Discover, Plan & Go!

Roaming Heritage Italy

Featuring Tuscany, Florence, Venice, Naples, Rome & The Isle of Capri
24 Nights in Italy
10 May to 3 June 2008
6 September to 30 September 2008

This program takes us from the eternal city of Rome into the rolling terracotta countryside of Tuscany, with its precariously perched hilltop towns, and on to the gently undulating, olive-clad slopes of the Paduan Hills. We stay in the green and craggy landscape of Umbria and view the breathtaking scenery of the Amalfi Coast where whitewashed villages tumble into azure blue seas.

Our program, as well as featuring the best of the Italian countryside, includes the great cities and icons of the regions visited, from the Renaissance excesses of Florence, Pisa and Lucca to the Umbrian mediaeval cities of Perugia, Gubbio and St Francis' Assisi. In the North, we visit the ancient university seats of Verona and Padua as well as stunningly beautiful Venice while, in the South, we visit the spectacularly cosmopolitan city of Naples as well as the Roman remains of Pompeii and the island retreat of Capri.

For the mediaeval traveler, religious houses provided a safe and convenient refuge with a warm bed and a hearty meal. This tradition still exists in Italy and, as travelers, participants in our program will have their experience of Italy enhanced by stays in the modern day version of these ancient religious houses. Although many of these still enjoy superb locations and the historic ambience of yesteryear, facilities have been updated to ensure that the needs of the modern traveler are satisfied. All offer rooms with private facilities together with meeting rooms, lounges and dining facilities

Itinerary at a Glance & Site/# Nights

• Rome - 3,
• Campania - 5,
• Umbria - 4,
• Veneto - 5,
• Tuscany - 5,
• Rome - 2,
• Program ends in Rome.

Program Information
Roaming Heritage Italy
Departs 10 May, 6 September 2008
Price from $8,405 per person twin share
Limited Singles With No Single Supplement
Ex Rome

Prices quoted are in USD

Program Includes

• 24 nights in religious houses in share twin rooms with private facilities.
• Typical local breakfast daily and 21 dinners.
• Touring by comfortable and modern coach.
• Transport, lectures and field trips as indicated.
• Applicable entry fees and services of local guides.
• Services of a study / group leader.
• 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 Rome on Day 1.
• Return economy class international airfare.
• Departure taxes applicable to the standard itinerary.
• Comprehensive travel insurance.
• Items of a personal nature.

Itinerary

Upon arrival in Rome make your own way to the hotel. There will be free time to explore the city.

Rome

Founded by the Etruscans, Rome became the centre of Europe's greatest Empire and one of the world's great religions. It still offers an astonishing array of outstanding sights from the Roman Forum and Colosseum to the great Vatican Basilica of St Peter. The traveler is awestruck by the richness of the city's churches, monuments and museums. Rome is a city in which a phenomenal concentration of history, legend and icons co-exists with the hustle and bustle of its four million inhabitants.

Accommodation
We stay in a religious house offering share twin and single rooms with private facilities. A welcome dinner and typical local breakfasts are provided. Our program orientation will be at this centre.

What We Will Experience
After a short orientation tour, we learn about the history and people of Italy whilst being briefed on the Roaming Heritage Italy program. This continues as we travel south into Campania passing the hilltop monastery of Monte Cassino. and visiting the ancient Roman city of Herculaneum.

Campania

The ancient history of Campania is associated with the Etruscans and the Greeks whose gigantic ruins can be seen at Paestum. There was a period of great prosperity under Roman leadership, as can be seen in the superb remains at Pompeii and Herculaneum. With its rich well-cultivated plains, the hinterland is largely eclipsed by the Amalfi Coastline and the dramatic Gulf of Naples. Naples itself is a chaotic yet spectacular metropolis that sprawls noisily around its bay showing an attractive ebullience. The nearby island, Capri, gives an air of serene and historic tranquility.

Accommodation
We stay in a religious house offering share twin and single rooms with private facilities. The property overlooks the Gulf of Naples and typical local breakfasts and dinners are provided.

What We Will Experience
In Campania, we learn about the early occupation of this region by the Greeks as we visit the ancient Greek colony of Cuma and the superb Greek Temples at Paestum. We discover the rich Roman heritage as we visit the excavated sites of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum captured in the fateful eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79. We learn about the Roman era as we visit Capri, from where Tiberius ruled the Empire. We also visit the city of Naples and experience the awesomely stunning coastal scenery of the Amalfi Riviera where beautiful villages such as Positano and Amalfi cling to the dramatic rocks above the Gulf of Salerno.

Included are field trips to:

• Italy's earliest Greek settlement of Cuma where we visit the Cave of the Cumean Sybil.
• Naples with a tour of the city and visit to the archaeological museum.
• The preserved Roman city of Pompeii
• The Amalfi Coast and Paestum with its magnificent Doric temples.
• Explore the Island of Capri reached by jet boat.

En-route to Umbria we visit the magnificently opulent Palazzo Reale at Casert - a Versailles style palace built for Bourbon King Charles III and pause at the Etruscan city of Orvieto with its impressive cathedral.

Umbria

Long dismissed as Tuscany's "gentler sister", Umbria has recently emerged from the shadow of its better-known western neighbor. Forming an expanse of gentle pastoral countryside and high mountain wilderness of oak woods and ice-clear streams, the picturesque region has been dubbed the "Green Heart of Italy". It is a strikingly beautiful area with a profusion of fine historic hill-towns, such as Perugia -the region's capital - Gubbio, Todi and Spoletto. The region also boasts some fine Roman remains and some of Italy's oldest churches. Assisi, the birthplace of St Francis containing the Basilica di San Francesco, frescoed in part by Giotto and Orvieto, magnificently situated on a volcanic crag, dates from Etruscan times.

Accommodation
We stay in pilgrimage houses offering share twin and single rooms with private facilities. The properties are located close to the historic city of Assisi. Typical local breakfasts and dinners are provided.

What We Will Experience
We learn about the religious order of the Franciscans as we visit the Basilica of San Francesco. We experience the fine historic towns and cities of Umbria: mediaeval Gubbio; Perugia with its 15th century cathedral and university for foreigners; the former Roman colony of Spoleto; and the historic villages of Spello and Trevi. We also see the Roman Fonti del Clitunno.

Included are field trips to:

• Assisi and the Basilica of San Francesco.
• Typical Umbrian hill towns of Spello and Trevi.
• Perugia with a walk in the mediaeval city.
• Gubbio, with its twisting streets and terracotta tiled houses.
• Spoleto with its magnificent 14th century aqueduct with views over the huge papal fortress of Rocca Albornoz.
• Fonti del Clitunno with guided walk through the Umbrian countryside.

En-route to Veneto we pause in Europe's oldest and scenically located republic, San Marino. And in Ravenna, site of Dante's tomb and renowned for its Byzantine mosaics.

Veneto

The Veneto is a region of great diversity, from the foothills of the Dolomites to the flat marshlands of the Venetian lagoon. It is a fertile land where many crops are raised on silt deposits. The Romans built their frontier posts here and many of these, such as Vicenza, Padua and Verona survive to this day. Strategically placed at the hub of the Empire's road network, these cities prospered under Roman rule but suffered under the subsequent Germanic invasions. It was only with the rise of the Venetian Empire that the region's fortunes revived. The mediaeval cities of the Veneto were located on important trade routes and the consequent wealth gained is reflected in Renaissance palaces and fine Palladian villas.

Accommodation
We stay in a religious house offering share twin and single rooms with private facilities located in the university city of Padua in the Veneto region. Facilities include a restaurant. Typical local breakfasts and dinners are provided.

What We Will Experience
We explore the great historic cities of the Veneto. Venice with its fine palaces dotted along glistening canals is arguably the most unique. However, Padua is a fine old university city rich in art and architecture and its Cappella degli Scrovegni is famed for its Giotto frescos. Vicenza is the city of Andrea Palladio and a walk around this fascinating city is a study in the evolution of his style, complemented by the architect's fine Renaissance bridge in the scenic town of Bassano del Grappa.

Included are field trips to:

• Padua with a walking tour of the city.
• Venice with its myriad canals and innumerable palaces with a guided walk including a visit to St Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace.
• The Palladian city of Vicenza, ancient Marostica and Bassano del Grappa with its fine Palladian Bridge where we taste Italy's preferred after dinner drink, grappa.
• The fine Venetian villas with outstanding frescoes and gardens built for the nobles of Venice.

En-route to Tuscany we pause in the city of Verona with its fascinating Roman remains and "Romeo & Juliet" balcony

Tuscany

Renowned for its art, history and evocative landscape, Tuscany is a region where the past and present merge in pleasant harmony. Hill-towns gaze across the countryside from on high, many circled by Etruscan walls and slender cypress trees, olive groves or vineyards. Handsome palaces testify to the region's wealth while mediaeval town halls indicate a long-standing tradition of self-government.

Accommodation
We stay in religious houses near Florence, offering share twin and single rooms with private facilities. Facilities include chapels, restaurants and meeting rooms. Typical local breakfasts and dinners are provided.

What We Will Experience
Here we experience the great Renaissance cities and typical hilltop towns of Tuscany. We visit the Florence of Botticelli, Michelangelo and Donatello; the ancient Roman colony of Lucca; the former city port of Pisa and mediaeval Siena. We also experience the quintessential Tuscan hilltop town of San Gimignano with its 13 mediaeval towers and the Etruscan city of Volterra.

Included are field trips to:

• The Tuscan countryside for a guided walk.
• Siena, famed for its Palio (13th century costumed horserace) in the Piazza del Campo.
• Florence with its cathedral and great galleries of the Accademia and the Uffizi.
• Pisa with its fine Basilica and Leaning Tower.
• Lucca with its fine mediaeval streets following the plan of the Roman colony.
• Mediaeval hilltop town of San Gimignano where we take part in a visit to a local vineyard
• The Etruscan city of Volterra.

En route to Rome we visit Arezzo whose 13th century church of San Francesco houses one of Italy's greatest fresco cycles and pause in the model Renaissance town of Pienza

Rome

For details on Rome see introduction above.

Accommodation
We stay in a religious house offering share twin and single rooms with private facilities. Typical local breakfast (daily) and 1 dinner are provided.
The program concludes in Rome. You may wish to extend your stay in Rome or Europe. Please contact your Travel Agent.

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

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.