CITY TOUR & SANTA CATALINA CONVENT
Today you will have a half-day tour of the city of Arequipa that lies at the foot of the beautiful extinct "Misti" volcano. On the main square, the Plaza de Armas, you will see the Cathedral with its Carrara marble altar, the huge Belgian organ and the magnificent pulpit, carved in Lille, France. You will then continue on to the Jesuit church of La Compañia with its beautifully painted chapel and carved volcanic stone arcades. The highlight of the tour is a visit to the Santa Catalina convent. This convent, closed to the public for almost 400 years until 1970, is still home to a few cloistered nuns. The tour provides an insight as to the isolated lives of the nuns, mostly daughters of the wealthy Spanish nobility, led in this attractive setting with its quaint narrow streets and courtyards.