Music, History and Gastronomy: An Italian Tour for the Senses
11 Days/9 Nights in Italy: May 22 – June 1, 2026
Ready to sign up? Please follow this link for a detailed itinerary, travel and payment information:
https://trctours.groupcollect.com/v2/go/fccgitaly
Members of the Rocky Mountain Conference are invited to join First Congregational UCC Greeley for an extraordinary journey through the heart of Italy—where art, faith, and music meet across centuries of beauty and devotion. This choral pilgrimage will take us from the green hills of Umbria to the Renaissance splendor of Florence and the timeless grandeur of Rome, blending cultural exploration with the joy of shared song.
Our adventure begins in the hill town of Spoleto, where cobblestone streets and Roman arches whisper stories of resilience. In nearby Collazzone, we’ll celebrate Pentecost with a local congregation, sharing in worship, song, and a farm-to-table meal in a sunlit olive orchard, complete with Umbrian wine and fresh-pressed olive oil.
In Assisi, we’ll walk in the footsteps of St. Francis and St. Clare, visiting the Basilica di San Francesco and lifting our voices in sacred harmony amid Giotto’s frescoes. The journey continues to Florence, where we’ll encounter the masterpieces of the Uffizi Gallery and the Accademia, and sing in several of the city’s historic churches—spaces whose soaring acoustics have hosted centuries of devotion and art.
Our final days unfold in Rome, exploring the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and the catacombs—ancient resting places of the early Christians. We’ll also experience an interfaith tour with scholar Jenn Lindsay, discovering Protestant and Jewish Rome and sharing in conversation across faith traditions. The journey concludes with a festive farewell dinner and a twilight visit to the Trevi Fountain, where we toss our coins and give thanks for the memories made.
This is more than a trip—it’s a pilgrimage of music, art, and connection, inviting us to experience Italy not only as travelers, but as participants in its living story of faith and beauty.
Ready to sign up? Click the following link to get started: https://trctours.groupcollect.com/v2/go/fccgitaly
Get to Know Your Trip Leaders
Rev. Ben Konecny — Minister
A history enthusiast with a deep love for travel, Rev. Ben Konecny helps ground our journey in Christian history and contemplative practice. Born and raised in Wisconsin, Ben holds a B.A. in Biology and Religion from Ripon College and a Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt University in Nashville. From the Roman catacombs to the winding streets of Assisi, Ben’s passion for scripture and story will help illuminate how our sacred history continues to shape modern faith—and how we can carry those insights home at journey’s end.
Rev. Tamara Torres McGovern — Minister
Raised in a multicultural family, Rev. Tamara Torres McGovern brings a love of people, story, and gastronomy to the trip-leadership team. She holds a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from Mount Holyoke College and a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary at Columbia University, where her studies focused on Voices from the Margins. Ordained in 2013, Tamara has served congregations and emergent spiritual communities in Connecticut, Maine, and Colorado. She is passionate about cultivating spiritual spaces—both temporary and enduring—where people are welcomed in all their messy, embodied, and hopeful humanity.
Nicholas Gilmore — Director of Music
Nicholas Gilmore is a Northern Colorado–based conductor specializing in orchestral, choral, and operatic music. He has led ensembles across the U.S. and Canada, including Opera Fort Collins, Loveland Opera Theatre, and the Greeley Philharmonic, and has served as Music Director for Hartland Opera Theatre in Missouri and the Halifax Summer Opera Festival in Nova Scotia. A seasoned educator, Nicholas has taught at several institutions including the University of Northern Colorado, Missouri Southern State University, and Crowder College. His compositions and arrangements are performed nationwide by orchestras, choirs, and university ensembles. Nicholas has spent significant time in Italy—including a formative summer in Florence studying opera—and is thrilled to return to the country that shaped so much of the world’s musical tradition.
Dr. Jenn Lindsay — Interreligious Guide, Rome
Dr. Jenn Lindsay is a social scientist and documentary filmmaker whose work explores social diversity, interfaith relations, community building, and social change movements. She earned her Ph.D. in the Social Science of Religion from Boston University, where she conducted ethnographic research on interreligious dialogue in Rome and the Middle East—work published in her 2021 book Pluralismo Vivo: Lived Religious Pluralism and Interfaith Dialogue in Rome. Jenn also holds a Master of Divinity with a concentration in Interfaith Relations from Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Based in Rome, she brings a deep and nuanced understanding of the city’s interreligious landscape to our time there.
