Days 4-7

Our first view of the city called "the bride of the sea" will be as we exit the train station and stand at the edge of the Grand Canal. On a walking tour, we will cross a few of the more than 200 bridges that connect the archipelago of small islands that form the city. We will visit the Piazza San Marco, called by Napoleon "The most beautiful drawing room in the world."

We will tour the Basilica, the Ducal Palace and see the 10th century Bell Tower. Our art profesor will guide us through the Galleria dell Accademia, with its rich collection of Venetian paintings, including Bellini's "Madonna," Giorgione's "Tempest" and Tintoretto's magnificent cycle depicting the life of St. Mark. Nearby, we will see the Scuola San Rocco with Tintoretto's masterpieces.

Gondolier on the Grand Canal, Venice

We will also visit the Collezione Peggy Guggenheim, a magnificent canal-side palazzo which houses outstanding works by many modern masters including Max Ernst, Salvador Dali, Constantin Brancusi, Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollack. Evenings will be spent at leisure, exploring the hidden treasures of the city as twilight edges into darkness, or just sitting at a cafe along the Canal watching gondolas glide by.

FLORENCE

Days 8-11

FLORENCE, the cradle of the Renaissance, is an essential component of our study tour. Located in the center of Tuscany, it offers art lovers a unique opportunity to study the accomplishments of an age within the geographical confines where they were produced. Our art professor will guide us through the Uffizi, which includes the best of the Italian Renaissance: Filippo Lippi, Botticelli, Michelangelo, da Vinci and Titian, along with some superb examples of Northern art.

We will visit the Duomo and have an opportunity to climb up Brunelleschi's structure for a panoramic view of the city. We will visit the Baptistery and see Ghiberti's "Gates of Paradise," and the Museo Nazionale, the Bargello, with its magnificent collection of Florentine sculpture including works by Donatello, Verrocchio, Michelangelo and Cellini.

In FLORENCE we will visit the Piazza della Signoria and discuss aspects of the Florentine Renaissance. The Loggia dei Lanzi houses sculptures by Benvenuto Cellini and Giambologna, and affords us an opportunity to stand under the arcade and survey the civic heart of FLORENCE. Situated across from the Loggia is the Palazzo Vecchio-the administrative center of the city.

Of course, we cannot miss the Galleria dell'Accademia, which houses Michelangelo's "David" and a number of his other works.

A day long excursion is planned for PISA, where we will visit the Cathedral and the Leaning Tower and possibly visit one of the beaches nearby.

No tour of FLORENCE would be complete without a look at its famous churches. We will visit Santa Maria del Carmine with Masaccio's frescoes in its Brancacci Chapel; Santa Maria Novella with Masaccio's "Holy Trinity" and important frescos by Ghirlandaio; San Marco with the Medici Library and Savonarola's cell; and Santa Croce, where our historian will discuss famous Italians who are buried there.

Evening classes may be held in one of the hotel balcony rooms overlooking the city, or at leisure in the cafes near the Mercato Centrale. We will travel by morning train to our next destination, ROME.

Days 12-16

On our arrival in ROME, we will go on a walking tour of the ancient city. Among the many sites of Rome, we will view; the Castel Sant' Angelo, the Pantheon, Trajan's Column, the Colosseum, the Arch of Constantine, and the Roman Forum. In the ruins of the Forum our historian will deliver a lecture on the history of Ancient ROME. We may also tour the Catacombs, where the Early Christians of Imperial Rome buried their dead and held services but, despite a popular misconception, never lived.

We plan to visit the Vatican Museum with its famous sculptures such as the "Laocoön Group" and the "Apollo Belvedere," the great Egyptian Art Collection, the Raphael Rooms, the Greek Vase Collection, the Chapel of Nicolas V with frescos by Beato Angelico, and the Sistine Chapel, the jewel of Renaissance art in the heart of the Vatican. Of course we will visit Saint Peter's Basilica with Michelangelo's famous "Pieta" and Bernini's "Baldacchino."

We will also experience some of Renaissance and Baroque ROME. We plan to visit the Galleria Borghese with Bernini's greatest early sculptures and a priceless collection of Titians and Caravaggios. We will do a walking tour to see Loyola's Chiesa del Gesu, Santa Maria della Vittoria with Bernini's "Santa Teresa in Ecstasy," Piazza Navona with three Bernini fountains, and the Spanish Steps. Before leaving we will stop at the Trevi Fountain to drop in a coin, which according to tradition will assure our return to the Eternal City. We will depart for POMPEII by early morning train.

Gelato!

Days 17-18

In POMPEII, covered in 79 CE by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, we will view the layout of a Roman city from the first century CE. Plaster casts of some of the unfortunate victims of the volcanic eruption are preserved in the buildings of the Forum. An archaeologist discovered that pouring plaster into the hollows left in the hardened volcanic ash produced casts of the bodies that had perished in the city. Besides these more ghastly reminders of the destructive power of Vesuvius, an amazingly well-preserved city gives us an idea of what life was like in 79 A.D. Of particular interest will be the Forum, the House of Vetii and the Villa of Mysteries with its well-preserved frescoes.

TRAVEL DAY AND NIGHT BOAT

Day 19

We will cross Italy by train to BRINDISI where we will board a ferry for PATRAS, Greece. In the early morning on a clear day, you may see the sun rise over Albania from the deck of the ferry. We will land in PATRAS, where a chartered bus will be waiting to take us to OLYMPIA.

Day 20

We will arrive at OLYMPIA in time to see its wonderful archaeological site which is set amidst beautiful groves of cypress and olive trees. Here we will explore the ancient site of the Olympic Games, see the remains of the Temple of Zeus and Temple of Hera, walk through the ruins of the "workshop of Phidias", then admire the "Hermes" of the great sculptor Praxiteles in the newly-restored museum. We will spend the night in the small, charming town of Olympia.

At the track, Olympia

The Port of Piraeus

A view of the Venetian Fortress and small fishing boats in the old harbor, Iraklion, Crete

We will also visit the Archeological Museum in Iraklion with its collection of Minoan vases, the famous statue of the mother goddess entwined by snakes, the Hall of Minoan Frescoes with the "Bull-Leaper" from Knossos, the "Red and White Lilies" from Amnissos and the "Sarcophagus" from Agia Triada.

If all our coursework is complete, there should be time to hit the beach for some rest and relaxation.

Passing the sculpture of Sir Arthur Evans as we enter the palace grounds at Knossos.

Palace columns, Knossos, Crete

NIGHT BOAT

Day 25

We'll say farewell to Crete and return via overnight ferry to PATRAS, Greece. We will land in PATRAS, there, a chartered bus will be waiting to take us to DELPHI.

Day 26

The small town of DELPHI is nestled on the slopes of Mount Parnassus. The views down to the Gulf of Itea afford dramatic perspectives of the town, the olive groves and the water in the distance. Arriving at DELPHI in the early afternoon, we will visit the archaeological site, one of the most important sites in Greece and probably the most strikingly situated. It is here that the Delphic Oracle was consulted by the ancient world. We will walk up the Sacred Way and visit the great Temple of Apollo and the well-preserved Theatre and Stadium.

The bronze "Charioteer of Delphi"

Day 27

MOUNT OLYMPUS refers to the range of mountains in the Olympus National Park, spanning some twelve miles in length. Mytikas (which, in Greek means "nose") is the highest peak in the range, and in Greece at 9,750 feet, and is one of the highest in real height, all of Europe, since its base is at sea level.

In ancient Greece, the city was home to the Olympic Pantheon-the twelve Olympian gods who dwelt there. Our bus will pass the ancient mountain range on our way to METEORA .

Our bus will take us to the charming town of Kalambaka, with the clifftop monasteries of METEORA rising majestically in the distance. The evening of our arrival we may enjoy a meal at one of the many cafès in town. In the morning, we will discuss the Byzantine traditions that created the precariously perched monasteries.

In the past, monks were hauled up in nets from the valley below to the tops of the mountain pinnacles. We will take the modern route, and our bus will deliver us safely to these historic buildings where we can observe the elaborately decorated iconostasis, the architecture of the Byzantine church style, and enjoy the magnificent mountaintop views of the valley below.

.

Days 28-30

THESSALONIKI is the second largest city in Greece with over one million inhabitants. Situated on the Gulf of Thermaikos it is the most important port of the region of Greece known as Macedonia. The city was founded in 315(c) BCE by Cassander, the Macedonian King, who named it after his wife Thessalionica, the sister of Alexander the Great. She gained her name from her father, Philip of Macedon to commemorate her birth on the day of his gaining a victory over the Thessalians.

The rich history of Thessaloniki has seen Macedonian Emperors, Roman rule, Byzantine Empire, Saints Cyril and Methodius (the saints said to have brought the Cyrillic alphabet to the Slavs) and Ottoman overlords, each leaving their mark on the city. We will see the famous Arch of Galerius, Byzantine churches, and Ottoman streets while in the city, and, perhaps enjoy an evening meal in one of the charming courtyards housing restaurants and Ouzeris.

Triumphal arch of Galerius in Thessaloniki

Our private, chartered bus will take us outside the city of THESSALONIKI to the small town of VERGINA. There, we will visit the Tomb of Philip II (father of Alexander the Great) and the Macedonian Princes.

On November 8, 1977 , Greek archaeologist Manolis Andronikos. found tombs of Macedonian royalty, including one identified as that of Philip II. Considered to be the most important finds since those of Heinrich Schliemann at Myceane, the rich gold treasures, silver ewers, chryselphantine couches and works of bronze that filled the tombs are dramatically displayed and afford us a glimpse into the past. We will see what is considered to be the funeral pyre remains of Philip, his armor, the famous golden casket containing his ashes, and wreathes of solid gold. We will walk the underground passage to the door of his tomb, and, after our visit, walk through the farmlands of VERGINA to another Macedonian royal tomb, and up into the hills to the site of a palace.

After visiting this fascinating site, we will board our bus for ATHENS.

Days 31 –34

If time permits, we will visit the Athenian Agora which contains the ruins of the administrative center of ATHENS, and the Temple of Hephaistos, probably the best preserved classical temple in Greece.

Temple of Hephaistos, Agora, Athens

Greek folkloric dancing

Finally, we will conclude our coursework in ATHENS and prepare for our journeys homeward.

Day 35

END OF PROGRAM
Return flight