Itinerary
Italian History and Culture, May 2009
TENTATIVE ACTIVITIES CALENDAR
[The events, dates, & times in this activities calendar are subject to alteration in case of unforeseen conditions such as museum closings, inclement weather, or changes in the travel schedule.]
Day 1
Be at the Lufthansa check-in at the Charlotte Airport no later than 3:00 pm! [Allow plenty of time for security check-in.] Depart Charlotte for Munich.
Day 2
Arrive Munich and then depart for Rome. Transfer to Sorrento by coach. After check-in at hotel, Sorrento walkabout & orientation.
Day 3
Sorrento: 8:30 am, leave hotel for visit to Amalfi (the Cathedral & Crypt of St. Andrew, Via Genova & Via Capuano) & Ravello (steep ascent, alleys, villas, St John’s, & the site itself).
Day 4
Sorrento: 8:20 am, leave hotel for visit to Vesuvius & Pompeii.
Day 5
Sorrento: 8:00 am, leave hotel to catch boat for day-trip to Capri.
Day 6
Sorrento: 9:00 am, leave hotel with luggage for coach trip to Rome, via the Catacombs of San Callisto. After check-in at hotel, brief Rome walkabout - Campo dei Fiori, Piazza Navona, Piazza della Rotonda, the Pantheon.
Day 7
Rome: 8:15 am, leave hotel for visit to the Pantheon, Sant’ Ignazio di Loyola, San Luigi dei Francesi, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Capuchin Crypt, Santa Maria della Vittoria (Bernini’s St. Theresa in Ecstasy), Sant’Andrea al Quirinale. Afternoon: EXPLORE ROME - ALTERNATIVE ACTIVITIES: Select from these options - Etruscan Museum, National Roman Museum, Campo dei Fiori, Piazza Navona, St. Peter in Vincoli, Castel Sant’Angelo (where the Borgias lived and killed people), Ara Pacis, Santa Maria del Popolo (more Caravaggio paintings), the Keats Museum, Ostia Antica (Rome’s ancient port with Pompeii-like ruins), or train trip to American Military Cemetery at Anzio-Nettuno.
Day 8
Rome: 8:40 am, leave hotel for visit to Capitoline Museums, Mamertine Prison, Forum. Afternoon: Colosseum, Palatine Hill. Optional activities: San Pietro in Vincoli, Santa Maria Maggiore.
Day 9
Rome: 8:00 am, leave hotel for Scala Santa, San Clemente, San Giovanni. Afternoon: St. Peter’s, the Vatican Museums, & Sistine Chapel. [Reminder: St. Peter's has a strict dress code--no shorts, skirts above the knee, or bare-shoulders.]
Day 10
Rome: 8:00 am, leave hotel for Borghese Museum. Afternoon: EXPLORE ROME - ALTERNATIVE ACTIVITIES: see list above.
Day 11
Rome: 8:00 am, leave hotel with luggage for coach trip to Florence with stopover in Assisi (Alternibus). After check-in at hotel, Florence walkabout & orientation via Mercato Centrale, San Lorenzo, Piazza San Giovanni (the Baptistery and Duomo), Orsanmichele, Piazza della Signoria, Ponte Vecchio, & Mercato Nuovo.
Day 12
Florence: 8:40 am, leave hotel for the Accademia (David) and the Bargello (Donatello’s David, Michelangelo’s Brutus, etc). Afternoon: Santa Croce (tombs of Galileo, Machiavelli, & Michelangelo; monument to Dante; Pazzi Chapel).
Day 13
Florence: 8:40 am, leave hotel for day-trip by coach to the San Gimignano and local vineyard.
Day 14
Florence: 8:35 am, leave hotel for the Museo dell’Opera dell Duomo, the Duomo and Baptistery. Afternoon: Santa Maria del Carmine (the Brancacci Chapel Masaccio frescoes).
Day 15
Florence: 8:45 am, leave hotel for the Uffizi Gallery. Afternoon: EXPLORE FLORENCE - ALTERNATIVE ACTIVITIES: Giotto’s Campanile (414 steps to the top), Palazzo Medici Ricardi (Gozzoli’s magnificent Three Magi fresco), San Lorenzo (Laurentian Library, Medici Chapels), Museo Firenze Com’era (large models, aerial views, scenes of the city through the ages), Museo di Storia della Scienza (awesome science stuff, Galileo’s tools, etc.), Pitti Palace, Boboli Gardens, Badia (art treasures by Lippi, etc.), Museo della Chiesa di San Marco (convent cells, famous paintings, courtyard), Archeological Museum (great Etruscan, Greek, Roman, Egyptian artifacts & sculpture), Michelangelo’s Studio, Santa Maria Novella, Palazzo Strozzi (courtyard), Dante’s House
Day 16
Florence: 8:45 am, leave hotel with luggage for train trip to Venice. Depart on Eurostar Italia arriving Venice Mestre. Transfer to Venice Santa Lucia on local train. After check-in at hotel, Venice walkabout & orientation. Late afternoon: Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari and Peggy Guggenheim Collection.
Day 17
Venice: 8:30 am, leave hotel for visit to Piazza San Marco, St. Mark’s Basilica, & Doges’
Palace. [Reminder: St. Mark's has a very strict dress code.] Afternoon: EXPLORE VENICE - ALTERNATIVE ACTIVITIES: Grand Canal, Rialto Bridge & adjacent market, Church of St. John & St. Paul, Verrocchio’s equestrian Monument to B. Colleoni, Accademia Gallery, Campo San Gregorio, the famous islands of Murano (glass blowing) and Burano (lace making), the Lido (beach), the Jewish Ghetto. Wander & enjoy Venice! Look for its leaning tower.
Day 18
Venice: Optional day-trip to Padua or EXPLORE VENICE - ALTERNATIVE ACTIVITIES: select other activities from the list above. Wander & enjoy Venice!
Day 19
Venice: EARLY RISING! 4:00 AM SHARP!! Leave hotel with luggage for Venezia Marco Polo Airport. Depart Venice for Munich. Depart Munich for Charlotte.
