SOUNDS OF NORTHERN ITALY - 2009
Milan, Verona and Bologna
Visit Bergamo, Cremona, Mantova, Ferrara and Ravenna
Opera performances:
In Milan:
23 April – IL VIAGGIO A REIMS by Rossini at LA SCALA
In Bologna:
29 April – RIGOLETTO by Verdi at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna
Departure from U.S.A.: 20 April 2009 – 11 Days. Return: 30 April 2009
LAND COST: (includes orchestra level seats in the theaters listed above)
Double occupancy: $4.950 per person - Single supplement: $850
Deposit: $750 per person - Balance due ten (10) weeks prior to departure.
Day 1. – April 20. (D)*. UNITED STATES – MILAN
Depart this evening aboard any airline of your choice from New York to Milan, Italy. Dinner and light breakfast served on the plane.
Day 2. – April 21. (B,D). MILAN
Independent arrival in Milan. We meet you at the centrally located HOTEL DE LA VILLE, where we stay three nights. Briefing and Gala Welcome Dinner at the hotel.
Day 3. – April 22. (B). MILAN
Morning sightseeing of this dynamic city. Among the sights to see are the beautiful Gothic Cathedral and Verdi’s house where he worked and died. Afternoon free to take in the Pinacoteca di Brera or any of the other museums in the city.
MILAN is just not very Italian. All the Milanese do is work, all they care about is money and they refuse to indulge in the myth of la-dolce-vita. The city has its origin from Celtic settlements, which were subdued by the Romans in 222 B.C. In 312 A.D., Emperor Constantine published the Edict of Milan making Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. In 1805, Napoleon placed the Iron Crown of the Kings of Lombardy on his own head to declare himself the Emperor. To the Milanese people, all that is past history.
Day 4. – April 23. (B). BERGAMO - MILAN
This morning we take an excursion to Bergamo to visit the famous Colleoni Chapel and the Basilica of St. Mary Major wherein lies the composer Donizetti’s tomb, and is richly decorated with many beautiful works of art. Afternoon return back to Milan. This evening we will see the opera IL VIAGGIO A REIMS by Rossini at Theatro alla Scala.
Day 5. – April 24. (B,D). CREMONA – MANTOVA – VERONA
This morning we drive east to stop first in Cremona, the Violin Town. We will visit the Stradivarius Museum to see the models and tools belonging to Antonio Stradivarius, as well as other stringed instruments made during the last three centuries. We continue our drive east to see the “House of Rigoletto” in Mantova and visit the Ducal Palace, where the composer Monteverdi first conducted his opera “The Legend of Orpheus” in 1607. We also see the superb frescoes painted by Mantegna in the Ducal’s Apartments. Late this afternoon, we arrive in Verona where we stay three nights at the centrally located HOTEL ACCADEMIA. Dinner at the hotel.
Day 6. – April 25. (B). VERONA
Morning sightseeing tour of this red- and ochre-colored city to include the Balcony of Romeo and Juliet, the lively Piazza delle Erbe with its open-air market, the Tomb of the Scaligers, the Old Castle and the Arena. Afternoon at leisure.
VERONA was the setting of the balls, the secret marriage and the balcony where Romeo and Juliet said their farewells around 1300, as immortalized by Shakespeare in his play. Enclosed in its 16th century fortifications, Verona is regarded as the key to Northern Italy. The nucleus of the old town includes pleasant squares connected by alleys and arcaded passageways. The St. Zeno Major Church is one of the finest Romanesque churches in Northern Italy. The 12th century doors under the entrance show scenes from the Old and the New Testaments in expressive ways. The Arena, which can accommodate 25,000 spectators, draws large crowds of opera lovers during the season.
Day 7. – April 26. (B) VERONA
Today is free to stroll or see the Art Museum in Castelvecchio, the St. Zeno Major Church or the Arena where the Verona Opera Festival is held every summer.
Day 8. – April 27. (B,D). FERRARA - BOLOGNA
This morning we drive south to stop first in the tranquil town of Ferrara, one of the major artistic and cultural centres of Italy. The Jewish community flourished here in the 14th century and 15th century encouraged by the ruling House of Estes, who welcomed Jews from Rome, Spain and Germany. Their lives as portrayed in the book “The Garden of Finzi-Contini” by Bassani was made into an award-winning movie by Vittorio De Sica. We visit the 12thcentury Romanesque-Gothic-Lombard style Cathedral. This afternoon we arrive in Bologna, where we stay three nights at the deluxe HOTEL ROYAL CARLTON. Dinner at the hotel.
Day 9. – APRIL 28. (B). BOLOGNA
Morning sightseeing of this city, built predominantly of red bricks, to include Piazza Major and Neptune’s Fountain, the Basilica of Saint Petronio and the two very tall towers rising high above the old buildings. We visit the University of Bologna to see the operation theater where medicine was first taught in the western world. Afternoon at leisure.
BOLOGNA is one of Italy’s oldest cultural cities. It was settled by the Etruscans before the Romans got there in 189 B.C., followed by barbaric tribes, the Huns and the Lombards. Europe’s oldest university was founded here in 1088 and it had the honor of having the first woman as a professor. She was so beautiful that she lectured from behind a screen so as not to distract the students.
Day 10. – April 29. (B,D). RAVENNA – BOLOGNA
Today we drive east to Ravenna to see the famous Mausoleum of Galla Placida and the church of Vitalis with the beautiful bright mosaics dating to the 5th century. Afternoon return back to Bologna. This evening we will see the opera RIGOLETTO by Verdi at Teatro Comunale di Bologna. Gala Farewell dinner at the hotel.
RAVENNA remained the capital of the Western Roman Empire until 455 A.D., when Rome again became the center, only to have the Western Empire come to an end under the invasion by the barbarians. However, the eastern Byzantium (now Istanbul) and Ravenna were recaptured by forces of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian. It was during this period that the famous churches were built here and they contain the finest surviving Byzantine mosaics in the world.
Day 11. – April 30. (B). BOLOGNA – UNITED STATES
Fly this morning from Bologna back home arriving the same afternoon. Arrividerci. See you on another H.A.T. Tour
*B-Breakfast, L-Lunch, D-Dinner (including wine)
Airfare is not included. Individuals make their own flight arrangements. Please make sure that your airline ticket reads: U.S.A. to Milan and Bologna back to U.S.A. We urge you to check airline cancellation penalties before purchasing airline tickets since international departure times and flights can change. Tours can be cancelled due to low enrolment. H.A.T. Tours does not accept liability for cancellation penalties related to domestic or international airline tickets purchased independently in conjunction with this tour.
The group is limited to fifteen persons maximum. The Managing Director Grethe Arani and/or Aspee Arani will personally escort this tour. Local English-speaking guides are provided in each of the cities visited.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
A minimum initial deposit of $750 per person is required to hold a reservation. Final payment 10 weeks prior to departure.
* Airfare is not included.
Price Includes:
- orchestra level seats in the theaters listed above
- English Speaking guides.
Also see tour packages in:
Europe
Italy
Artistry
Dance, Music and Opera
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