Italy the Art of Passionate Living – 2007

Tentative itinerary: A 16-day adventure-June 22 to July 7, 2007 Estimated cost: $3349 (excluding airfare)

Group size is limited!!! This is a small private groupÖby invitation only.

Depart USA: June 22

Venice: 4 nights (June 23-27)

(2 special meals)

Venice is truly one of those few places on earth which is a unique testament to the greatness, imagination, adaptability and ingenuity of the human spirit. It is still staggering to contemplate that a great and powerful city, which attracted the finest art, architecture, music and cultural events of each age for well over 1000 years -not to mention attracting riches from the exotic ends of the world- could have risen on the mud flats and small islands of a shallow lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. In few other places did human beings become so wedded to a watery environment (almost becoming amphibians, some have joked) and then transform those inhospitable surroundings with such magnificent style.

By the time Marco Polo and his father Nicolò set off for China and the court of Kublai Khan in the 13^th century, Venice had already been a powerful force in the trade, politics and warfare of the known world for centuries. Venice had grown wealthy and also had developed a unique system of political leadership under the rule of the Great Council and the doges.

We will spend 4 nights in Venice. We will explore on foot and by boat the different districts and islands which make up the city. With the help of colleagues and friends who make this area their home, we will wander along the maze of streets and waterways, but we will also help you and allow you the time to find your own passions and interests.

And we will savor the taste of Venice’s culinary tradition with its wealth of seafood dishes, pastas, risottos and more and also the wines from the Veneto region that are an important part of Venetian good living.

Art, literature and architecture that shaped our western consciousness is on display all around the city and in the surrounding countryside. On one day, we will venture outside the city with our local friends and will explore historic villages, such as Arqua Petrarca, and the hills and vineyards where the great 14^th-century poet Petrarch spent his last years. In Venice and the Veneto region, Andrea Palladio, one of the most famous of all European architects built many of his greatest masterpieces in the 16^th century.

The churches, palaces and museums are filled with masterpieces of visual art. You can indulge your interest in Gothic icons, or Renaissance masters, or can ogle the shocking 20^th-century collection at Peggy Guggenheim’s former home.

Lake Como: 2 nights (June 27-29)

(1 special meal)

From Venice we will head west and will stop in the fascinating city of Vicenza, where we hope to visit with some local friends. In the 16^th century, this was also the home of one of the seminal figures in Western culture, the architect Andrea Palladio, and some of his most important creations were built here, including the justly famous Villa Rotonda.

We will have an idyllic interlude in the mountain lake district near the Swiss border. The area around Lake Como (a region that includes other magnificent lakes: Garda, Maggiore and Lugano, for example) is simultaneously intense and relaxing! The alpine peaks are reflected in the deep, cold blue of the water. This has been a favorite European get-away for centuries! Even the Romans came here to relax! It’s a great place for a big dose of nature and elegance.

We plan to stay in Bellagio, the famous village at the tip of a mountainous peninsula in the center of Lake Como, where lovely lakeside promenades and delightful cafes look across the lake to the mountains and surrounding villages. You can take a ride on the ferries to the city of Como and to other towns and villages around the lake. Or we can take an excursion to Lugano or to another of the charming towns and lakes in the region. You may just want to walk along the lake and the hillsides to enjoy the views and the gardens.

Portofino: 1 nights (June 29-30)

At one time, Portofino was just another fishing village on the Ligurian seacoast. But the charm of the rocky coast and the tiny harbor was discovered many years ago by the international yachting crowd, who made it into one of the most exclusive little towns in Italy. All this has made the character of the place decidedly upscale but has not spoiled the beauty of this rugged peninsula and the old houses surrounding the harbor.

We will stay directly on the rocky coast in Santa Margherita. Private cars are generally barred from the village of Portofino itself, but the local bus can take us the short distance from the hotel. There you can laze in a harbor-side restaurant or café or can hike up to the church of San Giorgio and the fortress to look down on one of the loveliest little seaside villages in Italy.

Montgufoni Castle:

7 nights (June 30-July 7)

(3 special meals)

Tuscany! The word itself is somehow magic! In so many ways Tuscany seems to be the very cradle of our Western culture: we think of artists and architects: Michaelangelo, Leonardo, Boticelli, Brunelleschi; of poets: Dante, Boccaccio; of political leaders, demagogues and reformers: the Medici princes, Machiavelli, Savonarola; of scientists and engineers: Galileo tested his theories about gravity here, and Leonardo’s imagination planned machines which could not be built until the 20^th century.

Yet Tuscany is so much more than Culture with a capital “C.” It has kept its rural, small-town folk atmosphere to a remarkable degree. Farmers, housewives, shopkeepers and children gather in town squares which have appeared the same for centuries; local residents may live in stone farmhouses or in village apartments above the bakeries and butcher shops which have been managed by their families for generations; many of them tend vineyards which may have produced wine at the time of Caesar; they meet in hilltop cafes and on country roads to chat, to gossip and to strengthen their bonds of family and friendship. In the Chianti Valley and in the neighboring regions, winegrowers, large and small, tend their vines to produce an incredible variety of tempting beverages. Along with those wines, country inns serve up local cheeses, sausages, fresh vegetables, tasty pasta and succulent meats.

On our way from Portofino, we can make a stop in Pisa at the Campo dei Miracoli for a look at one of the most stunning groupings of medieval buildings in Italy: the baptistery, the cathedral and its campanile (the famous Leaning Tower)!

Then we will spend an entire week in apartments of the historic hilltop Castelo Montegufoni!! It is in the countryside surrounded by gardens, its own vineyards and olive groves. The week will be organized to allow for flexibility, depending on your interests. On many days you will have options. Some of you will want to spend more time among the artistic glories of Florence, and some would prefer to loiter in towns in the Chianti region, or just take a day to relax and stroll to nearby towns. We will do our best to help you find your own favorite places.

Your choices will include excursions to nearly every part of Tuscany: You will want to amble around Florence to remember the brilliant and ruthless Medici family; also the glorious old city of Siena, the fantastical hilltop towers of the village of San Gimignano, or perhaps the mighty Etruscan walls of Volterra await us; the towns and local wines of the Chianti region are incomparable; fortified towns high on the hills, like Montalcino, are magical invitations to stop for some wine and experience another time and another world. The wines of Tuscany vary from crisp whites to the justly famous reds: Chianti Classico, Brunello, Vino Nobile; we will search out some wines to tease our taste buds that are new to all of us. And your faculty have favorite places completely away from the tourist routes!

Depending on the make-up of the group, we will try to adjust our visits to accommodate your interests. Help us plan the exact itinerary!! We intend to make daily excursions: Pisa, Lucca, San Gimignano, Volterra, Siena all await us.

Return to USA: July 7

Other information:

-Breakfast included at hotels in Venice and in Bellagio.

-Montegufoni Castle is not a hotel: everyone will be accommodated in apartments in the historic building. Each apartment is unique, but all have bedroom(s), bathroom, living and dining areas, and fully equipped kitchens. We will provide basic supplies, such as coffee and bread, for your breakfasts. Beyond that, you can make whatever you want; you can eat in the apartments or on the castle terraces; you can eat alone or share the morning with others from the group.

-We will provide a number of other special meals for the group as listed in the itinerary. We do want to share some specialties of each region with you and show you some of our favorite hang-outs; however, we do not want to force everyone to eat pre-arranged meals at pre-set times every day! Part of the delight of travel is searching out culinary adventures in smaller groups. We will always be available to share these adventures with you and to help you find your way.

-At Montegufoni, meals are offered most evenings in the castle. They are usually delightful family-style meals for which you can register in advance. Also, the small towns nearby have delightful restaurants and trattorie, where you can get everything from pizza to pasta to bistecca fiorentina.