Tuscany & Florence – Sign up now – Just 2 spaces left!
October 13-22, 2011
Plus two fabulous optional add-ons:
Bellagio/Lake Como pre-tour add-on – October 10-13, 2011
Paris post-tour add-on – October 22-26, 2011
Join historian of medieval and Renaissance Italy, Prof. Daniel Lesnick, at one of the most delightful times of the year to enjoy the deep beauty of bella Tuscany in grape-harvest season and the splendor of the insider’s Florence. Under our expert guidance, you’ll experience the real Florence – its magnificent works of art, Florentine craftsmen plying their centuries’ old trades, and truly special insider treasures. We’ll also visit Tuscany’s grand medieval hill towns and smaller, quaint villages, medieval and Renaissance monasteries and churches, and Chianti vineyards (with wine-tasting and relaxed country dining al fresco).
Tuscany Highlights
“Wherever one is in Italy, either one is conscious of the present, or of the mediaeval influences . . . The land has been humanised, through and through: and we in our own tissued consciousness bear the results of this humanisation.” ~ D. H. Lawrence
- Le Corti wine estate, including wine tasting and tour of the cellars.
- San Gimignano “of the Beautiful Towers,” Italy’s best preserved medieval hill town.
- Siena, Florence’s great medieval rival, also beautifully intact and boasting spectacular architecture (the Gothic Cathedral and Palazzo Pubblico) and painting from the Middle Ages (Duccio and the Lorenzetti brothers, who painted the magnificent cautionary frescoes of “The Effects of Good Goverment” and “The Effects of Bad Goverment”).
- Medieval fortress-village of Monteriggioni
- Wine tasting, olive oil tasting, and tour of one of the premier Chianti wineries.
- Small enchanting villages and hill towns.
- Monte Oliveto Maggiore, a 14th-century monastery with cloister frescoed by Renaissance masters Signorelli and Sodoma.
- Optional activities at Le Corti include, Tuscan cooking courses, horseback riding, therapeutic massage, bicycle riding, and yoga instruction (individual or group)
Florence Highlights
“ . . . one must not undertake public projects (cose del Comune) if the idea does not correspond to a heart made great through the soul of its many citizens joined together by a single will.” ~ from a Florentine document of 1294, quoted by Eve Borsook
- The Duomo (Cathedral), topped by Brunelleschi’s spectacular Cupola
- The Romanesque Baptistery, with dazzling Venetian-Byzantine ceiling mosaics and, on the outside, Ghiberti’s Bronze Doors
- The Signoria, the seat of Florentine government from the 1290s to the present day, and the adjacent ceremonial Loggia dei Lanzi (displaying ancient Roman statuary, Benvenuto Cellini’s bronze “Perseus with the Head of Medusa,” and Giambologna’s spiraling “Rape of the Sabine Women).
- The Dominican cloister of San Marco, where Beato Fra Angelico frescoed each of the monks’ cells.
- The Accademia Gallery, with Michelangelo’s “David” and his “Slaves”.
- The Medici Chapels, with the dazzling Chapel of the Princes and Michelangelo’s New Sacristy with monumental tombs surmounted by his sculptures of “Dawn and Dusk” and “Night and Day”.
- The Bargello (National Sculpture Museum), the 14th-century Palace of the Captain of Justice and now the repository for works by Donatello, Ghiberti, the della Robbias, and Michelangelo.
- The Uffizi Gallery, arguably the world’s most spectacular collection of Renaissance Art, featuring paintings by Giotto, Piero della Francesca, Botticelli, and Leonardo da Vinci.
- The Pitti Palace galleries, including paintings by Raphael, Titian, and Rubens – and an extraordinary collection of precious pieces including rock crystal vases and works in semi-precious stones, ivory, gems, cameos, silver, carpets, clocks, and chinoiserie).
- A private visit and demonstration in a craft workshop
- Exclusive vist of the Renaissance garden and palazzo of one of Florence’s most prominent noble families. (Contingent on availability during our time in Florence.)
Bellagio/Lake Como Highlights
- Walking tour of Bellagio.
- Villa Carlotta, with its beautiful gardens and its interior with original 18th-century furniture and art works.
- Varenna, a tiny colorful fishing village with narrow alleyways and streets below.
Paris Highlights
- The Louvre, arguably the Western World’s greatest museum of art (in large part thanks to Napoleon’s depredations through Europe).
- The great Cathedral of Notre Dame.
- The Sculptures of Rodin.
- The Tuilleries Gardens.
- The Champs Élysées, one of the most beautiful avenues in the world.
- Montmartre, the historic artists’ quarter, where we’ll uncover secrets of Paris’s hidden past.
- The home of Vincent Van Gogh.
- Pablo Picasso’s studio.
- Basilica du Sacré Coeur, one of the most beautiful attractions in the city and an elevated place from which you can get a beautiful view of the whole of city of Paris.
- The Eiffel Tower, originally built as the entrance arch to the 1889 World’s Fair.
Tuscany & Florence Land Cost
$4,765 $4,175 per person in double rooms.
$5,475 $4,775 per person in single rooms.
The cost is for the Italy land portion of your tour only and is based on 11-12 group members and an exchange rate of €1.00 = $1.32. Cost is therefore subject to change.
Your Tuscany & Florence tour cost covers all of this (in addition to all the above):
- Florence airport-hotel-airport group transfers.
- Private air-conditioned motor coach for all program excursions and transfers.
- 3-star hotels (or similar) for 9 nights (breakfasts included).
- 3 group dinners.
- Special wine-tasting.
- All private guided tours.
- All tour-related museum reservations and entrance fees.
- Expert tour leader (fluent in Italian) for time in Italy, from airport pick-up to airport drop-off.
Bellagio Optional Add-on Land Cost
$1,590 per person in a double room; $1,740 in a single room
The cost is, as above, for the Italy land portion only of your Bellagio add-on and is based on 8-12 group members and an exchange rate of €1.00 = $1.32. Cost is therefore subject to change.
Your Bellagio optional add-on tour cost covers all of this:
- Highlights described above.
- Group transfer from Milan Malpensa Airport to Bellagio.
- Lovely boutique hotel (beautiful lake views) for three nights (breakfasts included); ranked #1 of 17 Bellagio hotels by TripAdvisor.
- “Welcome to Bellagio” group dinner.
- All private guided tours.
- All tour-related water transportation.
- All tour-related museum reservations and entrance fees.
- Motor coach transfer from Bellagio to Florence.
Paris Post-Tour Optional Add-on Land Cost
$2,000 per person in a double room; $2,200 in a single room
The cost is for the land portion only of your Paris add-on, does not include Italy-Paris airfare, and is based on 8-12 group members and an exchange rate of €1.00 = $1.32. Cost is therefore subject to change.
Your Paris optional add-on tour cost covers all of this:
- Highlights described above.
- Group transfer roundtrip Paris/CDG airport-Paris hotel.
- Small, comfy, centrally located hotel for four nights (breakfasts included)..
- “Welcome to Paris” group dinner.
- All private guided tours.
- All tour-related land transportation.
- All tour-related museum reservations and entrance fees.
Payment Schedule & Cancellation Policy
Your $1,000 per person deposit secures your place on this limited-space tour. Please send checks payable to “Italy Adagio” to Prof. Daniel Lesnick, Italy Adagio, 2021 21st Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35209. The balance of your tour payment is due, as above, by February 15, 2011.
Should Prof. Lesnick receive written cancellation of your trip by March 1, 2011, a full refund of recoverable costs, less a $1000-per-person cancellation charge, will be made. Cancellations received after March 1, 2011, are not eligible for refunds. (If you have any concerns about eventually having to cancel due to personal or family illness, it is strongly recommended that you purchase trip-cancellation insurance.)