ITALIAN JOURNEYS Fundamental Italy January 20 to 30, 2016 This

ITALIAN JOURNEYS
4400ColdSpringsRoad,Winston‐Salem,NC27106
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Fundamental Italy
January 20 to 30, 2016
This will be the third year in a row that we’ve offered this trip. And, truly, it is too good to miss: the chance to explore some of the most iconic sites in Italy without having to wade through the nearly ubiquitous crowds. In the past, we’ve offered this trip in February and had our fair share of sunshine. Indeed, I came home this year with a suntan. Next year, however, on the advice of our Neapolitan bus driver—and you can usually trust a bus driver—we’ve scheduled the trip for January: a couple degrees chillier than in February but less wind and more sun. January is also a good time to catch an opera at Naples’ recently renovated Teatro San Carlo. We love the prospect of five nights in Rome, our backyard, so to speak. Participants have the option of staying at the trusted 3‐star Albergo Santa Chiara or upgrading to the Grand Hotel de la Minerve, where off‐season rates are tempting. Our itinerary in Rome includes important Ancient sites, the Vatican, and a host of works by three of Rome’s greatest artists: Caravaggio, Bernini, and Borromini. We’re equally excited about returning to Naples. Suffice it to say that we’re very fond of this city that most tourists visit on the fly. We, instead, will have four nights at the beautiful Grand Hotel Vesuvio, with rooms overlooking the bay. There will be ample time to unpack, explore, make friends with the hotel bartender, and discover an essence of place that only comes with time. Moreover, there is a wealth of history and art to explore.
Our itinerary: Wednesday, January 20: Afternoon visit to the Palazzo Farnese, which today houses the French Embassy. It’s a good place to start since, for reasons to be discovered, the Farnese offer an intriguing link between Ancient Rome and Baroque Naples. Moreover, the stunning Annibale Carracci fresco that adorns the ceiling of the dining room is just coming out of restoration. Group dinner. Hotel Santa Chiara or Grand Hotel de la Minerve ITALIAN JOURNEYS
4400ColdSpringsRoad,Winston‐Salem,NC27106
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Thursday, January 21: A day in the life of Ancient Rome: the Baths of Caracalla; then on to the Roman Forum, and finishing up with the Colosseum, when it’s not crawling with tour groups! Lunch Friday, January 22: The Renaissance: Raphael, Michelangelo, and the art they looked at. Lunch near St. Peters followed by an early afternoon entrance to the Vatican and subsequent stroll through the Basilica. Lunch Saturday, January 23: Caravaggio. During the artist’s 14 years in Rome, he produced a remarkable number of masterpieces. With a bus to ferry us through the city, we have planned a Caravaggio point‐to‐point: the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo, the Borghese Gallery, Sant’Agostino, and San Luigi dei Francesi, with lunch somewhere along the way. That’s twelve Caravaggios in a single day. Lunch Sunday, January 24: Masters of Baroque Design: Bernini and Borromini. We begin our day with the stunning church of Sant’Ivo, around the corner from our hotel. Then on to Piazza Navona where Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers established his reputation as the greatest sculptor of his era. Along the via XX Settembre we take in two more Bernini masterpieces, the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa (newly restored) and the glittering church of Sant’Andrea, as well as Borromini’s tiny but intensely configured church of San Carlo. Then lunch, a fabulous lunch, at one of our favorite spots: Colline Emiliane. Afternoon visit to the Palazzo Barberini, where Bernini and Borromini go head to head, each designing a grand staircase for opposing wings of the palace. Lunch ITALIAN JOURNEYS
4400ColdSpringsRoad,Winston‐Salem,NC27106
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Monday, January 25: Travel to Naples. After a delicious fish lunch on the marina outside our hotel, we visit the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, where the moveable pieces from Pompeii and its environs are on display: frescoes, mosaics, bronzes, and household goods. Unquestionably, this is one of the great museums of the world. Lunch. Re dinners in Naples: there are half a dozen good restaurants and pizzerias within an easy walk of our hotel. We will organize optional group outings. Or, if you prefer, you can dine in the hotel’s elegant rooftop restaurant or order a light meal from the bar. Tuesday, January 26: Pompeii and the Villa Oplontis. Our goal today is to see as much as we can of what is arguably the greatest archeological site in the world, and still save time for lunch at an organic farm on the slopes of Vesuvius. The famous Villa of the Mysteries, just outside the city gates of Pompeii, has recently come out of restoration. The Villa Oplontis, which we visit in the afternoon, has stunning ancient frescoes. Once again, I can’t stress how thrilling it is to wander through Pompeii when it’s virtually deserted! Lunch Wednesday, January 27: The Campi Flegrei: archeological sites near Naples. This is a fun day of curious sites: the amphitheater of Pozzuoli with its intact substructure, the Cave of the Cumean Sibyl (think Virgil’s Aeneid), and a gigantic underground cistern in Bacoli, referred to by early archeologists as the Piscina Mirabile. Lunch Thursday, January 28: Spaccanapoli, aka the historic center of Naples. There is so much to take in: the majolica‐tiled cloister of Santa Chiara, the over‐the‐top Baroque sculpture in the Sansevero Chapel, remains of ancient Roman streets and shops beneath the church of San Lorenzo, and so much street life it feels at times like a movie set. We’ll also track down Caravaggio’s remarkable Seven Acts of Mercy in an out‐of‐the‐way church down a narrow alley. Pizza lunch! ITALIAN JOURNEYS
4400ColdSpringsRoad,Winston‐Salem,NC27106
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Friday, January 29: Certosa di San Martino and Capodimonte “When the Baroque came to Naples,” Sir Harold Acton wrote, “it expressed itself like a swarm of nightingales released from a golden cage.” And indeed there is no better place to sense these nightingales than at the Certosa of San Martino, a Carthusian chapterhouse majestically situated on a promontory above the city. And if that were not reason enough to visit, within the cloister is housed an utterly astonishing collection of Neapolitan Christmas Crèches. After a lunch in a tiny trattoria, with nonna cooking and dicing in the kitchen, we finish up with Naples’ most important art gallery. Housed in the hunting palace of the Bourbon monarchs, the collection includes important works by Titian, Raphael, Caravaggio, and Bruegel. Then it’s on to the Rome airport for a final night. Lunch. Hilton Rome Airport Hotel. Saturday, January 30 The tour ends with breakfast. Hotels In Rome, you have the option of staying at the three‐star Hotel Santa Chiara or, for a supplement, the 5‐star Grand Hotel de la Minerve, a stone’s throw away. We have worked for years with both hotels. They are ideally located in the heart of Rome’s Centro Storico, near excellent restaurants, great coffee bars, and just behind the Pantheon. In Naples, we’re all staying at the elegant 5‐star Grand Hotel Vesuvio on a quiet, traffic‐free section of the waterfront, directly in front of a marina dotted with fish restaurants and pizzerias. All deluxe rooms look out to sea. Our final night is at the Rome Airport Hilton. ITALIAN JOURNEYS
4400ColdSpringsRoad,Winston‐Salem,NC27106
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Meals Breakfast is provided each day, along with one meal, usually lunch. As on all Italian Journeys, we choose an assortment of restaurants and trattorias that range from elegant to homey and order meals with an eye toward seasonal and local specialties. For dinners we will provide a list of recommended restaurants where you can dine on your own or join Nancy and me. Costs Per person in standard double occupancy: $4000 Please note: Without raising costs from 2015, we’ve added an extra night as well as deluxe accommodations in Naples. This, thanks to a stronger dollar! Supplement for Single Occupancy: $600 Rates for upgrading in Rome to the Grand Hotel de la Minerve available upon request. The tour covers all costs associated with the itinerary: hotels, breakfasts, meals as outlined in the itinerary, entrance fees to all sites on the itinerary and all gratuities. Not included are airfare, airport transportation, unscheduled meals or visits, and items of a personal nature such as room service or hotel extras. For further information on this trip or to sign up, contact: Libby Lubin [email protected] 336 794 1849 4400 Cold Springs Road Winston Salem, NC 27106