Discover, Plan & Go!

Bella Italia

Featuring the Lakes & the Alps of Northern Italy
23 Nights in Europe
10 September to 3 October 2008

The regions of Italy are diverse and nowhere is this diversity more pronounced than in the north. This program, the third Italian program offered by Odyssey Travel, demonstrates the geographical, cultural, historical and architectural differences which exist in this crossroads of Italian civilizations.

After our arrival in Zurich, we will experience and learn about the Alto Adige, the German speaking Alpine region of Italy, with its rugged mountain passes and ancient historic villages; Friuli, neighboring Austria and Slovenia to the east with its Carnic Hills to the north and the bustling Adriatic port of Trieste; Lake Garda, bordering Trentino, and Lombardia with its mountains and lakes; Emiglia Romagna, the heartland of Italy; and the Mediterranean coastline of Liguria, nestling at the foot of vine-clad mountains, with its dramatic coastline, and pastel-colored houses basking in the Mediterranean sun. We visit the bustling city of Genoa; and Turin, the capital of Piedmont, with its fine Baroque architecture and home of the Turin Shroud. We have also included the outstanding scenery of Lake Maggiore with the palaces and gardens of the Borromean Islands.

Our program features the mountainous countryside of Northern Italy and the fertile plains and coastal regions bordering the Adriatic and Ligurian Seas. We will learn about the numerous civilizations that have shaped the character of its people, its architecture and its culture. We will explore the diversity of Northern Italy and learn about the influence of the Romans, Visigoths, Lombardians, Franks, Hapsburgs, and the Germans.

For the mediaeval traveler, religious houses provided a safe and convenient refuge. This tradition still exists in Italy and, as travelers, participants in this program will stay in the modern day version of these ancient religious houses. Although many of these still enjoy superb locations and historic ambience, facilities have been updated. All offer rooms with private facilities, meeting rooms, lounges and dining facilities.

Itinerary at a Glance

• Zurich - 1
• Alto Adige - 3
• Friuli - 5
• Lake Garda - 6
• Lake Maggiore - 2
• Liguria - 4
• Rome - 2
• Program ends in Rome prior to boarding your return flight .

Program Information
Bella Italia
Departs 10 September 2008
Price from $8,285 per person twin share
Limited Singles With No Single Supplement
Ex Zurich

Prices quoted are in USD

Program Includes

• 1 night hotel accommodation in Zurich in share twin rooms with private facilities.
• Typical local breakfast in Zurich.
• 22 nights in religious houses in share twin rooms with private facilities.
• Typical local breakfast daily and 21 dinners in Italy.
• Touring by comfortable and modern coach.
• Transport, lectures and field trips as indicated.
• Services of a study / group leader.
• Applicable entry fees and services of local guides.
• Gratuities and necessary tips.
• Detailed Program Information Booklet.
• Group transfer to the airport at the conclusion of the program.

Program Excludes

• Airport transfer and dinner in Zurich on Day 1.
• International return economy class air travel
• Departure taxes applicable to the standard itinerary.
• Comprehensive travel insurance.
• Items of a personal nature.

Rome Extension
There is the chance to extend your stay in Rome on a bed & breakfast basis which will allow you the opportunity to explore Rome and the surrounding countryside.   

Itinerary

Zurich

Upon arrival in Zurich make your own way to the hotel. There will be free time to explore the city.  On Day 2, we transfer to Alto Adige, through some of the most spectacular Alpine scenery in Europe, pausing at Innsbruck and then travel over the Brenner Pass to arrive at our centre in the heart of Alto Adige.

Alto Adige

Alto Adige, nestled in the mountainous region adjoining the Austrian Tyrol, is known by its native German speakers as the "Sud Tyrol". The passes which criss-cross the Alpine region of Europe have been thoroughfares since time immemorial, as evidenced by the discovery in 1991 of a 5,000 year-old man's body, preserved in a glacier on the present Italo-Austrian border. The strategic nature of the passes is evidenced by the many fortified towns and villages that were designed to protect their inhabitants.

Accommodation
We stay in the splendidly Baroque Abbey of Novacella in the mountain setting of Alto Adige offering twin and single rooms with private facilities. Typical local breakfasts and dinners are provided.

What We Will Experience
We will learn about Neolithic man and his use of the Alpine passes as well as the flora and fauna of the region in a led mountain walk.

Included are field trips to:

• Bolzano, the capital of Alto Adige, where we are introduced to Ice Age Man at the Archaeological Museum and a led walk to observe the typical Tyrolean architecture with its intricate gabels, balconies, and oriel windows. We will also observe frescoes which decorate the pastel-painted facades.
• Explore the unspoiled nature and valleys, lakes, rivers, woodland, vineyards and alpine flora and fauna.
• Enroute to Friuli, we travel through the dramatic scenery of the Italian Dolomites.

Friuli

Friuli, Italy's most north-easterly region, borders Austria to the north and Slovenia to the east, and is washed by the waters of the Adriatic. Here we will learn how Friuli exists as an autonomous region and discover some of the hidden treasures of this less visited corner of Italy.

Accommodation
We stay in a restored religious house in the picturesque medieval hilltop village of Castelmonte offering twin and single rooms with private facilities. Typical local breakfasts and dinners are provided.

What We Will Experience
Although Italian, with both Roman and Venetian characteristics, Friuli has been strongly influenced by neighboring Hapsburg and Slovenian cultures. We learn how this fusion has produced the individuality and character of its people.

Included are lectures and field trips to:

• Udine, to explore the varied architecture influenced by Romans, Venetians, the Renaissance and Art Deco.
• Trieste, to examine its dual identity as an Italian and a Slovenian city with its Romanesque Basilica decorated in Venetian style mosaics.
• Muggia, to observe it's typically Venetian style architecture.
• Palmanova, where we learn how a typical fortified Venetian city was constructed and Aquileia, where we see some of the remains of this Roman city where the Emperor Augustus received Herod the Great.
• Cividali, where we examine the Roman and Lombardic relics in the National Archaeological Museum.
• Gorizia, with its pastel-painted houses along arcaded streets, which following the 1947 Treaty of Paris was placed part in Italy and part in Yugoslavia (now Slovenia).
• The limestone Carso plateau with a led walk and tasting of the local wine and hams.
• Enroute to Lake Garda we will enjoy a brief excursion to Venice.

Lake Garda

Bordering the 3 regions of Triento to the north, Lombardy to the west and south, and Veneto to the south and east, this is the largest of the Italian Lakes. In the north, dramatic rocky cliffs and pine forests hug the shoreline, whereas in the south the countryside is gently undulating. From Lake Garda we will explore Lombardy, the Lombardian heritage and treasures, and Ferrara in Emilia-Romagna.

Accommodation
We stay in a character filled religious house close to the lake offering twin and single rooms with private facilities. Typical local breakfasts and dinners are provided.

What We Will Experience
We will observe this region of great contrasts, from the unspoiled mountainous regions with its dramatic valleys and peaks, to the busy powerhouse of the Italian economy dotted with agricultural towns of great beauty.

Included are field trips to:

• Lake Garda.
• Val Camonica (Capo di Ponte), to learn about the rock engravings from the Neolithic era to the early Roman times, in the UNESCO protected National Park.
• Mantova, where we experience aristocratic architecture. Mantova was also the poet Virgil's birthplace and the setting for Verdi's opera, Rigoletto.
• Ferrara, the quintessential mediaeval Italian city
• Bergamo, one of the region's finest examples of a walled town, a hill-top town whose architecture was influenced by its Venetian rule from the fifteenth to the late eighteenth century.
• The ancient arcaded university city of Bologna with its handsome squares and historic churches
• Parma to learn about the production of Parmesan cheese and the famous Parma ham.

En route to Lake Maggiore, we will explore Milan, Italy's most cosmopolitan and stylish city which has long been an important trading centre because of its location on the junction of trans alpine routes. Here you will experience the cathedral, Castello Sforzesco and Leonardo Da Vinci's painting of the Last Supper in the Santa Maria della Grazie.

Lake Maggiore

Maggiore, Italy's second largest lake, nestles against the mountainous scenery of the Swiss Alps. However, it owes much of its charm to the cluster of small Borromean islands dotted through the lake which boast 17th century palaces, splendid landscaped gardens and a villa which once belonged to Toscanini.

Accommodation
We stay in a typical religious house close to Lake Maggiore offering twin and single rooms with private facilities. Typical local breakfasts and dinners are provided.

What We Will Experience
We learn about the history and development of the Borromean Islands from natural gems in this outstanding lake to manicured and landscaped gardens second to none in Europe. We explore the Isola Bella with its Palazzo Borromeo and the botanical gardens of Isola Madre.

Included is a field trip to:

• Introduce the Borromean Islands of Isola Bella and Isola Madre

En route to Liguria we explore Turin, the capital of Piedmont, with its Renaissance cathedral containing the Chapel of the Holy Shroud, and the Palazzo Reale.

Liguria

Liguria's western coastline, the Riviera Ponente and its eastern coastline, the Riviera Levante neatly divide Liguria. Genoa, the region's capital and biggest port, lies between the two distinctly different coastlines. The mountains rising steeply from the coastline frame quiet coastal villages and the bustling port.

Accommodation
We stay in a typical religious house close to Genoa offering twin and single rooms with private facilities. Typical local breakfasts and dinners are provided.

What We Will Experience
Genoa rivalled Venice in the Middle Ages for domination of the Mediterranean and seafaring trade routes, while Piedmont - originally part of the Duchy of Savoy - came to take a dominant role in the "Risorgimento", the unification of Italy as the Savoy King became the first Monarch of the unified Italian state. We learn how these two distinctive regions affected Italian history and also experienced some of the scenery, culture and heritage of the areas.

Included are a lecture and field trips to:

• Introduce the historical significance of Genoa and the region.
• Genoa, to explore its port, where Christopher Columbus reputedly discovered his passion for the sea, the Cathedral of San Lorenzo with its sumptuous chapel to Saint John the Baptist, and the Palazzo Ducale, once the seat of the Doges of Genoa.
• Discover the coastal villages of the Cinque Terre with its rocky cliffs, small vineyards, olive groves and lemon trees.
• Experience the once typical fisherman's village of Portofino, now one of Italy's chicest seaside resorts.

From Liguria we transfer by coach to Rome where we stay 2 nights in a religious house offering twin and single rooms with private facilities. Typical local‚ breakfast daily and 1 dinner is provided on your arrival night in Rome. This allows a complete free day to pursue your own interests in Rome. The program concludes in Rome after breakfast.

If you wish to extend your stay in Italy or Europe, please contact Springboard.

Although accommodation has been confirmed at the various monastic centers detailed, the operator reserves the right to transfer bookings to similar nearby properties.

Itineraries may change if flight schedules, site availability and other inclusions have to be amended prior to departure. Springboard will notify registrants if, and as soon as, such changes occur.