there is a modern basilica built on an ancient basilica dating from the Byzantine period. It celebrates the famous miracle of Jesus, the multiplication of bread and fish.
We will continue north to the site of the ancient city of Capernaum, the biblical village where Jesus and some of the apostles lived during the ministry in Galilee.
We will see one of the oldest churches in the world and the remains of the ancient synagogue.
By the lake we can taste the local speciality of the lake, which is the fish St Pierre.
We will head inland to the modern city of Nazareth, where in the heart of the city is the Church of the Annunciation. According to Christian tradition, this was the house where Mary lived and the place where the angel Gabriel appeared to her to tell her that she was pregnant with Jesus.
We will end with a short walk in the old town of Nazareth.

Galilee is a mountainous geographical area in northern Israel, separated into two parts, lower and upper Galilee.
Its highest point is Mount Meron, at an altitude of more than 1,200 metres.
Temperatures range from winter to summer, mild and humid in winter, hot and humid in summer.

Galilee includes more than a third of the country's current territory, stretching from the Dan River in the north, at the foot of Mount Hermon, to Mount Carmel and Mount Guilboa in the south, from the Jordan Valley in the east to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in the west, through the plains of Jezreel and St John of Acre.
The particularity of Israel's pre-1967 northern borders (six-day war) forms what is known as the Galileo Finger.
Excursions to historical sites and nature reserves near the Sea of Galilee have a strong power to evoke the origins of Christianity and attract countless tourists from all over the world and pilgrims.

Tiberias is located on the shores of Israel's one and only freshwater lake, called the Sea of Galilee, Lake Tiberias or Lake Genezareth, recalled in the Old and New Testaments.
The city was built in the year 21 of the first century AD by Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great. He was at that time the governor of Galilee, promoted by Rome.
The city is named after Emperor Tiberius, who made Herod Antipas governor of Galilee and sent him there. In gratitude, he built a town on the lake with his effigy.
After the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple by Titus in 70 AD, the nucleus of Jewish life left the holy city and migrated to the north of the country and Tiberias became the spiritual capital of Judea, the center of rabbinic studies and 430 years later the Talmud (Jewish laws based on the oral Torah) was written there.
The shores of Lake Tiberias were for three years the stronghold of Jesus and the main apostles what is called the ministry. The region is mentioned dozens of times in the New Testament, those places where Jesus preached, walked on the water, healed the sick etc.
Galilee is full with the most important places for people of the Christian faith.

Capernaum or Kfar-Nahum in Hebrew, which means "the village of Nahum", is the archaeological site of an ancient fishing village dating from the first century AD to the fifth century.

The site is located on the northwestern shore of Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee). This village is mentioned in the New Testament and several times in the Gospel accounts. It is considered to be the place where Jesus lived for most of his three-year ministry in Galilee.

It is here, according to the New Testament, that he healed many sick people such as Simon Peter's mother-in-law (the Apostle Peter) and exorcised many people possessed by demons.

Some of the apostles, Simon (Peter), his brother Andrew, James and John the sons of Zebedee, lived and resided there, as did Matthew, who was a tax collector.

Tabgha is a city located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee.

The magnificent little cove of Tabgha, was a setting for a large number of Gospel stories, including one of the most famous, the Multiplication of bread and fish.
Your guide will share with you the details of this story.

Mount Tabor is located at an altitude of 588 metres and overlooks the famous Jezreel valley in Lower Galilee.
In Christianity, it is remembered as the place where the Transfiguration of Christ is commemorated. Since then, it has become a famous festival that is celebrated every year on August 6.
According to the Gospels, it is reported:
"And after six days, Jesus took Peter and James and John with him, and led them alone to a high mountain far away. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became bright and extremely white, like snow, so that there's nothing else that can whiten this way.
The prophet Elijah appeared with Moses to the right and left of Jesus and they discussed with him.
According to the account, the apostle Peter, John and James were witnesses to this scene.
Since the 4th century, the site has been dedicated to Christian worship, in Byzantine times several churches were erected and were destroyed in the 13th century by the Mamluk Emperor Baybars.
At the beginning of the 20th century, one of the main architects sent by the Vatican under the name of "Antonio Barluzzi" built the modern transfiguration church.

On a clear day, Mount Carmel can be seen to the west.
This site was one of the strategic places and fiefdoms of the tribes of Israel at the time of the Judges around -1100 BC.
At the time around the 12th century BC, in the book of judges (Old Testament) it is reported how the army of the King of Canaan was crushed at the foot of Mount Tabor during Judge Deborah's time.

Yardenit is, according to Christian tradition, the site of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist on the banks of the Jordan River.
Where the Jordan River leaves Lake Tiberias and begins its journey to feed the Dead Sea to the south.
Beautiful basins where it is possible to practice baptisms are nestled in the middle of large and magnificent eucalyptus trees and the varied and rich vegetation of the river.

It is the ideal place to take a breath of fresh air, to gather in complete serenity and calm to practice your faith.

Clean and spacious facilities are available for ceremonies on the banks of the Jordan River.

What is Baptism?
Baptism is one of the most important sacraments of Christianity.
It symbolizes the new birth of the believing Christian. In Christianity, the child born is not yet saved by Christ and has not yet entered the kingdom of God. To do so it is necessary to immerse him or sprinkle him with water.
In Catholic and Orthodox Christianity, this is practical at birth.
In Protestant Christianity, when the child reaches the age of reason, about 12 years old (but not necessarily), he can, if he wishes, decide to make this act of faith.

History side:
According to the Gospel, on the banks of the Jordan River, John, a cousin of Jesus, baptized people from all over Judea.
He warned them that God's kingdom is about to return to earth and by immersing themselves in these waters, they will be saved.
There Jesus came to this place and when John saw him, he cried out, "I will baptize you with water but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit".
When John baptized Jesus, the heavens opened, a dove came down and a voice from heaven said:
"This is my beloved Son, in him I have put all my affection".
This place, which is reported in the gospels, is the first faith in the New Testament where we find the presence of the Trinity, the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit

The Mount of the Beatitudes is the place where, according to the Gospels, Jesus made one of the most famous sermon, more commonly called "the Sermon on the Mount".
The Beatitudes in the gospels represent the commandments for a man of faith, which must be done to be good in the eyes of God. These beatitudes resemble the 10 commandments of Moses, given to the Hebrews on Mount Sinai.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Vatican had an octagonal church built by the architect known as "Antonio Barluzzi". The church is overlooking the lake and enjoys an extraordinary panorama.

The monks and sisters of the monastery have created a magnificent garden, palm trees and other exotic plants that will delight botany lovers.
On the surrounding land, a natural theatre can be seen on a gentle slope towards the shore of the lake, which adds to the charm of the church on its summit.