YOUR O.A.T. ADVENTURE TRAVEL PLANNING GUIDE®

Tuscany & Umbria: Rustic Beauty in the Italian Heartland 2021

Small Groups: 8-16 travelers—guaranteed! (average of 13)

Overseas Adventure Travel ® The Leader in Personalized Small Group Adventures on the Road Less Traveled 1 Dear Traveler,

At last, the world is opening up again for curious travel lovers like you and me. And the O.A.T. Tuscany & Umbria itinerary you’ve expressed interest in will be a wonderful way to resume the discoveries that bring us so much joy. You might soon be enjoying standout moments like these:

I love to eat in Italy (who doesn’t?) and Tuscany is truly a gastronomic playground, brimming with some of the nation’s most iconic dishes. You’ll see what I mean when you spend A Day in the Life in the Chianti Valley on a family-owned goat farm where you’ll have a chance to meet the goats, learn about organic farming practices during a stroll through the fruit and vegetable gardens, and discover the secrets of cheese-making firsthand before sitting down with your hosts for a farm-fresh lunch.

While I adore so many of the Italian traditions that I’ve encountered, I was saddened to learn about a darker side of this country’s heritage and the consequences of the machismo culture: femminicidio , or violence against women. When you visit La Città delle Donne—an organization that provides vital services for victims of domestic abuse, you’ll meet some of the volunteers who work closely with the survivors. They’ll speak to the challenges facing survivors after they leave an abusive relationship and share their passion for achieving gender equality in Italy. I found their stories harrowing but ultimately inspiring—and you will, too.

The way we see it, you’ve come a long way to experience the true culture—not some fairytale version of it. So we keep our groups small, with only 8-16 travelers (average 13) to ensure that your encounters with local people are as intimate and authentic as possible. It’s also why your O.A.T. Trip Experience Leader will be a resident “insider” who can show you the culture as only a local can.

To ensure that your adventure is truly unique, put your own personal stamp on it. You can arrive early and stay later, add a pre- or post-trip extension, spend time in a Stopover city, or combine two or more trips. Plus, your itinerary offers ample free time so you can pursue your own interests.

So until the day comes when you are off to enjoy your Tuscany & Umbria adventure, I hope you will relish the fun and anticipation that this O.A.T. Adventure Travel Planning Guide® will inspire. Should you have further questions, feel free to call our Regional Adventure Counselors at 1-800-955-1925.

Love and peace,

Harriet R. Lewis Vice Chairman, Overseas Adventure Travel

P.S. For more inspiration, you can watch videos and slideshows from travelers like you at www.oattravel. com/traveler-moments. You can also share some of your own favorite moments by uploading your travel videos and slideshows directly onto the trip-specific pages of our website.

USA Today “Best Tours” 10Best Readers’ Presented by Choice Awards Solo Traveler

2 CONTENTS

A Letter from Harriet Lewis ...... 2 The O.A.T. Difference...... 4 The Grand Circle Foundation...... 6 The Leader in Solo Travel ...... 7

TUSCANY & UMBRIA: RUSTIC BEAUTY ABOUT YOUR DESTINATIONS: IN THE ITALIAN HEARTLAND CULTURE, ETIQUETTE & MORE Your Adventure at a Glance: Culture & Points to Know ...... 63 Where You’re Going, What it Costs, Religious Festivals in Italy ...... 63 and What’s Included ...... 8 Dressing for Churches ...... 64 Your Detailed Day-To-Day Itinerary ...... 9 Shopping: What to Buy, Customs, Shipping & Optional Tours ...... 30 More ...... 66 Pre-Trip Extension ...... 31 Post-Trip Extension ...... 38 DEMOGRAPHICS & HISTORY Dates & Prices ...... 42 Italy ...... 68 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ...... 68 Historical Overview of Italy ...... 69 ESSENTIAL TRAVEL INFORMATION Travel Documents & Entry Requirements. . . 43 RESOURCES No Visas Required ...... 43 Suggested Reading ...... 71 Rigors, Vaccines & General Health ...... 45 Suggested Film & Video ...... 72 Vaccines Required ...... 46 Money Matters: Local Currency & Tipping Guidelines...... 48 Tipping Guidelines...... 50 Air, Optional Tours & Staying in Touch ..... 51 Optional Tours ...... 51 Communicating with Home from Abroad . . 52 Packing: What to Bring & Luggage Limits . . . 54 Suggested Packing Lists ...... 56 Electricity Abroad ...... 58 Climate & Average Temperatures ...... 60

O.A.T. Health & Safety Measures...... 76 Notes...... 77 Map ...... 79

3 EXPERIENCE THE O.A.T. DIFFERENCE in Italy

This adventure not only showcases iconic sights, but takes you beyond them to experience the culture through unique activities, engagement with the natural world, and authentic encounters with local people. Since our founding in 1978, O.A.T. has become America’s leader in personalized small group journeys on the road less traveled. SMALL GROUPS: 8-16 TRAVELERS LOCAL MODES OF TRANSPORTATION (AVERAGE OF 13)—GUARANTEED To see the world like the locals, you should The world feels more intimate and engaging travel like one. Our small group size allows when your experience of it is also personal us to take the roads and waterways that are and genuine. That’s why our groups never less traveled, and we often follow them using exceed 16 travelers. This gives you access to the same unique modes of transportation people and places larger groups simply can’t that the locals use—be it a canoe, a camel or a reach. More authentic interactions. Deeper vintage cab. bonds with your travel mates. Personal service from your Trip Experience Leader. Smoother UNIQUE LODGINGS transitions. And a far more satisfying Our lodgings reflect the local character, experience than any traditional tour offers. from smaller family-run hotels and historic manors to comfy inns. Occasionally, larger THE BEST TRIP EXPERIENCE LEADERS hotels closer to city centers are used. Wherever Your English-speaking, O.A.T. Trip Experience you stay, you’re assured fine comfort and Leader is a resident of the region you are hospitality. visiting, so you will get a true insider’s perspective that brings each place alive—the OUR WORLDWIDE OFFICES stories, food, customs, hidden treasures With 36 regional offices around the world, and more. we are perfectly poised to leverage our local relationships to deliver an excellent experience AUTHENTIC CULTURAL CONNECTIONS and value. During this trip, you’ll be supported Engage with local people through visits to by our team in Rome. farms, factories, markets, and artisans’ studios; school visits; Home-Hosted meals; and more.

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4 THE PILLARS OF DISCOVERY En riching. Inspiring. Unforgettable. These features form the foundation of your Tuscany & Umbria adventure.

GRAND CIRCLE FOUNDATION (GCF) A DAY IN THE LIFE VISIT Do you ever wonder, “What would it be like GCF was established in 1992 to help change to live here?” when you visit new lands? Let’s people’s lives in the world where we live, find out during your O.A.T. A Day in the Life, an work, and travel. To date, we have pledged or exclusive, immersive experience that places donated $200 million worldwide. you in the heart of a community where you’ll meet various people where they live, work, By investing in the places we explore— and play; visit the neighborhood school; lend a including local schools, cooperatives, or arts hand with daily chores; and break bread with centers—we hope to give locals the skills and our hosts. confidence they need to become leaders of their generation and preserve their heritage This adventure includes A Day in the Life in the for many years to come. Chianti Valley on a family-owned goat farm, where we’ll learn to make homemade cheese, CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS and then venture to a nearby winery to sample Every culture has its joys and achievements, world-class Chianti varieties. Plus, we’ll and we celebrate them all. But every place immerse ourselves in an Umbrian mountain also has its challenges, and to gloss over them village during another A Day in the Life visit, would not do justice to those whose stories hunting for truffles alongside the locals. need to be told—nor to you, as a traveler who deserves more than a sugar-coated version of HOME-HOSTED EXPERIENCES things. So our Trip Experience Leaders will Stories shared. Differences solved. Taste buds lead frank discussions on controversial issues, engaged. Good will extended. It’s amazing the and introduce you to people whose stories will things that can happen across a kitchen table, expand your understanding. so we’ll break into groups of 4-5 to join a local family in their home for a snack or a meal. For example, we’ll learn about the issue of This is a rare opportunity to witness family femminicidio when we visit La Città delle life, learn local customs, and taste some Donne, an organization that provides support home-cooked fare. for survivors of domestic abuse. During our conversation with the president of the On this adventure, we’ll get an intimate organization and some of the volunteers, look at everyday Italian life when we share a we’ll gain a better understanding of the meal with a local family in their home in the situation faced by survivors of violence and seaside town of Marina di Carrara, a town that of the services the organization provides was originally built by the ancient Romans to them—including education, counseling, social house workers in the nearby quarries. We’ll services, and safe apartments for women (and get to know our hosts and learn about what their children) to stay. it’s like living in the shadow of the quarries while savoring a home-cooked meal.

5 GRAND CIRCLE FOUNDATION Changing people’s lives, one village, one school, one person at a time

GIVING BACK TO THE WORLD WE TRAVEL Dear Traveler, Since our inception in 1992, the Grand Circle In 1992 we established Grand Circle Foundation has pledged or donated more than Foundation, an entity of the Lewis Family $200 million to projects around the world. Foundation, as a means to give back to the world that had already given us so JOIN OUR GENEROUS TRAVELERS much. We’ve pledged or donated more We consider each and every one of our travelers than $200 million worldwide to support to be partners in our worldwide giving. the education of young people and the Some travelers, however, are so inspired by preservation of international treasures the schools and villages they visit, they are and UNESCO World Heritage Sites. compelled to give more. In fact, our travelers have donated more than $1 million in 2019 Of course, none of this would be possible alone. And because we have no administrative without your help. A portion of the costs, 100% of donations are used to help proceeds of every adventure is donated to change people’s lives. Grand Circle Foundation—so just as your life will be enriched by the discoveries BETTER OUR OWN COMMUNITIES— you’ll make on your journey, you’ll also ALL AROUND THE WORLD help to enrich the lives of the people In addition to the destinations where we travel, you’ll meet along the way. we strive to better the communities where Thank you for traveling with us, and for we work—from our headquarters in Boston helping to change people’s lives. to our 36 offices around the world. In Boston, more than 99% of our associates participate Love and peace, in community service each year. Worldwide, nearly all of our offices organize annual

community service events of their own. . Harriet R. Lewis Chair, Grand Circle Foundation How you can help To learn more about ongoing Foundation projects, you can sign up for our weekly e-newsletter, the Inside Scoop, at www.oattravel.com/community/the-inside-scoop. When you do, you’ll not only receive updates on Grand Circle Foundation, but the latest news and discoveries on all things Grand Circle and Overseas Adventure Travel.

www.grandcirclefoundation.org

6 THE LEADER IN SOLO TRAVEL in Italy—and Around the World

ON THIS ADVENTURE … FREE Single Supplements: We don’t charge The leader in solo-friendly a single supplement on this adventure and travel for Americans—by optional trip extensions—a savings of $960- the numbers $1,095 per person compared to other travel companies. But single spaces fill quickly, so early reservations are advised. More than 50,000 solo travelers joined us in the past two years—on One of our most popular trips for solo their own or with a friend or relative travelers. More than 450 solo travelers joined us on this adventure in the past two years— either independently or sharing a room with a 15,000 single spaces with a mother, daughter, sister, or friend. FREE or low-cost Single Supplement in 2021—a 76% increase from 2019 High ratings: More than 93% of these solo travelers rated their adventure excellent. More than 90% of solo women On average, half of your group will also be travelers rated their adventure traveling independently, so it’s easy to forge excellent special bonds as you experience unforgettable moments together. 51 exclusive women’s departures You’ll be in good hands, thanks to your featured on 25 of our most popular dedicated local Trip Experience Leader (a adventures—10 of which are single- resident of Italy), and the expertise of our only departures regional office team in Rome.

Increased Single Space: In 2021, we have 150% more single spaces than in 2019, with up to 8 single spaces per departure. See available FREE single space at www.oattravel.com/bta2021.

Solo doesn’t mean “alone.” Three out of eight O.A.T. travelers join our small groups as solos, so you will be in good company.

7 Lower prices than last year—a value of $600 per couple

Tuscany & Umbria: Rustic Beauty in the Italian Heartland Small Group Adventure Italy: Lucca, Chianti region, Pienza, Trevi

Countries: 1 | Cities: 4

Small groups: 8-16 travelers—guaranteed! (average of 13) It’s Included

• International airfare, airport transfers, • 23 small group activities $ government taxes, fees, and airline fuel 15 days from 4295 Explore in a small group of 8-16 surcharges unless you choose to make • Includes international airfare travelers (average group size of 13) your own air arrangements Travel from only $287 a day Services of a local O.A.T. Trip All land transportation • • Experience Leader Accommodations for 13 nights 14 days from $3295 • • Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and Without international airfare • 29 meals—13 breakfasts, 8 lunches, luggage porters and 8 dinners (Including 1 Home- 5% Frequent Traveler Credit toward your FREE Single Supplement Hosted Lunch) • next adventure—an average of $333

Maximize Your To get a richer view of the Included Features on this adventure, Discoveries & Value watch our Trip Itinerary video at www.oattravel.com/bta2021

Optional extensions : History and Culinary Delights of Bologna & Parma, Italy 6 nights pre-trip from $1995 Travel from only $333 per night Rome: Ancient Sites & Hidden City Gems 4 nights post-trip from $1495 Travel from only $374 per night

Sunset over Crete Senesi, near Siena, Tuscany

Tuscany & Umbria: Rustic Beauty in the Italian Heartland

8 Tuscany & Umbria: Rustic Beauty in the Italian Heartland

YOUR DETAILED ITINERARY

BEGIN YOUR ADVENTURE WITH AN OPTIONAL PRE-TRIP EXTENSION 6 nights in History and Culinary Delights of Bologna & Parma, Italy

Day 1 Depart U.S. Day 5 Transfer to Parma Day 2 Arrive in Bologna, Italy Day 6 Explore Parma Day 3 Explore Bologna Day 7 Parma • Po River Experience Day 4 Bologna • Optional Ravenna’s Day 8 Transfer to Lucca • Travel through Magnificent Mosaics excursion the Apennines • Join main trip

Day 1 Depart U.S. arrival time at the hotel, you will also be offered a drink by our Trip Experience Leader and Afternoon/Evening: You depart today on your may meet up with some of the other members overnight flight from the U.S. to Florence, Italy. of your group—including the travelers who took our optional History and Culinary Delights Day 2 Arrive in Lucca, Italy of Bologna & Parma, Italy pre-trip extension. • Destination: Lucca You may also wish to take a brief walk led • Accommodations: Hotel San Luca Palace by your Trip Experience Leader around the hotel and surrounding area for a chance to Afternoon: You’ll arrive at the airport in get acclimated, find an ATM, or seek out a Florence sometime this afternoon, depending local market. on your specific flight arrangements. An O.A.T. representative will meet you at the airport and Dinner: On your own. Your Trip Experience escort you to your hotel in Lucca—a transfer Leader will be happy to share their of up to 1.5 hours by bus, depending on traffic. recommendations, if you’d like, or you might Upon arrival, you will check in and receive your want to sample some traditional pizza from room assignments. We stay for three nights a nearby bakery, savoring your slice as you in our hotel located in the historic center of wander the city. Lucca. Depending on which hotel we stay at, amenities may include a restaurant, bar, and lounge area. Typical rooms include a minibar, safe, air conditioning, wireless Internet, and private bath with hairdryer. Depending on your

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

9 Evening: Your evening is on your own—you the numerous benches and tables—perhaps are free to rest in your room after your flight you’ll have a picnic, admiring the scenic city to prepare for tomorrow’s discoveries or and countryside. reach out to your Trip Experience Leader for • How to get there: A 5- to 10-minute walk recommendations on things to do in the area. to the bike rental store. Freedom To Explore: During your three days • Hours: 9am-7:30pm, daily. in Lucca, you have the freedom to explore • Cost: About $5 USD per hour or $23 USD this charming walled city on your own during for full-day rental. your free time. Below are a few recommended • Discover the Puccini Museum: Walk the halls options for independent explorations: of Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini’s birth home in a museum tracing the history • Visit the Palazzo Pfanner: Discover a of his life and work. This elegant former 17th-century villa adorned by a manicured home displays unique artifacts relating to Italian-style garden featuring Mediterranean the famous composer that range from the plants, sprawling lawns, potted lemon trees, iconic to the intimate. Witness treasures such and stoic statues of 18th-century Greek gods. as a waistcoat once work by Puccini, antique Built in 1667, the villa is now used as an art tour posters, and music school graduation and artifacts museum. The garden boasts certificates. 18th-century statues carved in the likeness of Olympian gods and the four seasons making • How to get there: A 5- to 10-minute walk. it a prime example of a Baroque garden. You • Hours: 10am-7pm, daily (varies by can also explore the lives of Italian nobility season). as you meander through the villa’s central • Cost: About $8 USD. hall, and also peruse a unique collection of Controversial antique surgical instruments and medical Day 3 Explore Lucca • Topic: texts against the backdrop of the opulent Combating femminicidio—violence room. Plan to spend an hour or so exploring against women—with Daniela Grossi and the villa’s unique architecture and historic volunteers of La Citta delle Donne curiosities. • Destination: Lucca • How to get there: A 10- to 15-minute walk. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner • Hours: 10am-6pm, daily • Accommodations: Hotel San Luca Palace (April-November). Exclusive O.A.T. Activity: Today’s discoveries Cost: About $7 USD. • feature the Controversial Topic of femminicidio, • Pedal along the Walls of Lucca: Cycle the or violence against women in Italy with Daniela almost 3-mile expanse of walls encircling the Grossi, president of La Citta delle Donne (“The heart of Lucca. Built between the mid-1600s City of Women”), and several volunteers and late 1800s, these walls are a prime ex- associated with the cause. This conversation ample of early modern fortification methods is one of the most eye-opening experiences and now serves as a unique urban park. on this adventure, as it enables our small Enjoy the scenic, panoramic views of this group to see all sides of Italy—including the historical city as you ride, or stop on one of difficult ones. Read more about this informative conversation below.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

10 Breakfast: Served at the hotel beginning femminicidio. As we’ll find out during the hour at 7am, with Italian and American options that we spend here, femminicidio is a taboo available. subject in Italy, one that many Italians prefer to think doesn’t happen in their country. Morning: At about 9am, we’ll gather in the hotel lobby to meet with our Trip Experience After introductions, Alida and Michela will Leader for a Welcome Briefing. During this take us on a tour of the organization, giving us briefing, we’ll review our itinerary in more a better understanding of the situation faced detail (including any changes that may by survivors of violence and of the services need to occur), discuss logistics, safety and the organization provides them—including emergency procedures, and ask any questions education, counseling, social services, and safe we may have. apartments for women (and their children) to stay. Because of the sensitive nature of this Shortly before 9:45am, we’ll set off to explore topic, and the culture of shame surrounding Lucca on a roughly 2-hour walking tour led by a it in Italy, we likely will not hear from any local guide. Remarkably well preserved, Lucca’s survivors during our time here. But Alida, narrow streets look much like they did when Michela, and any other volunteers we encounter the ancient Romans established the town in work closely with the survivors, and are able to about 180 BC. And the thick walls that encircled speak to their experiences and the issues they Lucca during the Renaissance era stand strong face after leaving their abusive relationships. today. Completely intact, they once hosted car races and now serve as a pedestrian walkway. Steeped in the twin cultures of Roman Lucca’s quaint center is enclosed by these Catholicism and machismo, Italy today walls, and brick ramparts from the 15th and remains a strongly patriarchal society. The 16th centuries preside over the streets. As we Vatican’s powerful reach continues to influence explore, we’ll find quiet, tree-lined squares and how women—and in particular, women’s ancient churches with ornate facades of green, sexuality—are viewed. As a result, many gray, and white marble. Our stroll also takes us survivors of sexual or violent assault who by the Duomo di San Martino, or St. Martin’s come forward are not taken seriously: Police Cathedral, which was originally built in 1063. officers frequently doubt women’s testimonies, and many women are made to feel guilty and We’ll conclude our walking tour shortly before shame for their own abuse. And so, unlike in noon at La Città delle Donne (literally, “The many other progressive European countries, City of Women”), an organization that provides there is a culture of silence and shame around support, services, and a safe place to stay for femminicidio in Italy. survivors of domestic abuse. Here, we’ll meet Daniela Grossi, president of the organization, In fact, in 2019 alone, nearly 7 million Italian as well as volunteers Alida Bondanelli and women between the ages of 16 to 70 suffered Michela Panigada, and learn about the a form of violence at least once during their Controversial Topic of femminicidio, or violence lifetime—ranging from physical violence to against women in Italy. While each of these serious forms of sexual violence, such as rape woman hails from different backgrounds and and attempted rape. Yet according to Italy’s cultivates various interests, Daniela, Alida, and statistics institute, only 12% of this violence Michela all share a desire for gender equality is reported. Around 63% of the perpetrators in Italy and a passion for helping victims of of these violent crimes were either current

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

11 or former romantic partners, which is likely Bottled water is included as well as a choice why the victims remained silent. La Città delle of a glass of wine, beer, or soft drink to toast Donne is one of the few places women can to the discoveries we’ll be making in Tuscany reliably turn to for support. and Umbria.

It is only in recent years that laws have been put Evening: After dinner concludes around in place to protect women who have been the 7:45pm, you are free to return to your room to victims of these kind of violent crimes. The first rest before your explorations tomorrow. Or, if significant legislative innovation against sexual you’d prefer, take in the charms of Lucca by violence in Italy took place with the approval night on an evening stroll or venture out to a of Law number 66 in February of 1996, which bar or a quiet café. finally began to consider violence against women as a crime against personal freedom, in Day 4 Lucca • Controversial Topic: The addition to a crime of morality. Then in April of health, economic, and environmental 2001, more new measures were introduced to impacts of marble production with Luigi combat cases of violence within the home—a Bernacca • Excursion to Carrara Marble huge step forward. Quarries • Home-Hosted Lunch During our hour-long interactive conversation, • Destination: Lucca we’ll hear a 20-minute presentation, followed • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch by 40 minutes to ask Daniela, Alida, and • Accommodations: Hotel San Luca Palace Michela any questions you may have. Our time at La Città delle Donne may be emotional and Exclusive O.A.T. Activities: Today, we’ll discuss difficult. But it also sheds light on important the Controversial Topic of the impacts of societal issues that any traveler wishing marble quarrying with former quarry worker to understand the real Italy must contend Luigi Bernacca. The O.A.T. community is with. Our experiences and conversations this one that seeks to uncover the truth about a morning are made possible by O.A.T.’s local destination, and we believe this is why travelers connections. have found this conversation to be particularly impactful. Although it reveals injustices and Lunch: On your own anytime after 1pm. inequities, it will help you understand the past Ask your Trip Experience Leader for and current complexities of life in Carrara. recommendations on restaurants in the Another exclusive O.A.T. activity we’ll enjoy area. You might stop by La Bodeguita, a local today is a Home-Hosted Lunch with a local mainstay for fresh sandwiches. family. This is a unique opportunity to see how people live and eat in this part of Italy, as well Afternoon: You have the afternoon free to as to immerse yourself in daily life. Read more explore Lucca on your own, perhaps to take a about these activities below. pleasant walk along the city walls. Breakfast: Served at the hotel beginning at Dinner: At around 6:15pm, we’ll take a 6:30am, with Italian and American options 15-minute walk to a nearby restaurant to enjoy available. our Welcome Dinner. Our meal will feature traditional Italian cuisine and will include an Morning: We’ll begin the day by departing appetizer such as bean soup, a main course around 9am for Carrara, about a one-hour such as veal with side dish, and dessert. drive. Situated along the Carrione River,

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

12 Carrara is a town that was originally built by in the industry, he mined the marble using a the ancient Romans to house workers in the hammer and chisel—a high-risk method that nearby quarries. Upon arrival, we’ll enjoy one of had the potential to result in injury, among a two revealing local interactions at the site. We slew of other negative consequences. Today, might stop at a local marble workshop to meet machines have almost entirely replaced manual with the owner and workers to see how blocks labor—however, this has not eliminated the of Carrara marble are worked into a variety of dangers. He’ll share with us his firsthand shapes for industrial or artistic use. Or, we’ll perspective on this evolution and how he feels discover another use of the local marble during about marble quarrying today. a visit to a producer of “Lardo di Colonnata.” Quarrying has existed in this region of Italy for Here, we’ll meet a maker of this local delicacy many centuries, and, bizarrely, the industry and discover how the pig-back fat is cured in still follows some of the original laws governing tubs of Carrara marble. marble extraction. A 15th-century rule, still Then, at about 10:30am, we’ll head up the in effect today, stipulates that whoever finds winding mountain slopes of the Apuan Alps marble in the mountains is entitled to keep the for an adventurous visit to the famous Carrara marble and establish a quarry on the premises, marble quarries, where the block of white without having to pay taxes to the town or marble used by Michelangelo to sculpt his David the municipality. In practice, this means that came from. Some 15,000 tons of marble are the quarry owners continue to get richer and still extracted daily from the mountains. We’ll richer, while none of the wealth generated by have a chance to walk around the grounds and the quarries gets invested back into the town. even get to enter inside the marble caves for Quarry workers spend their days (and working a behind-the-scenes look at the extraction lives) handling some of the most expensive process. If the day is clear, you may be able and sought-after materials in the world, only to enjoy scenic views of the surrounding to return in the evenings to a town in financial mountains and the town below from the quarry. hardship: Carrara, shockingly, is the poorest town in Italy. After our 1-hour walking tour, we’ll walk to a nearby shelter that is adjacent to the quarries. On top of the economic inequities faced by There, we’ll meet with Luigi Bernacca, a former quarry workers, there are physical tolls as quarry worker, to learn about some of the well. Working in the mines is dangerous and impacts of this practice during a Controversial dirty; explosions, landslides, and falling rocks Topic conversation. In the United States—and are commonplace. Accidents unfortunately throughout the world—Carrara marble is happen all too often: In the last thirteen years considered the gold standard in luxury. But alone, twelve quarry workers have died and as we’ll find out, the process of producing the more than 1,000 have been gravely injured. marble is far from luxurious, and the riches Many other workers have developed silicosis it garners have not made their way back to or cancer from breathing in the dust and the town. chemicals of the mines, daily, over many years. Cancer-related deaths from the quarries have Luigi is 72 years old, and for 48 of those years, been recognized officially, and many families he worked in the quarries. Over the decades, in Carrara are awaiting government assistance he’s witnessed the dramatic evolution of after the death of a loved one. But community this contentious practice. When he started members are often afraid to speak out about

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13 the issue, fearing retribution from the powerful hopefully give you a broader understanding quarry owners. The quarries are the area’s only of Italy’s role as a luxury producer in the source of employment; without them, families world market. would have very little economic opportunity. After our conversation concludes at about Furthermore, the organization responsible for 12:30pm, we’ll take a 15-minute drive to the tracking the rate of work-related injuries and seaside town of Marina di Carrara, where we’ll illnesses seems to have stopped doing so after split into smaller groups and be picked up by a “reorganization” of sorts in 2017. As such, some local families for a 5-minute drive to their those connected to the quarries have reason to homes. These residences may be in traditional believe a cover-up could be at play here. Italian-style apartment buildings or in single In addition to the many hazardous risks posed family homes. to the workers, the local environment has Lunch: At about 1pm, enjoy a Home-Hosted suffered as well. While technically located Lunch with a local family in Marina di Carrara. within a protected area of the Apuan Alps, the Get to know your hosts and learn what it’s quarries are not subject to the same safeguards like living in the shadow of the quarries while as elsewhere in the region. As a result of savoring a home-cooked meal of regional centuries of blasting and marble extraction, cuisine. Our meal will consist of seasonal dishes the quarry mountains have actually shrunk that include a pasta or soup and meat or fish, in height over time. But as long as there depending on the days of the week (families continues to be a high demand for marble here commonly enjoy fish on Tuesdays and and consumers willing to pay top-dollar for Fridays). the luxury of marble floors, countertops, and bathtubs, it’s unlikely that the regulations We’re afforded this special privilege by our (or lack thereof) will change. Furthermore, it small group size; by dining in groups of no seems that the powers that be are unwilling more than 5, we’re given the chance to enter to let go of Carrara’s history as a powerhouse local homes and connect on a one-to-one level, marble producer. The city prides itself in and to even share a little with our hosts about this reputation and celebrates it just about who we are and what has brought us to Italy. everywhere you look: From the magnificent This will be a great opportunity to ask them marbled Duomo to the marble intarsia inlay in about life in Carrara, any customs they practice, the Piazza Alberica, the history of this practice and more. is on full display. Afternoon: At about 3pm, we’ll depart Carrara As a former quarry worker and Carrara resident, by bus and return to Lucca, arriving back at our Luigi will be able to share a deeply personal hotel by about 4pm. The remainder of the day is account of the industry. Take advantage of this free to relax or explore independently. opportunity to ask him any questions you may have—such as how he feels about the quarries’ Dinner: On your own. You’re free to dine at the impact on the town, and what regulations he hotel or at a local restaurant in Lucca—maybe thinks should exist to protect workers and you will happen upon a mainstay for traditional the environment. Undoubtedly, this 1-hour fare a few minutes away. conversation will shed light on a troubling topic that’s little-known outside of Italy, but will

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14 Evening: Free for your own discoveries. You Vecchio since the 13th century. Shortly before can retire to your room for the night or ask your noon, you’ll have free time to explore Florence Trip Experience Leader for recommendations. on your own. You might opt to settle in at a local bar to Lunch: On your own in Florence. With people watch. everything from casual trattorie, gourmet sandwich shops, and street food stalls to Day 5 Lucca • Visit Florence • Michelin-starred restaurants, the Tuscan Chianti region capital has dining options to satisfy any • Destination: Chianti region appetite. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner Afternoon: There’s no better way to see • Accommodations: Villa Il Leccio or similar Florence than a stroll through its cobblestoned Activity Note: If you are departing the U.S. on a streets, and you’ll have a few hours to explore Thursday, our visit to Florence is on a Monday, the treasure-filled city at your own pace. when most national museums are closed, You could check out the Duomo, head to the including the Accademia and Uffizi Gallery. Mercato della Paglia and the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore with its famous dome designed Breakfast: Served at the hotel beginning at by Brunelleschi, or perhaps visit the Church 6:30am, with Italian and American options of San Lorenzo with the Medici Chapels. Or if available. there’s a special museum you had in mind, Morning: At about 8:30am, we’ll depart by your Trip Experience Leader will be happy to bus for Florence, a drive of about 1.5 hours point you in the right direction. We’ll regroup depending on traffic. Florence, of course, is at about 3:45pm for our bus journey into the the birthplace of the Renaissance, and we’ll Chianti countryside, arriving at our hotel begin our discoveries of this iconic Italian shortly before 5pm. Depending on where we destination at the Church of San Miniato, an stay, our hotel will likely be nestled in the ancient hilltop abbey located outside the city wooded hills of Chianti with amenities that walls. After taking in the panoramic views of include a restaurant, bar, and outdoor pool. the city, we’ll begin a walking tour led by a Typical rooms will not be air-conditioned, but local guide into Florence’s core—a UNESCO they should include satellite TV, minibar, safe, World Heritage Site. Our urban hike toward the and private bath. city center will take us through Piazza Santo Dinner: Around 6:30pm, in the hotel’s Spirito, a charming historic square frequented restaurant, with Tuscan cuisine that features by artists and bohemians. Florentines refer locally grown ingredients. to the neighborhood as “Oltrarno,” or “the other side of the Arno River,” and we’ll be sure Evening: Your evening is on your own—you to look for opportunities to mingle with the are free to rest in your room, visit the lounge, locals while passing through. We’ll also have or perhaps take an evening stroll in the an opportunity to admire Ponte Vecchio, the surrounding woodlands. You can also reach everlasting symbol of Florence. Erected during out to your Trip Experience Leader for Roman times, the current Ponte Vecchio, or Old recommendations on things to do in the area. Bridge, has stood since about 1350. All of the goldsmiths and jewelry shops on the bridge are nothing new—they’ve been a feature of Ponte

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15 Day 6 A Day in the Life in the environment to achieve unmatched quality and Chianti Valley sustainability. During our discoveries today, we’ll learn about many of these practices and • Destination: Chianti region come to understand why the rolling hills of • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Tuscany, dotted with dense vineyards, Cyprus • Accommodations: Villa Il Leccio or similar forests, and medieval villages, make for some Exclusive O.A.T. Activity: Our activities of the finest cuisine you’ll find just about this morning include a NEW A Day in the anywhere. Life experience in the Chianti Valley. This Arriving around 8:30am, our first stop will included feature provides an opportunity to be at Podere Le Fornaci, a 74-acre goat farm venture into the homes and workplaces of just outside of Greve. There, we’ll be greeted local villagers—from a farmer’s house and by Valentina, founder and community leader. rolling property to a small-scale, organic Her partner, Nicolo, also works at the farm as winery—where we’ll immerse ourselves a chef, and additionally, helps out wherever in daily life and better understand regional needed. Valentina has always been fascinated traditions and customs. Read more about this by the fruitful, natural essence of the Tuscan experience below. countryside, and this passion fuels her desire to Activity Note: Travelers may elect to join be a part of it. Her primary duties on the farm our Trip Experience Leader for a hike of include caring for the 80 goats—everything approximately 45 minutes along the ancient from nutrition to veterinary needs and breeding pilgrimage route of Via Francigena back to practices—as well as cheese-making and the hotel. horticulture management. During our visit, we may also meet the other Valentina or “La Breakfast: Served at the hotel beginning at Vale,” as she’s referred to, who assists Nicolo 6:30am, with Italian and American options in the kitchen, and Amanda, the point person available. for cheese-making. You may also notice upon arrival that there is a camper van parked on the Morning: At about 8am, we’ll set off on an property. Students come from all over the world approximately 30-minute drive by private to learn the sustainable practices of Podere Le motorcoach to embark on our NEW A Day in Fornaci, and they opt to live as close to the earth the Life of the Chianti Valley. Situated between as possible, hence the van. Perhaps we’ll meet the provinces of Florence and Siena, Chianti some of them throughout the day and have has long been revered as the heart and soul the opportunity to ask what they’re learning of Old Tuscany—known, of course, for its and why they hope to emulate the practices of world-class wine production, a masterful this farm. tradition dating back to the thirteenth century. In addition to its distinguished viticulture, The philosophy of Podere Le Fornaci is simple: Chianti is rich in gastronomic heritage, home If you bestow compassion upon the earth to some of the most iconic and universally and animals, allowing nature to thrive as it’s loved specialties. From expertly cured meats to intended, you will reap pure, sustainable, and sharp, melt-in-the-mouth cheeses and hearty, wholesome delights. Valentina will go into wholesome breads, the people of Chianti pride great detail about this credo, one which she themselves in carrying on ancient culinary aims to promote via her involvement in Genuino practices that work in tandem with the natural Clandestino, a movement striving to preserve

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16 the natural earth and raise awareness about big in peace. This is not the case on most farms, industry practices which threaten it. As we’ll especially in big industry, where elderly goats learn throughout the day, this movement isn’t are slaughtered and used for meat. merely a conviction—it’s a way of life that After meeting the animals, we’ll make requires a deep, respectful synergy with the our way to the fruit and vegetable garden natural environment. Valentina will also regale around 9:45am for a brief introduction to us with the history of the farm, how it has the cultivation methods for which Podere Le evolved over the years, and what their hopes Fornaci is known. We’ll learn how Valentina are for the future. and her staff channel the earth—without Around 9am, we’ll make our way to the goats, the use of pesticides or chemicals—to yield which we’ll find either resting peacefully in the healthy, sizeable, and plentiful harvests. We’ll barn or roaming the undulating fields freely. also have a chance to observe the various Don’t be surprised if they approach you seeking types of produce that grow here and even pick attention and a warm touch. This herd is very some for ourselves. From there, we’ll head tame and accustomed to frequent interactions to the farmhouse around 10:30am to enjoy with people; therefore, you can feel comfortable the hands-on activity of cheese-making. Of petting them, and if the mood strikes, even course, we’ll make some form of goat cheese, going in for a cuddle (Valentina does!). This whether a mild or more pungent variety. This species of goat is the Alpine chamois, a breed process includes acidification, the separation of native to mountainous regions in Europe. curds and whey, salting, shaping, and ripening These small bovids reach a height of about 30 (which can take days, weeks, or months). At inches and weigh anywhere from 60-120 lbs the end of our tutorial, we’ll sample some on average. Both males and females possess previously aged cheeses to get an idea of how a set of short, curved horns and either brown the finished product will taste—products or grey fur (depending on the season). Come which we’ll enjoy more of during our spring, we may have the opportunity to meet farm-fresh lunch. the newborn kids and watch as they suckle from Lunch: Around 11:30am, we’ll sit down with our their mothers and clumsily romp around the hosts to enjoy fresh, organic fare sourced from fields—a true joy to behold. During our time the farm, a spread that will naturally include a with the herd, we will observe their behaviors variety of goat cheeses and vegetables. and learn about the quality care they receive, as well as how their milk is utilized. We may Afternoon: At 12:30pm, we’ll spend about even be able to feed them and help with a few 30 minutes helping our hosts clean up and small chores around the barn. Valentina will bid farewell around 1pm. We’ll transfer via also shed light on how she uses border collies private motorcoach about 15 minutes to a to humanely herd the goats. These dogs never nearby winery called Santa Cristina Le Pancole. use force or cause harm to the animals. They This vintner partners with Podere Le Fornaci are specially trained to guide them in a docile and abides by the same Genuino Clandestino manner, eliminating any risk of anxiety. As principles. Upon arrival, we’ll be greeted by we’ll learn, these goats are so well-loved Carlotta, who assists the owner, Stefano, in that when they grow old and are unable to running the operation. In getting to know breed or produce milk they are gifted to local Carlotta, we’ll learn that it’s not so much her sanctuaries, where they may live out their lives background that brought her here, but rather

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17 her enthusiasm for natural and sustainable learn about the aging and classification specific agriculture. Her mother is friends with to this wine, as well as the unique process Stefano, which is how the opportunity initially which goes into crafting it. presented itself. Founded in 1980 by members Following the tasting, we’ll say goodbye to of his family, Stefano felt compelled to take Carlotta around 2:30pm and have the option to over the business—an act that actually went either drive about 15 minutes to the hotel or join against his parent’s wishes (they urged him our Trip Experience Leader in a 45-minute hike to follow another career path). But Stefano through the Chianti Valley (about 1.5 miles), couldn’t bear to imagine abandoning the fields concluding at our hotel. This walking trail, part his forefathers worked so hard to maintain. of Via Francigena, is a famous pilgrimage route In addition to running the winery, Stefano lined with ancient stones that have been there founded Fierucola Market in Florence, providing for more than 1,000 years. Along the way, we a means for selling his surpluses instead of may have the opportunity to meet hikers and letting them go to waste. locals alike, coming to learn how they use this Around 1:30pm, Carlotta will lead us on a natural pathway. 30-minute walk through the vineyards, Dinner: Around 6:30pm, in the hotel’s where we’ll hear in-depth about production restaurant, featuring authentic Tuscan cuisine methods and harvest. We’ll glean insight with a choice of entrees and dessert. into small-scale, low-impact agriculture and understand how these methods contribute Evening: Your evening is on your own—you to the preservation of local biodiversity can enjoy a nature walk, relax in the lounge, or and build trust between the producer and reach out to your Trip Experience Leader for consumer. Carlotta will also explain how recommendations on things to do in the area. they manage these practices, whilst keeping their prices fair and avoiding the need to Day 7 Chianti countryside • Olive oil mill sell to large distributors. As we walk, take visit • Cooking class and farmhouse lunch in the swirling colors of the wave-like vineyards—gold, chartreuse, and sage—set • Destination: Chianti region against the surrounding chestnut, maple, and • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Cyprus forests. • Accommodations: Villa Il Leccio or similar

Then, around 2pm, we’ll head to the farmhouse Breakfast: Served at the hotel beginning for a wine tasting of Chianti varieties. The at 7am, with Italian and American options exact tasting menu will vary from departure available. to departure and season to season, but you can Morning: At about 9am, we’ll depart our hotel be assured these tart, spicy, and herbaceous by bus for an excursion to an olive-oil mill in flavors will leave quite the impression. Chianti the Chianti countryside. This region of Tuscany wine is a red blend made primarily with produces some of finest extra virgin olive oil Sangiovese grapes and features common tasting in the world, and our one-hour drive through notes of red fruits, dried herbs, balsamic rolling, vineyard carpeted hills will take us to vinegar, smoke, and game. It pairs beautifully an olive-oil producer whose groves have been with red meats, tomato-based sauces, and in the same family for more than 150 years. hearty pastas. During this visceral tasting, we’ll At the mill, an oil maker will show us where the olives are pressed each November and

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18 December to release their precious oil. Then Morning: At about 9am, we’ll depart our during an olive-oil tasting, our small group hotel on a 30-minute bus ride to begin our will learn about different varietals and how to three-night stay in Pienza—a UNESCO World distinguish between the spicy notes and other Heritage Site. Along the way, we’ll stop for characteristics of this staple of Tuscan cooking. a visit to Siena, home to Tuscany’s most We’ll depart the mill at around 11:30am for celebrated festival, the annual Palio horse about a 20-minute drive to a local agriturismo race; as well as one of Italy’s most notable (farmhouse). Shortly after noon, we’ll enjoy cathedrals. We’ll arrive just outside this a hands-on cooking lesson led by the cook at historic city shortly before 10am. A walking the agriturismo that will reveal the secrets to tour led by a local guide will be like stepping making traditional home-made pasta—the back in time to discover the palazzos, piazzas, kind native Tuscans learned in the kitchens of and churches scattered throughout Siena’s their mothers and grandmothers. Old Town, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Siena’s streets are paved with cobblestones, Lunch: After our cooking lesson ends at about and the city is built over five hills, making for a 1:15pm, we’ll dine on the delicious Tuscan challenging—yet rewarding—stroll. We’ll also cuisine that we’ve helped to prepare in this learn about Siena’s unique districting system. rustic country home in the hills outside Siena’s 17 districts, or contrade, were originally of Florence and in the heart of the Chianti divided by the city’s buildings and their owners countryside. at the time, rather than by roads or other Afternoon: At about 2:30pm, we’ll depart the geographical markers. Each is named after farmhouse for the 30-minute drive by bus back an animal or symbol, and we’ll explore one of to our hotel. The remainder of the afternoon these districts today where we may interact is free to relax in your room, enjoy the villa with the residents to get a glimpse into the amenities, or explore the idyllic wooded hills of local culture. Chianti that surround our villa on our own. Lunch: On our own in Siena at around Dinner: Around 6:30pm, in the hotel’s noon—ask your Trip Experience Leader for restaurant, featuring regional Tuscan cuisine dining options. The city’s main square, the prepared with fresh, local ingredients served famous Piazza del Campo, is lined with a with an appetizer, a choice of entrees, variety of pizzerias and trattorias that should and dessert. satisfy any palate.

Evening: On your own—you can enjoy the Afternoon: After some free time to explore amenities or begin packing for tomorrow’s Siena on your own, we’ll regroup at about transfer to Pienza. 2:30pm and continue our drive by bus to Pienza, arriving at our hotel shortly before Day 8 Transfer to Pienza • Explore Siena 5pm. Depending on where we stay, our accommodations should be located overlooking • Destination: Pienza the Tuscan hills and just steps away from the • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner heart of Pienza’s historic core. Typical rooms • Accommodations: Piccolo Hotel La Valle include a minibar, satellite TV, and private bath.

Breakfast: Served at the hotel beginning at 7am, with Italian and American options available.

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19 Dinner: At around 6:30pm, we’ll take a miss going in—the original baptismal font 5-minute walk to a nearby restaurant, where where Pope Pius II was christened remains we’ll enjoy dinner together featuring regional intact here Tuscan cuisine. • How to get there: About a 10-minute walk. Evening: On your own—you can enjoy the hotel • Hours: 9am-6:30pm, amenities or relax on the veranda to take in the Wednesday-Monday. sweeping views of the Tuscan hills. • Cost: Free. • Unleash your creativity at the Bai Linda Freedom To Explore: During your three days Ceramic Workshop: Located in the historic in Pienza, you have the freedom to explore center of the city along the promenade that this small Tuscan town on your own during parallels the medieval walls, this workshop your free time. Below are a few recommended honors Italy’s rich ceramics tradition. Visitors options for independent explorations: can explore an on-site cave dug into volcanic • Step back in time at Palazzo Piccolomini: tufa stone featuring the only medieval well History and architecture buffs will love in the village before admiring handmade touring this classic Renaissance-styled palace ceramic goods such as platters, dishes, dating back to 1459. Originally the summer and cookie jars made by an artistic couple. residence of Enea Silvio Piccolomini, or Perhaps you might strike up a conversation Pope Pio II, this residence was designed by with the owners about the shop’s historic Bernardo Rosselino and features ornately location—inside one of their grandfather’s carved windows, stone columns lining the former home. main courtyard, and a nice view of Val d’Orcia • How to get there: A 5- to 10-minute walk. from a small terrace. A visit to this three-level • Hours: 10am-7:30pm, Monday-Sunday. palace will provide a glimpse into high society • Cost: Free. in Italy during the 15th century and also a fine example of early Renaissance architecture. Day 9 Visit Etruscan Museum • Explore Grand Circle Foundation • How to get there: A 5- to 10-minute walk. Montepulciano • visit: • Hours: 10am-6:30pm, Tuesday-Sunday. Antoniano Female Orphanage • Cost: About $8 USD. • Destination: Pienza • Witness religious history at Pieve di • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Corsignano: Venture down the western • Accommodations: Piccolo Hotel La Valle hillside of Pienza to find the 7th century Exclusive O.A.T. Activity: Today’s discoveries Romanesque church of Pieve di Corsignano. feature a visit to the Antoniano Female Pienza was formerly called Corsignano and Orphanage, an organization that cares for pieve means “parish,” hence the name. orphaned children—supported in part by Grand This ancient structure boasts a circular bell Circle Foundation. With our travelers’ help, tower with eight arched windows. Over the Grand Circle Foundation has donated more than main doorway, you’ll notice the carving $3,000 to the organization to date, which has of a two-headed siren, and above the side sponsored projects like painting the children’s door, appear to be scenes of the Three Kings bedrooms and covered the cost of multiple and Nativity. The interior of the church is relatively empty; however, you don’t want to

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20 iPads. During our visit, we’ll learn more about Then we’ll complete our short drive up to one of the organization’s mission from the staff and Montepulciano’s gates, where we’ll take a walk children who live there. through the city center of this immaculately preserved Tuscan town onto Via San Gallo, a Breakfast: Served at the hotel beginning at historic street outlined with brick and stone 6:30am, with Italian and American options buildings. available. Lunch: At about 12:15pm in a local restaurant, Morning: Around 8am we’ll set out by featuring regional specialties. private motorcoach to the Etruscan Museum, about a 1.5 hour drive away. The Etruscans Afternoon: You’ll have about 45 minutes of free were an ancient people who lived on the time to wander through the elegant squares Italian peninsula long before the Romans and hidden corners of Montepulciano on your arrived. Because no literature survives from own. Then, at about 2pm, we’ll reconvene as a the Etruscan period, the history of their small group and walk about 5 minutes to reach civilization is shrouded in mystery; all that is the Antoniano Female Orphanage, which is left of them are the artifacts—like weapons, sponsored in part by Grand Circle Foundation. cooking implements, and building tools—that Grand Circle Foundation archaeologists have been able to find. These artifacts have been collected and are now on Antoniano Female Orphanage display at the Etruscan Museum. When we Partner since: 2021 arrive there this morning, we’ll be greeted by one of the museum’s archaeologists and Founded in 1930 by the nuns of the San given a welcome talk on the history of the Francesco Monastery, the orphanage’s mission Etruscans in the local Chianciano community. is to care for parentless children from humble At around 10am, one of the archaeologists will origins, primarily those from Central-south then lead us in a hands-on activity using clay Italy. Initially, the orphanage only welcomed to further our understanding of the Etruscan girl orphans, but over time the facility civilizatoin. Aournd 10:45am, you’ll have expanded to include boys, too—an important about a half hour to explore the four floors of development that allowed brothers and sisters the museum—which is housed in a converted to stay together. More recently, in the 1990s 19th-century granary barn—on your own. and 2000s, the orphanage has expanded again: Now it houses eight sets of mothers and their We’ll depart the museum around 11:15am children who have fallen on hard times and and drive by bus to nearby Montepulciano, need a place to stay. a medieval hilltop town in the Tuscan countryside about 15 minutes from away. Before When we arrive at the orphanage, we’ll meet exploring the streets of Montepulciano, we’ll the nuns and the children who live there. stop briefly to admire the façade of San Biagio, We’ll have a chance to tour the home, see the a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture that common areas, and learn the stories of both the stands at the foot of a hill leading up to town, organization’s inhabitants and the volunteers with a brief tour led by our Trip Experience who live there. We’ll also get a preview of a Leader. Built between 1518 and 1548, the domed special project the Grand Circle Foundation sanctuary was designed by Antonio da Sangallo is working on, which includes painting the the Elder, an illustrious architect from Florence. children’s bedrooms and providing iPads for educational purposes.

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21 After about an hour here, we’ll re-board our a walking tour, followed by some free time to private motorcoach and head back to Pienza, wander the labyrinth of streets and piazzas of arriving around 3:30pm. The rest of the day is the historic district on your own. free to do as you’d like. Lunch: Those who took the Optional Tour Dinner: On your own—you can ask your Trip will enjoy lunch at around 12:15pm at a Experience Leader for local dining options. local restaurant in Pitigliano. Lunch will be Perhaps you may choose to venture down the on your own for those who didn’t take the road to taste some regional specialties. Optional Tour.

Evening: Free to explore Pienza on your Afternoon: At about 1:30pm, Optional Tour own—you may wish to visit a local café or participants will re-board the bus for a retire to your room to prepare for tomorrow’s 30-minute drive to the ancient Etruscan discoveries. necropolis of Sovana, where we’ll hike through the woods of this ancient burial site. After Day 10 Pienza • Optional Pitigliano & walking along sunken roads carved into the Sovana tour volcanic rock and contemplating the mysteries of the Etruscans, we’ll return to Pienza, • Destination: Pienza arriving back at our hotel by about 6pm. • Included Meals: Breakfast • Accommodations: Piccolo Hotel La Valle Dinner: On your own—you can ask your Trip Experience Leader for local dining options. You Breakfast: Served at the hotel beginning might try a local spot about a 3-minute walk at 7am, with Italian and American options from the hotel serving Italian specialties. available. Evening: Free to explore Pienza on your Morning: After breakfast, the entire day is own—or you may wish to begin packing for free to explore Pienza independently, with tomorrow’s transfer to Trevi. lunch and dinner on your own. You may stay at the hotel to relax and reflect, spend some Day 11 Pienza • Explore Perugia • time exploring the surrounding hills of the Val d’Orcia, or soak up more of the 15th-century Chocolate-making experience • Discovery splendor of the town named for Pope Pius II, walk in Trevi • Transfer to Spoleto who was born here. • Destination: Spoleto • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Or, you may join a full-day Optional Tour to Pitigliano & Sovana, with an included lunch. • Accommodations: Hotel Clitunno Around 8am, we’ll board our bus and set off Activity Note: Some groups will stay in Trevi, for the hilltop town of Pitigliano, a drive of instead of Spoleto, for Days 11-13. Except for about 1.5 hours. Surrounded by gorges on minor variations in timing, travelers who stay three sides, Pitigliano was originally settled in Trevi for these three nights will enjoy the by the Etruscans and was once home to a same activities as travelers staying in Spoleto. thriving Jewish population that had settled Breakfast: Served at the hotel beginning there in the early part of the 16th century—it at 7am, with Italian and American options was even known as La Piccola Gerusalemme available. (or Little Jerusalem). Arriving at about 10am, we’ll explore Pitigliano’s Jewish heritage on

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22 Morning: Around 8:30am, we’ll bid farewell Lunch: At around noon, we’ll enjoy an to Tuscany and turn our eyes toward Umbria. aperitivo-style lunch with our Trip Experience Considered “the green heart of Italy,” Umbria Leader at a local café/bar in Perugia. “Aperitivo” is rich with agriculture, olive oil making, and is a cherished Italian custom featuring small verdant forests. After a private motorcoach plates of appetizers and traditional Italian ride of just over an hour, we’ll arrive at Perugia snacks—these often include cheeses, cured Piazzale Partigiani, in Perugia. We’ll take one meats, olives, pasta, and more. of the town’s escalators up to Corso Vannucci, Afternoon: Following our light lunch, perhaps a mostly pedestrian thoroughfare lined with you’ve saved room for dessert—because along prominent buildings, museums, a cathedral, with its famous Perugina Baci chocolates, and more. Then, we’ll begin our 1-hour walking Perugia is also noted for its unusual and tour around the town with our Trip Experience delicious flavors of gelato, like Gorgonzola, Leader. Umbria’s capital, Perugia, is a hilltop honey and walnuts, fresh strawberry with town of medieval walls, cobbled alleys, elegant ginger, and more. After about 1 hour of free piazzas, and even some Etruscan remains. time to explore the historic streets of Perugia, Despite its ancient history, it is Umbria’s we’ll board our private motorocoach at around largest and most cosmopolitan city, featuring a 2:15pm for a half-hour drive to Trevi. Upon sizeable international student population and arrival, we’ll embark on a short discovery all the modern luxuries one could imagine. Still, walk led by our Trip Experience Leader before the historic center of the town is remarakbly enjoying 1 hour of free time to explore. Trevi well-preserved, from the towering basilicas to is located on the lower flank of Monte Serano the Gothic palazzi (mansions) and Renaissance and overlooks the wide plain of the Clitunno frescoes by the likes of Perugino and Raphael. river system. With a population of just 8,000 Our discoveries will conclude around 11am people, we can revel in the quaint, quiet charms at Cafè Turan, a former goldsmith workshop of this striking town, tucked away from the turned eatery and chocolaterie. The cafè is touristic, trodden path of Italy. At the height owned by sisters Giulia and Giorgia, who of its commercial influence, Trevi was called opened the shop with the help of their mother, il porto secco or “the dry port” during the 15th a pastry shop owner. Upon arrival, we’ll be century, and it was the fourth town in Italy greeted by Giorgia and get an introduction to to have a printing press. The good fortunes the business before heading into the kitchen of this period are reflected in the number to try our hand at chocolate-making. From of Renaissance-style mansions you’ll see preparing the cacao beans to tempering the around town. chocolate and forming it into bars, bon-bons, At 4:15pm, we’ll depart for our final destination and more, we’ll get to see firsthand the for the day, Spoleto, where we’ll check into multi-step process that goes into creating the our hotel and receive our room assignments sisters’ confections. While we work, be sure to around 4:45pm. Depending on where we stay, notice the restored frescoes that don the walls our hotel may feature a restaurant, furnished of the cafè. terrace, bar and lounge. Hotel amenities might At around noon, we’ll say goodbye to Giorgia include complimentary Wireless Internet, and walk 5 minutes to a local eatery. flat-screen TVs, a private bathroom, and tea- and coffee-making facilities. After checking in,

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23 we’ll have about 2 hours of free time to relax connect Rocco Albornoziana with Monteluco, before dinner. Check with your Trip Experience both as a road and water canal. Marvel at Leader for suggestions. this magnificent structure and enjoy the panoramic views of untouched greenery that Dinner: At around 7pm at the hotel’s surround it. restaurant, featuring typical Umbrian cuisine. Often called cucina povera, or peasant cooking, • How to get there: A 15-minute walk. due to its rustic nature and use of fresh, simple • Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. ingredients, the region of Umbria is also • Cost: Free. renowned for its gold-green olive oil, rich red • Visit the Ceramiche Umbre di Patrizi Elena: wines, diverse grains, and salumi (cured meats). Ceramics are synonymous with Umbria—an ancient tradition born out of the soil, which Evening: Free to relax at the bar or retire to is rich in clay and minerals necessary to your room. Or, you may wish to take an evening the art form. This ceramic artisan shop and stroll through the ancient streets of Spoleto. facility showcases this cultural heritage Freedom To Explore: During your three days through the expert production of terracotta, in Spoleto, you have the freedom to explore a type of typically unglazed earthenware, this ancient Umbrian town on your own during and majolica, tin-glazed pottery decorated in your free time. Below are a few recommended colours on a white background. During your options for independent explorations: visit, you’ll have the opportunity to learn about the production process unique to each • Enjoy a hike along the Spoleto-Norcia rail- ceramic and even have a chance to take some way: Opened in 1926, this engineering marvel home with you. made high-speed travel possible between • How to get there: A 10-minute walk. the two mountainous towns. It took thirteen • Hours: 9am-1pm & 3pm-8pm, daily. years to build and was in operation until 1968 • Cost: Free entry; ceramic costs vary. when faster alternatives became available. Today, the tracks have been removed and Day 12 Explore Spoleto • Controversial locals now use the historic route as a hiking Topic: Reproductive rights in Umbria path. Enjoy several hours of hiking through with Stefania Depersio & Silvia Menichini • forests, ravines, and across massive stone bridges. Good hiking boots are required and Umbrian Folk Music Optional Tour pants are recommended. Also a must is a • Destination: Spoleto water bottle, as there are no hydration points • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch along the way. • Accommodations: Hotel Clitunno

• How to get there: A 5-minute taxi ride, Activity Note: Some groups will stay in Trevi, about $11 USD one way. instead of Spoleto, for Days 11-13. Except for • Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. minor variations in timing, travelers who stay • Cost: Free. in Trevi for these three nights will enjoy the • Enjoy breathtaking views from the Ponte del- same activities as travelers staying in Spoleto. le Torri: This striking bridge is 774 feet long Exclusive O.A.T. Activity: Today’s and nearly 300 feet high. Erected around the activities include a conversation surrounding thirteenth century and supported by ogival the Controversial Topic of women’s arcades and stone pillars, it was designed to reproductive rights in Italy, led by two local

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24 healthcare advocates. As a predominantly amended to require a woman to check into Catholic country, the debate about a hospital for a minimum of 3 days before contraception and reproduction has long been services would be administred—if at all. As a heated issue here, especially as the radical we’ll learn, this signifies a considerable blow conservative party continues to gain traction. to a woman’s right to choose—but perhaps Our conversation will primarily focus on new most alarmingly, this new policy even applies legislation that has further restricted rights for to women seeking the morning-after pill. These women, but it will also examine the political women aren’t even sure if their pregnancy is and social climate that led to it. Read more viable, and yet, they are still ordered to comply. about this conversation below. Legislation specific to the morning-after pill varies by region; for example, Lombardy, Breakfast: Served at the hotel beginning Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, and Lazio still allow at 7am, with Italian and American options women to acquire emergency contraceptive available. within roughly 24 hours. But many wonder Morning: At about 9am, we’ll meet our local if the changing tides in Umbria are a sign for guide at the hotel to begin a walking tour what’s to come in other provinces. of Spoleto, a walled hill town framed by the To faciliate this conversation, we’ll be met towering Apennine Mountains. Inhabited since by two healthcare advocates, 55-year-old prehistoric times, it’s full of history, as we’ll Stefania Depersio and 40-year-old Silvia discover during our 2-hour walking tour led Menichini. Stefania’s knowledge of this topic by a local guide. We’ll begin our discoveries at is extensive: First and foremost, she is a Il Ponte delle Torri, a 774-foot-long medieval Sociologist Consultant with the Italian Center bridge (actually, an aqueduct built on ancient of Sexology, focusing primarily on sexual Roman foundations) that runs over a scenic distress prevention. Over the years, she has wooded gorge. Then, we’ll also stop to admire spearheaded countless sex education projects the Duomo di Spoleto, an eleventh-century for grades K-12, as well as for a number of cathedral made from salvaged Roman stones. private and public corporations. In addition Lunch: Around 12:15pm, our group will to shaping sex education in Italy, she is a stop by a local trattoria in Spoleto to enjoy technical consultant for the official Court of regional cuisine. Perugia, offering her expertise in matters of childhood sexual abuse and domestic violence. Afternoon: At about 1:30pm, we’ll walk 5 As a clinical psychologist and family mediator, minutes to another local resturant, where we’ll Silvia also brings a wealth of experience to our head into a special meeting room to discuss the conversation today. She currently works in a Controversial Topic of women’s reproductive private practice, providing support to women rights in Italy. With a population of almost 75% and couples considering pregnancy or abortion; practicing Catholics and a radical conservative however, she has also worked in schools, party on the rise, the fight for a woman’s right public institutions, family homes, and drug to choose remains incessantly heated; in fact, addiction centers. legislation further restricting these rights was just set into motion in June 2020. Led by To begin, Stefania and Silvia will outline the the far-right political party, Lega Nord, Law current laws and regulations surrounding 194—a pre-existing law guaranteeing the right reproductive rights in Italy. They will also delve to voluntary pregnancy termination—was into the specifics of Law 194. We’ll discuss,

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25 for example, the fact that a woman will be means that women will be forced to resort “observed” for 3 days by doctors, who will to clandestine, back-alley arrangements, then decide whether or not to grant her the endangering not only the baby’s life, but their procedure or medication she requests; thereby, own. Furthermore, “pro-choice” advocates transferring a woman’s right to choose to her argue that they, too, aim to reduce the number doctor. It’s important to note that roughly 70% of abortions—however, evidence provided of doctors throughout Italy do not condone a by notable organizations like the World woman’s right to choose, and as such, most Health Organization clearly indicate that you women are sent home, obligated to go through mitigate this need by increasing sex education with their pregnancy, or forced to check into and providing safe, legal treatment in an another hospital and go through the whole environment where women can feel supported process all over again, with no guarantee of a and access information. desired outcome. Many women find themselves Abortion was legalized in Italy in 1978, with the caught in this painful cycle, and many cannot majority of citizens in support of its passing, even afford to go to such measures, as they and the morning-after pill was only introduced cannot take time off work, be away from their in 2000. Today, the majority of women and families, or afford out-of-pocket services (Italy overall population still support the legality of does have universal health care; however, these services, but they face increasing threats elective termination procedures are often not from the pro-life movement, as well as—and covered). In Italy, a fetus can technically be perhaps most of all—from Lega Nord, who aborted up to 7 weeks—2 less than most other continues to defend Law 194 on the grounds European nations—but critics say that all of of “protecting” women. But the pro-choice this newly introduced red tape is merely a ploy community does not buy into this logic. In to prevent women from accessing care before their view, it’s merely an attempt to spin the the legal timeframe expires. dialogue and distract from what it really is: a A woman’s right to choose has long been malicious power grab void of science and civil a source of fiery debate in Italy, where the liberty. During our conversation, we’ll hear omnipresent influence of the Vatican seems from Stefania and Silvia for about 20 minutes to infiltrate every aspect of life. The Catholic before opening up the dialogue to a 40-minute Church and “pro-life” community has always Q&A. Take this opportunity to ask any questions regarded any form of termination—even within you have, such as how Stefania feels about the the first trimester—as murder. In fact, during state of sex education in Italy or what Silvia a May 2019 conference, Pope Francis equated it believes the future holds for reproductive to “contracting a hitman to solve a problem,” rights, in light of recent developments. even in cases where the fetus is fatally ill or This afternoon, the rest of the day is free bears clear signs of pathological disorders. for your own discoveries—ask your Trip Despite the unyielding views of the supreme Experience Leader for recommendations. Or, pontiff, most of Italy’s population—nearly you may wish to join the optional Umbrian 70%—does not wish to turn back the clock folk music tour. Those joining the tour will on progress. In countries around the world depart around 4pm by private motorcoach for that offer such services, studies (and history) a 20-minute drive to Spello, an ancient town demonstrate that eliminating safe, lawful located in east central Umbria. Upon arrival, procedures does not put an end to pregnancy we’ll meet Massimo, a local musician, who will termination. Quite the contrary: it only

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26 accompany us on a discovery walk of Spello Evening: You’re free to explore Spoleto by with our Trip Experience Leader. Settled in night. You might choose to gather with your ancient times by the Umbri people, Spello fellow travelers at the hotel or a local bar for a became a Roman colony in the 1st century nightcap. Those who joined the optional tour BC. Constantine the Great once dubbed it, will return to the hotel around 9pm. “Flavia Constans,” according to a document preserved in the local communal palace. Our Day 13 Spoleto • Truffle hunting walk will take us through the old walled town experience and offer sweeping views of Perugia, situated • Destination: Spoleto at the bottom of the ridge. The highlight for many will be a visit to La Cappella Baglioni, a • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner chapel renowned for its early 16th-century • Accommodations: Hotel Clitunno Renaissance frescoes. We’ll conclude our Activity Note: Some groups will stay in Trevi, walk at Massimo’s home around 5:30pm, instead of Spoleto, for Days 11-13. Except for where we’ll meet his family and the rest of minor variations in timing, travelers who stay the musicians. Then, over some appetizers in Trevi for these three nights will enjoy the and wine, we’ll enjoy about an hour-long same activities as travelers staying in Spoleto. performance of traditional Umbrian folk tunes. Unification came relatively late in Italy, which Breakfast: Served at the hotel beginning is why you’ll hear notes of Arabic, European, at 7am, featuring a spread of Italian and and Celtic influences in these melodic pieces. American options. Often featuring instruments such as the flute Morning: Around 9am, we’ll gather in the and accordion, Umbria’s musical tradition runs lobby and head to the bus. Around 9:15am, we’ll deep, as the region is the site of many music board our bus and depart on a 45-minute ride festivals. When the performance concludes at to Pettino, an Umbrian mountain village in the around 7pm, Massimo will join us again for heart of the Apennines. a 15-minute walk to a local restaurant where we’ll all have dinner together. We’ll be back at Traditional Italian ways of life have endured our hotel in Spoleto at about 9pm. for generations in these mountain villages, and locals here still grow crops, tend sheep, Dinner: On your own this evening if you do not and gather truffles and mushrooms from the join the optional tour. Ask your Trip Experience surrounding natural birch forests. When we leader for some local dishes to try. You may arrive around 10am, we’ll be welcomed into the choose to seek out pasta alla norcina, a popular home of a local resident for a short coffee and Umbrian meal featuring strangozzi pasta, tea break, where we’ll get acquainted with the pork sausage, rich cream sauce, and likely local hunters. local mushrooms. Those on the optional tour will enjoy dinner at a local restaurant in Spello Around 10:30am, we’ll split up into even around 7:15pm, featuring dishes like bruschetta smaller groups and set off on a 15-minute drive with Umbrian olive oil, and of course, plenty of aboard 4-wheel-drive vehicles to the woods. wine to go around. Once we arrive, we’ll meet a local shepherd who will give us a glimpse into his daily life wrangling sheep in the mountains.

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27 Then, we’ll embark on our search for truffles Day 14 Umbria • Transfer to Rome • Local alongside local hunters and their dogs, who will interaction at La Casetta Rossa guide us in this intricate hunting process. We’ll • Destination: Rome journey into the woods on foot and discover if the truffle-hunting skills of the dogs can • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner uncover any of the precious fungus, perhaps • Accommodations: Hotel Savoy tasting some along the way. Breakfast: Served at the hotel beginning at 6:30am, featuring a selection of Italian and Our discoveries here wrap up around 11:30am, American dishes. at which point our small group will return to the village, arriving at the shepherd’s home for Morning: At around 8:30am, we’ll check out of a picnic lunch. our hotel and bid farewell to Umbria and begin our 2-hour overland transfer to Rome by bus, Lunch: Around 11:45am with the shepherd over stopping along the way for lunch and to stretch conversation and local specialties, including our legs. eggs and truffles sprinkled with fresh pecorino. Upon arrival around 11am, we’ll meet our Afternoon: We’ll say arrivederci to our host local guide, Fabio, and begin a 1-hour walking around 1pm and head back to Spoleto by bus. tour through the Garbatella district, an urban When we arrive around 1:45pm, you’ll have zone home to about 45,000 people. While we the remainder of the day free to do as you’d walk, we’ll learn how this area was originally like—ask your Trip Experience Leader for intended as a workers’ residential quarter, recommendations. You might join your Trip but in the 1920s, fascists allocated the area for Experience Leader on an optional discovery people who had been displaced by construction walk, or even take advantage of a shuttle that work in the city. Over the decades, Garbatella will bring you to and from nearby historic slowly evolved into a vibrant, desirable Assisi, perhaps best known as the birthplace of neighborhood, and throughout our discoveries, St. Francis. we’ll have a chance to meet some of the local At about 6:45pm, we’ll walk 15 minutes to a residents who call it home. local restaurant. Lunch: We’ll stop to enjoy lunch at La Casetta Dinner: Around 7pm at a local restaurant, Rossa around 12:15pm. This local eatery is run featuring traditional cuisine. by volunteers who live in the neighborhood. Founded in 2001, it has provided a platform Evening: You’re free to explore Spoleto by for a number of political, social, and cultural night. You might choose to gather with your initiatives. It also serves as a communal fellow travelers at the hotel or a local bar for space, where residents can use the popular a nightcap. wood-burning oven, children can come play, and educational tutorials can be given, such as baking or photography workshops.

Afternoon: At about 1:45pm, we’ll drive 20 minutes to our hotel in Rome. Depending on where we stay, our hotel may feature a restaurant, bar, and lounge at the hotel, along with air-conditioned rooms, each with minibar,

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28 satellite TV, and private bath with hair dryer. Day 15 Rome • Return to U.S. or begin After check in, we’ll have around 3.5 hours of post-trip extension free time this afternoon to explore on our own. • Included Meals: Breakfast Perhaps you may venture out to admire the iconic Colosseum in all its ancient splendor. Breakfast: Served at the hotel beginning at 7am, featuring a spread of Italian and American Around 6:15pm, we’ll meet for a Farewell Drink specialties. at the hotel bar before taking a 5-minute walk to a local restaurant for dinner. Morning: Depending on your flight arrangements, you will transfer to the airport Dinner: Around 7pm, we’ll toast to our sometime this morning to embark on your memories of our Italy and Tuscany travel flight home to the U.S. Those staying for the experiences during a Farewell Dinner at a local Rome: Ancient Sites & Hidden City Gems extension restaurant. will remain in the city. Evening: We’ll arrive back at out hotel after a 5-minute walk at 8:15pm, after which we will enjoy a free evening to explore Rome, or refresh in our rooms before our journey home.

END YOUR ADVENTURE WITH AN OPTIONAL POST-TRIP EXTENSION 4 nights in Rome: Ancient Sites & Hidden City Gems

Day 1 Hike the Appian Way • Explore Day 3 Rome • Optional Rome’s Great Rome’s Catacombs Beauty tour Day 2 Explore the Coliseum & Day 4 Rome Roman Forum Day 5 Rome • Return to U.S.

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29 OPTIONAL TOURS

During your trip you will be able to book optional tours directly with your Trip Experience Leader. He or she will ask you to confirm the payment for these tours by filling out a payment form. Optional tours can only be purchased with a credit or debit card. We accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover credit cards. We also accept Visa and MasterCard debit cards, but it must be a debit card that allows you to sign for purchases.

In order to correctly process these charges, there can be a delay of 2-3 months from the date of your return for the charges to be posted to your account. Therefore we ask that you use a card that will not expire in the 2-3 months following your return.

Please note: Optional tour prices are listed in U.S. dollar estimates determined at the time of publication and are subject to change. Optional tours may vary.

Pitigliano & Sovana Our discoveries will conclude in the musician’s (Day 10 $150 per person) home, where we’ll revel in the mellifluous sounds of traditional Umbrian folk tunes. Then, Jews began settling in Pitigliano in the 15th we’ll enjoy dinner at a nearby restaurant. century, and the population increased when they sought refuge here after being expelled from the Papal State in Rome during the counter-reformation persecutions. During World War II, all the town’s Jews escaped the Nazis with the aid of their mostly Catholic neighbors, a rare feat in that era. A walking tour will reveal Pitigliano’s rich Jewish heritage. After lunch at a local restaurant, we’ll then set off for the ancient Etruscan necropolis of Sovana, where we’ll hike through the woods of this ancient burial site.

Umbrian Folk Music (Day 12 $110 per person)

Venture to Spello, an ancient town located in east central Umbria, where your experience begins with a guided walk led by a local musician and your Trip Experience Leader. This walk will take you through the old walled town, with a stop at renowned chapel La Cappella Baglioni, and offer sweeping views of Perugia, situated at the bottom of the ridge.

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30 PRE-TRIP History and Culinary Delights of Bologna & Parma, Italy

INCLUDED IN YOUR PRICE

» Accommodations for 3 nights in Bologna at » Services of a local O.A.T. Trip the Hotel Porta San Mamolo or similar and Experience Leader 3 nights in Parma at the Grand Hotel de la » Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and Ville or similar luggage porters » 11 meals—6 breakfasts, 3 lunches, » All transfers and 2 dinners » 8 small group activities

PRE-TRIP EXTENSION ITINERARY

Bologna beckons travelers with its red-brick palazzi and culinary treasures … and Parma is home to cobbled lanes and similar rich traditions of food and wine. Explore them both and discover true gems of northern Italy.

Day 1 Depart U.S. of amenities such as an ATM or market, while also enjoying the scenery of Bologna’s historic, Depart the U.S. today on your international red-roofed buildings. flight to Bologna. Later, at around 6pm, join your fellow travelers Day 2 Arrive in Bologna, Italy and Trip Experience Leader at the hotel for a Welcome Drink and briefing. During this • Destination: Bolgona briefing, we’ll review our itinerary in more • Accommodations: Hotel Porta San Mamolo detail (including any changes that may need Afternoon: Upon arrival in Bologna, an O.A.T. to occur). Our Trip Experience Leader will representative will help you transfer to your also discuss logistics, safety and emergency centrally located hotel via a 20-minute bus procedures, and answer any questions we may ride. You’ll check in between around 1pm and have. This is your first chance to get to know 4pm, followed by time to relax and settle in. each other before your adventure begins. Depending on where we stay, hotel amenities Dinner: On your own beginning at around 7pm. may include a coffee shop/café, and bar/lounge. Feel free to ask your Trip Experience Leader Typical rooms may feature air-conditioning, for the best place around your hotel to sample a minibar, safe, wireless Internet, satellite TV, authentic Italian cuisine. and private bath with hair dryer. You also have the option to join your Trip Experience Leader Evening: At leisure. Perhaps you’ll visit a bar for an orientation walk of the surrounding area for a few sips of your favorite Italian libation. around 5:30pm, where we will note the location Or, head to one of Bologna’s many cafes and listen to some live jazz music.

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31 Freedom To Explore: During your three days in restaurants, FICO is part farmers market, part Bologna, you have the freedom to explore this grocery store, part gathering place for locals enchanting city on your own during your free and tourists alike. From traditional red wine time. Below are a few recommended options for blends, to fresh pastas and homemade gelato, independent explorations: Italy’s culinary prowess is at your fingertips here. No matter when you go, FICO is always • Gain perspective on the importance of the bustling, and has been described as a carnival Catholic faith in Italy—and its representation for foodies. Let the colors and aromas of through art—at the Compianto sul Cristo Italian food and libations wash over you, and Morto: Located inside Santa Maria della Vita be sure to bring your appetite! Church, you’ll find a collection of detailed statues depicting the moments after Christ’s • How to get there: An approximate crucifixion. These statues are known for 20-minute taxi ride, around $27 USD one the hyper-realistic expressions of sorrow way. on each individual face, as figures like • Hours: 10am-11pm, Sunday-Friday; 10am- Mary Magdalene surround Jesus’ body in 12am, Saturday. unadulterated grief. Italians and visitors alike • Cost: Free. come here to pray, reflect, and admire the life-size figures. Day 3 Explore Bologna • How to get there: An approximate 12-min- • Destination: Bologna ute walk. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner • Hours: 10am-7pm, Tuesday & Sunday. • Accommodations: Hotel Porta San Mamolo • Cost: About $4 USD. Breakfast: Included at the hotel from around • Discover a city known for the arts and, of 7am to 9am, with a host of regional options course, its cars on the Discover Modena available. tour. Just a few miles from Bologna, Modena Morning: After breakfast, we’ll depart from our is known as the hub of the Ferrari business, hotel for our guided walking tour of Bologna, which you’ll get to visit on this tour. Plus, a city noted for its medieval towers and long, tour legendary opera singer Luciano columned porticoes. We’ll take in some of this Pavarotti’s house, and even pop into some grand architecture as we explore the city center local spots to sample traditional balsamic this morning, accompanied by a local guide, on vinegar for which the city is famous. Perhaps a tour that will span about two hours. We’ll also the most unique sight in the city is the MuSa visit the University of Bologna. Dating back to museum, Italy’s first museum dedicated to 1088, it enjoys the distinction as the first higher salami and other charcuterie meats. learning institute of the Western world. The • How to get there: An approximate university’s students—from Italy and around 20-minute taxi ride, around $16 USD one the globe—bring a healthy dose of culture and way. energy to the ancient city, and you will have the • Hours: Tours reserved in advance. opportunity to observe what college life is like • Cost: About $66 USD. in Italy. • Eat your way through the world’s largest food park, FICO Eataly: From locally produced foods, to live cooking demonstrations and

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32 Lunch: Beginning at around 11:30am, we’ll Those taking the optional tour will board a bus linger in Bologna’s city center for a quick for a 15-minute ride to the local train station, lunch on our own. Feel free to ask your Trip where we’ll take a 1-hour train ride to the city, Experience Leader for the best places to find arriving a little before 10am. Upon arrival, we’ll unique pasta dishes or a rich glass of wine. embark on a 2.5-hour guided tour of the city led by a local, beginning at Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, Afternoon: At around noon, we’ll regroup for a built in the fifth century as a Gothic baptistery, visit to a tortellini-making workshop, followed and continuing to the 1,400-year-old Basilica by an afternoon at leisure starting at around di San Vitale. The Basilica hosts a unique 1pm. Perhaps you’ll visit San Petronio Basilica, series of mosaics representing scenes from one of the largest basilicas in the world, or the the Old Testament, as well as depictions of the magnificent hilltop Sanctuary of the Madonna Byzantine emperor Justinian. The centuries-old di San Luca. Or, visit Piazza Santo Stefano, structure served as the inspiration for the where you can stroll through the elegant Hagia Sophia, built just a few years later in porticoes that surround the square. Constantinople (now Istanbul). Dinner: Around 7:30pm, enjoy a Welcome Lunch: On your own for those spending the day Dinner with your fellow travelers and Trip in Bologna, and included at a local restaurant Experience Leader at a local restaurant. around 12:30pm for those on the optional tour Evening: Upon arrival back at the hotel around in Ravenna. 9:15pm, enjoy an evening at leisure. Perhaps Afternoon: If you opted for a free day in stop by a local café for a cup of bold coffee or a Bologna, you may choose to seek out the spot of gelato. 16th-century Neptune’s Fountain, an iconic city site. Those on the optional tour will take a Day 4 Bologna • Optional Ravenna’s 30-minute walk to visit the Tomba di Dante, Magnificent Mosaics excursion where the famous Italian poet Dante Algheri is • Destination: Bologna buried, around 2pm. After spending some time • Included Meals: Breakfast at the monument and nearby San Francesco Church, our group will walk a few minutes to • Accommodations: Hotel Porta San Mamolo a mosaic workshop, arriving at around 3pm, Breakfast: At our hotel beginning around 7am, where we’ll get an intimate perspective on this featuring a spread of regional specialties. storied art form at the hand of local artisans.

Morning: Today, you will have the option to At 3:30pm, the optional tour group will have spend a free day exploring Bologna, or join around an hour to spend as they wish in us on an optional tour: Ravenna’s Magnificent Ravenna before boarding the train back to Mosaics. This full-day adventure brings us Bologna around 4:30pm. We’ll arrive back in to the town of Ravenna, seat of the Western Bologna around 6pm and take a 30-minute bus Roman Empire in the fifth century and later the ride back to our hotel. westernmost outpost of the Byzantine Empire. Ravenna is recognized by UNESCO as a World Dinner: On your own in Bologna, ask your Heritage Site for its complex of early Christian Trip Experience Leader for restaurant mosaics and monuments. recommendations.

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33 Evening: Free to spend as you wish. You might TV, and private bath. You will have about wander down to the Piazza Maggiore to grab a 4 hours to settle into your room or explore drink and do some people watching. your new surroundings as you wish, perhaps taking a preliminary stroll to admire the city’s Day 5 Transfer to Parma Romanesque architecture. • Destination: Parma We’ll reconvene at about 6:30pm for a 1-hour • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch orientation walk led by our Trip Experience • Accommodations: Grand Hotel de la Ville Leader, noting where ATMs, markets and other useful amenities are located around the Breakfast: On our bus at 7am, featuring a hotel. After, we’ll walk a few minutes to a local boxed meal. restaurant for dinner. Morning: We depart on our journey to Parma Dinner: In a local restaurant around 6:30pm, around 7am this morning, with a few stops featuring local specialties. along the way to get a taste of the region’s rich culinary tradition. Around 8am, our bus Evening: Free to spend as your wish. Ask your will stop at the Istituto Spallanzani, where Trip Experience Leader for evening activity fragrant Parmesan cheese is made, to learn recommendations. about the cheese-making process from one of Freedom To Explore: During your three days the artisans there and taste some for ourselves. in Parma, you have the freedom to explore this Then, we’ll depart around 10:30am for the enchanting city on your own during your free next stop on our gastronomic adventure: time. Below are a few recommended options for Acetaia Villa Bianca. We’ll arrive here around independent explorations: 10:45am and learn about the balsamic vinegar that is produced here from a vinegar maker. • Take a peek into the past at the Farnese We’ll learn the tradition behind the fine, aged Theater and Museum: Located on the first condiment—produced in nearby Modena floor of the Palazzo della Pilotta, this theater and the surrounding areas since the Middle conjures up visions of the opulent court life of Ages—and its importance to the people in this the Farnese Dukes. The theater was destroyed region. The word balsamico stems from the by bombs in 1944, but still boats some prime Latin “balsam-like,” meaning it has curative examples of 17th-century architecture. Be powers. We will then taste the many varieties of sure to keep a lookout for the world’s oldest this sweet, yet strong, staple of Italian cuisine permanent proscenium arch, located within before enjoying lunch. this very theater. Lunch: At the villa around 12:15pm, featuring • How to get there: A 10-minute cab ride, specialties popular in the region. about $13 USD. • Hours: Monday-Saturday, 8:30am-7pm; Afternoon: Around 1:15pm, we’ll continue the Sunday, 1pm-7pm. last leg of our drive to Parma, arriving at our • Cost: Free. hotel there around 2:15pm. Depending on where Explore Parma’s musical heritage at the we stay, our hotel may feature a restaurant, • Arturo Toscanini House Museum: Learn two bars, and a fitness center. Typical rooms about the unique life and legacy of Parma’s may feature air-conditioning, a minibar, own Arturo Toscanini at this museum situ- complimentary wireless Internet, satellite ated in the house the conductor was born in

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34 1867. Conducting his first major performance such as the Teatro Regio, a sprawling, historic at age 19, Toscanini’s career skyrocketed opera house, and Piazza Duomo, where we will soon after, culminating in his conducting a explore the cathedral and baptistery. performance of Puccini’s La Boheme. Around 11am, we’ll stop for a lambrusco and • How to get there: A 30-minute walk. malvasia tasting, sampling various varietals • Hours: 9am-7pm, daily. of the red and white wines. We’ll continue our • Cost: Free. walk at 11:30am, wandering down the Via del • Discover medical history at the Antica Duomo and ending our tour back at the Piazza Farmacia: This pharmacy was founded in Garibaldi at 12:30pm. 1652 by the Congregation of Charity, a group Lunch: On your own, ask your Trip Experience composed of presbyters and laity, designated Leader for recommendations, or seek out a to produce drugs to help the sick and poor for quaint bakery or local restaurant. free. This is one of the first ever examples of citizen welfare in Italy, with its influence seen Afternoon: Enjoy your afternoon as you later in the establishment of the National wish. Perhaps you may pay a visit to the health Service. Now, the historic pharmacy Arturo Toscanini House Museum to learn of has been converted into an art and perfor- the successful Parma-born musician’s life mance space, where visitors can admire work and legacy. from Italian artists or catch a show. Dinner: At 6:30pm at a local restaurant, • How to get there: An 18-minute walk. featuring the fresh cuisine of Parma. • Hours: 11am-1pm, 4pm-8pm, Saturday & Sunday. Evening: Free for your own discoveries after we • Cost: Free. return to the hotel at 9pm. You might seek out some late-night gelato in this culinary city. Day 6 Explore Parma • Destination: Parma Day 7 Parma • Po River Experience • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner • Destination: Parma • Accommodations: Grand Hotel de la Ville • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Breakfast: At the hotel beginning at 7am, • Accommodations: Grand Hotel de la Ville featuring a spread of regional specialties. Activity Note: Our Po River cruise is weather Morning: Around 9:15am, we’ll depart our dependent. When river conditions are not hotel for a 3-hour walking tour along the quaint suitable for a boat ride (including departures streets of Parma, during which we’ll learn in March, November, and December), the river about the local traditions of cuisine, art, and cruise portion of our day will be replaced by a architecture. We will meet our local guide at visit to the medieval village of Soragna, where 9:30am at the Piazza Garibaldi and kick off our we’ll visit the local synagogue. We will still tour with a visit to the Palazzo della Pilotta, visit a local producer of culatello Parma ham, a historic building complex that has seen the while the picnic lunch at Giarola Island will be influence of several architects and boasts replaced by a light lunch at a local venue. notable features such as Italy’s first “imperial” Breakfast: At our hotel beginning at 7am, staircase. Then, we’ll move on to locations featuring local specialties.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

35 Morning: Around 8:45am, we’ll depart by bus Day 8 Transfer to Lucca • Travel through for Polesine Parmense to embark on a cruise the Apennines • Join main trip along the Po River. Arriving around 9:45am, • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch we’ll have 15 minutes to stretch our legs and board our boat before our cruise begins at 10am. Breakfast: At the hotel beginning at 7am, We’ll float by rustic towns and miles of scenic featuring Italian and American dishes. countryside, stopping for nature hikes and Morning: Today, we bid ciao to Parma and riverbank exploration along the way. Around make our way to Lucca by bus, departing 12:30pm, we’ll stop at Giarola Island, where we around 9am. We’ll travel through the Lunigiana will be greeted by some local fisherman. valley and the Apennine Mountains, enjoying Lunch: In a hut with the fisherman on Giarola scenery of verdant rolling hills and winding Island around 1pm, sampling regional fare rivers along the way. Along the way, we’ll stop while learning about their daily lives along the in Pontremoli around 10:45am, a medieval town flowing Po. in the Lunigiana valley dominated by a restored hilltop castle. We’ll enjoy a 15-minute walking Afternoon: We’ll say ciao to Giarola Island tour of its compact town squares led by a local around 2:30pm, continuing to explore the guide, followed by 1 hour of free time to explore area by ship until we dock back in Polesine the medieval streets on your own. We’ll then around 3pm. At about 3:15pm, we’ll take a drive 15 minutes to visit with a local testaroli 10-minute drive to Zibello, a tiny town famous maker, and learn about this unusual regional for their ham. Here, we’ll visit a salumificio pasta made from egg-free dough, arriving here that produces traditional culatello Parma ham, around 12:30pm. perhaps getting the chance to sample the local delicacy. We’ll get back on the road around Lunch: We’ll enjoy some of this unique pasta 3:45pm, arriving at our hotel at 4:30pm. for lunch in the maker’s workshop around 1pm.

Dinner: On your own this evening. Perhaps Afternoon: We’ll embark our bus again on our you may seek out a dish featuring the regional journey to Lucca at about 2:45pm. Once we Borgatoro mushroom. arrive at approximately 4:30pm, we’ll check into our hotel and expand our Italy and Tuscany Evening: Free to spend as you wish. You might travel experience by joining travelers on our choose to further explore Parma by night, or Tuscany & Umbria: Rustic Beauty in the Italian refresh in your room before joining the base Heartland adventure. trip tomorrow.

OPTIONAL TOUR

Ravenna’s Magnificent Mosaics by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site for its (Day 4 $140 per person) pristine variety of early Christian mosaics Explore the town of Ravenna, seat of the and monuments. We take a walking tour, Western Roman Empire in the fifth century beginning at Sant’Apollinare, built in the fifth and later the westernmost outpost of the century as a Gothic baptistery, and continuing Byzantine Empire. Ravenna is recognized to the 1,400-year-old Basilica di San Vitale.

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36 The Basilica hosts a unique series of mosaics representing scenes from the Old Testament, as well as depictions of the Byzantine emperor Justinian. The centuries-old structure served as the inspiration for the Hagia Sophia, built just a few years later in Constantinople (now Istanbul). We’ll have lunch at a restaurant in the ancient city, after which we’ll stop by Dante’s Tomb and visit a mosaic workshop.

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37 POST-TRIP Rome: Ancient Sites & Hidden City Gems

INCLUDED IN YOUR PRICE

» Accommodations for 4 nights in Rome at » Services of a local O.A.T. Trip the Kolbe Hotel or similar Experience Leader » 8 meals—4 breakfasts, 2 lunches, » Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and and 2 dinners luggage porters » 5 small group activities » All transfers

POST-TRIP EXTENSION ITINERARY

From atop the ancient Roman walls to the martyred saints buried in catacombs far beneath the city, Rome delights on many levels. Discover the rich, unparalleled history of the Eternal City, along with the vibrant culture of the modern Italian capital.

Day 1 Hike the Appian Way • Explore Afternoon: You have the afternoon free. Your Rome’s Catacombs Trip Experience Leader will invite you to join him or her in a 1 hour and 15-minute discovery • Destination: Rome walk through various districts of the Old City • Included Meals: Lunch, Dinner to seek out some of Rome’s lesser known • Accommodations: Hotel Savoy landmarks beginning a little after 2pm. Or, you Morning: We’ll take a two-mile hike along may wish to strike out on your own, perhaps Rome’s ancient Appian Way beginning at about to take a leisurely stroll by Circus Maximus. 10am. Originally constructed in the fourth Once the largest stadium in ancient Rome, century BC, this was the widest and longest chariot races were held here for almost a road of its time, and we’ll walk along its millennium. Those who joined on the discovery well-preserved 2,000-year-old cobblestones. walk will then take a 10-minute walk to a local restaurant. Then, we’ll visit the ancient catacombs that lie beneath the city. These ancient burial Dinner: Around 7:30pm in a local restaurant, places, many of which feature elaborate tunnel featuring Roman dishes. systems, contain frescoes and sculptures as Evening: You have the freedom to enjoy your remarkable as the history of the catacombs evening as you wish. perhaps you might venture themselves: Many believe this is where to the iconic Trevi Fountain to admire it lit persecuted Christians were secretly buried. up at night. We’ll end our excursion at a local restaurant.

Lunch: Included at a local restaurant around 1pm, featuring regional specialties.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

38 Freedom To Explore: During your four days neither accepted his “modern” artistic style, in Rome, you have the freedom to explore this featuring realistic figures and a dark, moody bustling city on your own during your free color palette with striking light sources. time. Below are a few recommended options for • How to get there: A 25-minute taxi ride, independent explorations: about $33.50 USD. • Get starstruck at Rome’s Non-Catholic • Hours: 10am-1pm, daily. cemetery: This cemetery is the final resting • Cost: About $22.50 per person USD. place for many famous individuals, possibly containing the highest number in the world. Day 2 Explore the Coliseum & You can view the graves of literary greats Roman Forum such as Percy Shelley and John Keats, as • Destination: Rome well as myriad artists, scholars, and Antonio • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Gramsci, a founding father of the European • Accommodations: Hotel Savoy Communist movement. After visiting the Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel cemetery’s notable residents, you may choose featuring Italian and American options, to visit nearby Testaccio Market for lunch. beginning at 7am. • How to get there: A 15-minute cab ride, about $22 USD one way. Morning: We begin exploring the Eternal City • Hours: 9am-4pm, daily. around 9am with a 2-mile hike through the • Cost: About $3.50 USD. ruins of the Roman Forum and the Coliseum. A local guide will help bring this ancient history • Explore picturesque Castel Gandolfo: Named to life for us. Hinting at its former glory, the one of the most beautiful small towns in Coliseum remains the greatest architectural Italy, this quaint area is best known as where vestige from Imperial Rome. It was here in this the pope resides in the summer months. massive structure, capable of holding 80,000 The town is located just 15 miles south people, that the fabled and bloody gladiatorial of Rome, tucked away in the Alban Hills combats took place. In the Middle Ages, the and overlooking Lake Albano. Along with structure was used as a fortress and later admiring the summer residences from the sustained damage from several earthquakes. 17th century that dot the lake’s shore, you can Then, we’ll walk around 15-minutes to the also witness the Stadio Olimpico, which was Roman Forum. used for the rowing events during the Rome Olympics in 1960. The ancient Roman Forum was Rome’s political • How to get there: A 20-minute cab ride, and commercial center when the city was at about $28 USD. the height of its power. It was constructed • Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a weelk. over some 900 years with various emperors • Cost: Free. adding and extending temples, monuments, and buildings. Here, the emperors, Roman • See Rome in an artistic light during a senators, and consuls met to plan and pass laws Carvaggio’s artworks tour: Beginning at the that governed Rome—and it remains one of St. Mary’s of the People Church, this 3-hour the most powerful monuments to the grandeur tour delves deep into the life and legacy of the of ancient Rome. You will view the Basilica “master of light.” Carvaggio spent much of Aemilia (the site of the great meeting hall) and his life rejecting the law and the church, for

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39 the Curia (the Senate house), as well as other Or, perhaps you’ll join our optional walking historic sites. We’ll then take a 10-minute walk tour featuring some of Rome’s great beauty to lunch. and hidden treasures. Around 8:30am, you will set out from the hotel on a 30-minute walk to Lunch: At a restaurant in downtown Rome Piazza del Quirinale to meet a local guide. You’ll around 1pm, featuring regional Italian cuisine. spend the morning visiting Trevi Fountain; Afternoon: Free for you to make your own the underground archaeological site of La Città discoveries, beginning around 2:30pm. You dell’Acqua (“The City of Water”); the Pantheon, might consider a stroll through the Tridente, ancient Rome’s best preserved building; and one of Rome’s most lively and picturesque Piazza Navona, the gorgeous square centered neighborhoods. You can also explore one by Bernini’s ornate fountain, Fontana dei of Rome’s most impressive squares, Piazza Quattro Fiumi. This tour will conclude around del Popolo, the plaza centered by the noon, at which point travelers may return to 120-foot-tall obelisk brought by Augustus from the hotel or remain in the square to continue ancient Egypt. exploring.

Dinner: On your own. Perhaps you’ll seek Lunch: On your own. If they are in season, out cacio e pepe, the classic Roman dish made you might like to try out carciofi alla romana, from thick spaghetti in a cheese-and-black Roman-style crispy artichokes. pepper sauce. Afternoon: Free for your own discoveries. Ask Evening: Free. Complement your morning’s your Trip Experience Leader for ideas on how to discoveries with a nighttime stroll through the spend an ideal afternoon in the Eternal City. Italian capital to see some of the city’s iconic Dinner: On your own, whenever you’d like. structures lit up at night. Perhaps you’ll venture to the Jewish quarter to sample another take on classic Italian fare. Day 3 Rome • Optional Rome’s Great Beauty tour Evening: Continue exploring Rome on your own, or catch up with your fellow travelers over • Destination: Rome a nightcap in the hotel bar. • Included Meals: Breakfast • Accommodations: Hotel Savoy Day 4 Rome Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel • Destination: Rome featuring Italian and American options, • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner beginning at 7am. • Accommodations: Hotel Savoy

Morning: Today, enjoy more time to explore Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel Rome at your own pace. You might stroll along featuring Italian and American options, Via del Corso, an almost mile-long stretch beginning at 7am. of palaces and shops, or spend time in the beautiful gardens of the Villa Borghese. Or stroll Morning: Enjoy the day to make your own the Campo dei Fiori and explore the piazza with discoveries in Rome. Perhaps you’ll decide its booksellers, inns, small shops, and colorful to tour the Vatican Museums and the Sistine morning markets (except Sundays). It is a lively Chapel. Started in 1506 by Pope Julius II, the spot by day and night. Vatican Museums contain one of the finest

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40 art collections in the world. Although it’s Dinner: At a local restaurant in the Jewish impossible to see all of the vast collection, quarter around 7pm. During this Farewell you can find many of the priceless treasures Dinner, toast your discoveries in Rome and acquired by the church over centuries. the memories you made during your Italy and Following the grand corridors of the museum, Tuscany travel experience. continue to the awe-inspiring Sistine Chapel, Evening: There’s time for one more gelato which contains the world’s most famous before bed. Not ready to leave Rome? Consider frescoes on its ceiling and one of its walls. making a visit to the Trevi Fountain—rumor Inside, you can admire Michelangelo’s most has it that if you throw a coin in the fountain, famous and dramatic masterpieces, including you are guaranteed to return to the city. The Creation and The Last Judgment, both of which have been recently restored to fully reveal their majestic glory. Day 5 Rome • Return to U.S. • Included Meals: Breakfast Lunch: On your own, whenever you’d like. Pizza and pasta options abound in this Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel culinary capital. featuring Italian and American options, beginning at 7am. Afternoon: Continue making your own discoveries in Rome. Around 6:45pm, we’ll Morning: Depending on your individual reconvene in the hotel lobby and set out on a flight itinerary, you will check out of the hotel 15-minute walk to the Jewish quarter to reach sometime this morning and take an up to our dinner destination. 1.5-hour-long transfer to the airport for your flight home.

OPTIONAL TOUR

Rome’s Great Beauty or a cappuccino, before visiting the Pantheon, (Day 3 $95 per person) ancient Rome’s best preserved building, which This half-day walking tour highlighting the was completed during the reign of Hadrian. great beauty of Rome’s hidden treasures begins Our final destination is Piazza Navona, the at Piazza del Quirinale, a square situated atop gorgeous square whose centerpiece is Bernini’s the highest of Rome’s seven hills where the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, an ornate fountain Presidential Palace is located. From there, with representations of the rivers Nile, Ganges, we’ll stroll down to the Trevi Fountain to toss Danube, and Plate. Travelers may then return a coin into the famed landmark before heading to the hotel or remain in the square for lunch to La Città dell’Acqua (“The City of Water”). on their own before the rest of the day at Located underneath the nearby Trevi Cinema, leisure in Rome. the archaeological site is home to a 4th-century Roman mansion and a Hadrian-era cistern that was part of an aqueduct supplying water to ancient Rome. Then, we’ll stop at Gelateria Della Palma for a refreshing gelato

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

41 Tuscany & Umbria: Rustic RISK-FREE BOOKING POLICY: RESERVE WITH Beauty in the Italian CONFIDENCE—NOW THROUGH 12/31/21 We will waive any change fees if you transfer to another departure date for Heartland any reason—up until 24 hours prior to departure. See details at www.oattravel.com/riskfree-booking. 2021 Dates & Prices

MAY 3-10; MAY 12-29; JULY- DEPART FROM APR 3-12 APR 16-23 SEPTEMBER JUNE AUGUST OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER

New York $ 4295 $4695 $5195 $5495 $4995 $4895 $4595 $4195

Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Newark $ 4395 $4795 $5295 $5595 $5095 $4995 $4695 $4295

Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit, Houston, Miami, Philadelphia, $ 4495 $ 4895 $ 5395 $ 5695 $ 5195 $ 5095 $ 4795 $ 4395 Washington, DC

Los Angeles, Orlando, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, $ 4595 $ 4995 $ 5495 $ 5795 $ 5295 $ 5195 $ 4895 $ 4495 Seattle, Tampa

Denver, Minneapolis, Portland $ 4695 $5095 $5595 $5895 $5395 $5295 $4995 $4595

Additional departure cities are available. Upgrade to Business Class may be available for the international portion of your flight. Call for details.

APR 3-12; APR 16-23; MAY 3-10; MAY 12-29; DECEMBER NOVEMBER SEPTEMBER J U N E J U L Y - A U G U S T O C T O B E R Without international airfare $3295 $3695 $4195 $4295 $3795 $3895

BTA2021 Critical Air Information

Below, you’ll find the East and West Coast cities with the longest flight times. For more information on average flight times based on your gateway city, visit www.oattravel.com/bta2021. G A T E W A YD E P A R T R E T U R N

H o ursT y p i c a l C o n n e c t i o nH o ursTypical Connection

P o r t l a n d (W e s t C o a s t) 1 7 h r s2 1 5 h r s1 T a m p a (E a s t C o a s t) 1 6 h r s2 1 5 h r s1

Prices are per person. Airfare prices include government taxes, fees, and airline fuel surcharges. All prices and availability are effective as of the date of this publication, and are subject to change without notice. Standard Terms & Conditions apply, please visit our website: www.oattravel.com/tc. Every effort has been made to produce this information accurately. We reserve the right to correct errors.

For specific departure dates, current availability, and detailed pricing, visit www.oattravel.com/bta2021pricing

SAVE UP TO 10% WITH FREE SINGLE SUPPLEMENTS SHARE YOUR LOVE OF TRAVEL OUR GOOD BUY PLAN We offer FREE Single Supplements on all New travelers you refer will instantly save The earlier you reserve your departure of our adventures and pre- and post-trip $100, and you’ll earn increasing rewards— and pay in full, the more you’ll save—up extensions. up to a FREE trip! to 10%—plus, you’ll lock in your price. Each departure has limited solo space For details, visit www.oattravel.com/va For details, visit www.oattravel.com/gbd available—call today to reserve.

Publication Date 12/16/20

Information & Reservations 1-800-955-1925 www.oattravel.com/bta2021

42 TRAVEL DOCUMENTS & ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Your Passport • Must be in good condition

• Must be valid for at least 6 months after your scheduled return to the U.S.

• Must have the required number of blank pages (details below)

• The blank pages must be labeled “Visas” at the top. Pages labeled “Amendments and Endorsements” are not acceptable

Need to Renew Your Passport? Contact the National Passport Information Center (NPIC) at 1-877-487-2778, or visit their website at www.travel.state.gov for information on obtaining a new passport or renewing your existing passport. You may also contact our recommended visa service company, PVS International, at 1-800-556-9990 for help with your passport

Recommended Blank Pages Please confirm that your passport has enough blank pages for this vacation.

• Main trip: 3 blank “Visa” pages.

• Pre- and/or post-trip extension: No additional pages needed.

No Visas Required Travelers with a U.S. passport do not need any visas for this adventure, including the optional trip extensions.

Traveling Without a U.S. Passport? If you are not a U.S. citizen, or if your passport is from any country other than the U.S., it is your responsibility to check with your local consulate, embassy, or a visa services company about visa requirements. We recommend the services of PVS International, a national visa service located in Washington D.C.; they can be reached at 1-800-556-9990 or www.pvsinternational.org.

Traveling With a Minor? Some governments may require certain documentation for minors to enter and depart the country or to obtain a visa (if applicable). For further detail on the required documentation, please contact your local embassy or consulate.

43 Emergency Photocopies of Key Documents We recommend you carry color photocopies of key documents including the photo page of your passport plus any applicable visas, air itinerary, credit cards (front and back), and an alternative form of ID. Add emergency phone numbers like your credit card company and the number for your travel protection plan. Store copies separate from the originals.

If you plan to email this information to yourself, please keep in mind that email is not always secure; consider using password protection or encryption. Also email is not always available worldwide. As an alternative, you could load these documents onto a flash drive instead, which can do double-duty as a place to backup photos during your trip.

Overseas Taxes & Fees This tour may have taxes and fees that cannot be included in your airline ticket price because you are required to pay them in person onsite. All taxes are subject to change without notice and can be paid in cash (either U.S. or local currency). If applicable, you will receive a list of these fees with your Final Documents.

44 RIGORS, VACCINES & GENERAL HEALTH

Is This Adventure Right for You? Please review the information below prior to departing on this adventure. We reserve the right for our Trip Experience Leaders to modify participation, or in some circumstances send travelers home, if their condition would adversely affect the health, safety, or enjoyment of themselves or of other travelers.

PACING • 4 locations in 14 days with one 1-night stay

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS • Not appropriate for travelers using wheelchairs, walkers, or other mobility aids

• You must be able to walk 3-5 miles unassisted and participate in 6-8 hours of physical activities each day

• Agility and balance are required when boarding 4-wheel drive vehicles. Some vehicles are high off the ground and you will be required to step into them unassisted

• We reserve the right for Trip Experience Leaders to restrict participation, or in some circumstances send travelers home, if their limitations impact the group’s experience

CLIMATE • Daytime temperatures range from 35-95°F with high levels of humidity, especially from May to September

• Tuscany and Umbria share a typical Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and warm, rainy winters, with occasional snowfall

• Strong winds occur in March and October-December

TERRAIN & TRANSPORTATION • Travel and hike on some rugged paths, rolling hills, and many cobblestoned streets on foot, as well as over bumpy, narrow rural roads by bus

• Travel by 19-passenger coach

FLIGHT INFORMATION • Travel time will be 11-18 hours with at least one connection of 2-3 hours

ACCOMMODATIONS & FACILITIES • Hotel rooms are smaller than those in the U.S.

45 Steps to Take Before Your Trip Before you leave on this adventure, we recommend the following:

• Check with the CDC for their recommendations for the countries you’ll be visiting. You can contact them online at http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel or by phone at 1-800-232-4636.

• Have a medical checkup with your doctor at least 6 weeks before your trip.

• Pick up any necessary medications, both prescription and over-the-counter.

• Have a dental and/or eye checkup. (Recommended, but less urgent)

Vaccines Required

COVID-19 Overseas Adventure Travel requires that all travelers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and are able provide proof of their vaccination upon arrival at their destination. A full vaccination is defined as having been inoculated at least 14 days prior to departure by an approved vaccine. This requirement is not contingent on the countries the tour visits, but a strict company policy due to the nature of the pandemic.

Medication Suggestions • An antibiotic medication for gastrointestinal illness

Traveling with Medications • Pack medications in your carry-on bag to avoid loss and to have them handy.

• Keep medicines in their original, labeled containers for a quicker security screen at the airport and a better experience if you get stopped by customs while overseas.

• Bring copies of your prescriptions, written using the generic drug name rather than a brand name to be prepared for any unforeseen loss of your medications.

We recommend checking with the State Department for medication restrictions by country: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel- Country-Information-Pages.html. (Pick the country and then follow the links to “Local Laws & Special Circumstances”; if you don’t see any medications specifically mentioned, then you can presume major U.S. brands should be OK).

Staying Healthy on Your Trip Jet Lag Tips

• Start your trip well-rested.

• Begin a gradual transition to your new time zone before you leave or switch to your destination time zone when you get on the plane.

46 • Attempt to sleep and eat according to the new schedule.

• Avoid heavy eating and drinking caffeine or alcoholic beverages right before–and during– your flight.

• Drink plenty of water and/or fruit juice while flying

• Stretch your legs, neck, and back periodically while seated on the plane.

• After arrival, avoid the temptation to nap.

• Don’t push yourself to see a lot on your first day.

• Try to stay awake your first day until after dinner.

Allergies

If you have any serious allergies or dietary restrictions, we advise you to notify us at least 30 days prior to your departure. Please call our Traveler Support team at 1-800-221-0814, and we will communicate them to our regional office. Every effort will be made to accommodate you.

Water • Tap water in the region is safe to drink, but is processed differently than in the U.S. so it can still upset your stomach or feel “heavy”. If so, we suggest drinking bottle water instead.

• Bottled water is readily available and inexpensive. (Bottled water is not included in the price of your tour.)

• When in doubt about the water, salads, or ice, just ask the restaurant or your Trip Experience Leader.

• It is OK to brush your teeth or wash fruit with tap water.

Food • The food in Italy shouldn’t cause any health problems—salads, fruit, and dairy products are all fine.

• Be careful with food that has been cooked and left to go cold, which might happen in some self-service places.

47 MONEY MATTERS: LOCAL CURRENCY & TIPPING GUIDELINES

Top Three Tips • Carry a mix of different types of payments, such as local currency, an ATM card, and a credit card.

• Traveler’s checks are not recommended. They can be difficult to exchange and the commission fee for cashing them is quite high. It’s more practical to view them as a last resort in the event of a special situation.

• You will not be able to pay with U.S. dollars on this trip; you will need euros instead.

Local Currency For current exchange rates, please refer to an online converter tool like www.xe.com/ currencyconverter, your bank, or the financial section of your newspaper.

Euro Countries The euro is the official currency in many member countries of the European Union. Unless otherwise listed, the countries you will be visiting will use the euro. Euro banknote and coin denominations are as follows:

• Banknotes: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 euros

• Coins: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents; 1 and 2 euros

How to Exchange Money If you want to exchange money before your trip, you can usually do so through your bank or at an exchange office. Your departure airport in the U.S., a travel agent, or an AAA office are also possible outlets. Or you can wait and change money on the trip instead—but it might be helpful to arrive with some local currency in case you run into a bank holiday or an “out of order” ATM.

On your trip, the easiest way to obtain local currency is to withdraw funds from a local ATM. The ATM will give you local money and your bank at home will convert that into U.S. dollars.

You may be able to exchange cash at some hotels, large post offices, and money exchange offices, however they do not typically offer good exchange rates and can be difficult to find. To exchange cash, you’ll usually need your passport and bills in good condition (not worn, torn, or dirty). New bills (post 2004) are best.

Please note that many banks in Europe will only exchange money for their own customers. Never exchange money on the street. All exchange methods involve fees, which may be built into the conversion rate; ask beforehand.

48 ATMs When using the ATM, keep in mind that it may only accept cards from local banks, and may not allow cash advances on credit cards; you might need to try more than one ATM or more than one card.

Many banks charge a fee of $1-$10 each time you use a foreign ATM. Others may charge you a percentage of the amount you withdraw. We recommend that you check with your bank before you depart.

Lastly, don’t forget to memorize the actual digits of your card’s PIN number (many keypads at foreign ATMs do not include letters on their keys—they only display numbers.)

Italy: ATMs are available throughout large cities and small towns in Italy.

Credit & Debit Cards Even if you don’t plan on using a credit card during your trip, we still suggest that you bring one or two as a backup, especially if you are planning a large purchase (artwork, jewelry). We also suggest that you bring more than one brand of card (i.e. Visa, MasterCard, American Express) if possible, because not every shop will take every card. For example, although the Discover card is accepted in some countries outside the U.S., it is not widely adopted, so other brands will work at a much larger range of stores, restaurants, etc.

Italy: Credit and debit cards are widely accepted in Italy. Occasionally a small “Mom and Pop” restaurant will be cash only, and street vendors or taxis usually are cash only, but most other businesses will take cards.

Chip Cards Many countries have adopted a new type of credit card that has an embedded computer chip. These cards are inserted into the reader instead of swiped. The card owner then authorizes the purchase using a PIN instead of signing.

This new technology is only now gaining traction in the U.S., so occasionally there are machines in other countries that can’t read U.S. cards. Or the machine can read the card, but asks for a PIN. This doesn’t happen often, and is nothing to worry about. You can usually resolve the situation by asking the cashier to let you sign. (If you don’t speak the language, just mime signing on your hand.) If you are not able to sign for a purchase, such as at an automated ticket booth, you can use another form of payment, such as a debit card that has a PIN.

Notify Card Providers of Upcoming Travel Many credit card companies and banks have fraud alert departments that will freeze your card if they see suspicious charges—such as charges or withdrawals from another country. To avoid an accidental security block, it is a good idea to notify your credit card company and/or bank you will be using your cards abroad. You can do this by calling their customer service number a week or two before your departure. Some banks or credit card companies will also let you do this online.

49 You should also double-check what phone number you could call if you have a problem with a card while you are abroad. Don’t assume you can use the 1-800 number printed on the back of your card—most 1 800 numbers don’t work outside of the U.S.!

Tipping Guidelines Of course, whether you tip, and how much, is always at your own discretion. But for those of you who have asked for tipping suggestions, we offer these guidelines.

• O.A.T. Trip Experience Leader: It is customary to express a personal “thank you” to your Trip Experience Leader at the end of your trip. As a guideline, many travelers give $8-$12 USD (or equivalent in local currency) per person for each day their Trip Experience Leader is with them. Please note that these tips can only be in cash. If you are taking any of the optional extensions, your Trip Experience Leader during the extension(s) may not be the same as the one on your main trip.

• Housekeeping staff at hotels: The equivalent in euros of $1-2 per room, per night

• Waiters: Your Trip Experience Leader will tip waiters for included meals. If you are dining on your own, tipping is often included in the price; look for the words servizio incluso in the menu or bill. If tipping is not included, a tip of 5% to 10% is customary. In addition, you may see the word coperto on your bill. This is not a tip, but more of a cover charge for the use of the table.

• Public Restrooms: Many public restrooms in Italy are manned by cleaning staff. It is customary to leave a small tip for them—about EUR .50 per person. Some restrooms are pay-toilets; you pay the staff at the entrance to the restroom or drop the appropriate coin into the slot on the stall door. Prices range from EUR .50 to EUR 2.00 per single use. Many restaurants, cafes, and shops have pay-toilets or expect you to make a purchase before using the facilities.

• Included in Your Trip Price: Gratuities are included for local guides, drivers, and luggage porters on your main trip, extensions, and all optional tours.

Please note: For your convenience, tips to O.A.T. staff can be paid in U.S. dollars or local currency. Please do not use personal or traveler’s checks for tips.

50 AIR, OPTIONAL TOURS & STAYING IN TOUCH

Land Only Travelers & Personalized Air Quick Definitions

• Land Only: You will be booking your own international flights. Airport transfers are not included.

• Air-Inclusive: You booked international air with us. Airport transfers are included as long as you didn’t customize your trip’s dates (see next bullet).

• Personalized Air: You booked international air with us, and have customized it in some way. If you have customized your trip’s dates to arrive early, stay longer, or stop on your own in a connecting city, airport transfers will NOT be included. You must also arrange your own accommodations for any additional nights. For your convenience, a preliminary list of your included hotels is available on your My Account at www.oattravel.com/myaccount under “My Reservations”.

Airport Transfers Can Be Purchased For eligible flights, airport transfers may be purchased separately as an optional add-on, subject to availability. To be eligible, your flight(s) must meet the following requirements:

• You must fly into or fly home from the same airport as O.A.T. travelers who purchased included airfare.

• Your flight(s) must arrive/depart on the same day that the group arrives or departs.

Airport transfers can be purchased up to 45 days prior to your departure; they are not available for purchase onsite. To learn more, or purchase airport transfers, please call our Traveler Support team at 1-800-221-0814.

If you don’t meet the requirements above, you’ll need to make your own transfer arrangements. We suggest the Rome to Rio website as a handy resource: www.rome2rio.com.

Optional Tours Optional tours are additional add-on tours that allow you to personalize your adventure by tailoring it to your tastes and needs. And if you decide not to join an optional tour? Then you’ll have free time to relax or explore on your own—it’s about options, not obligations.

What You Need to Know • All optional tours are subject to change and availability.

51 • Optional tours that are reserved with your Trip Experience Leader can be paid for using credit/debit cards only. We accept MasterCard, Visa, and Discover credit cards; we can also take MasterCard or Visa debit cards as long as the card allows you to sign for purchases. (You won’t be able to enter a PIN.)

• To ensure that you are charged in U.S. dollars, your payment will be processed by our U.S. headquarters in Boston. This process can take up to three months, so we ask that you only use a card that will still be valid three months after your trip is over. The charge may appear on your credit card statement as being from Boston, MA or may be labeled as “OPT Boston”.

• Your Trip Experience Leader will give you details on the optional tours while you’re on the trip. But if you’d like to look over descriptions of them earlier, you can do so at any time by referring to your Day-to-Day Itinerary (available online by signing into My Account at www.oattravel.com/myaccount).

Communicating with Home from Abroad

Cell Phones If you want to use your cell phone on the trip, check with your phone provider to see if your phone and service will work outside of the U.S. It may turn out to be cheaper to rent an international phone or buy a SIM card onsite. If you want to use a local SIM, just make certain your phone can accept one.

Calling Apps Another option is to use a smartphone app like Skype or FaceTime. These services are usually less expensive than making a traditional call, but you’ll need a Wi-Fi connection and the calls may count towards your phone plan’s data allowance. Many smartphones—and some tablets or laptops—come with one of these apps pre-installed or you can download them for free from the appropriate apps store.

Calling Cards and 1-800 Numbers When calling the U.S. from a foreign country, a prepaid calling card can be useful because it circumvents unexpected charges from the hotel. Calling cards purchased locally are typically the best (less expensive, more likely to work with the local phones, etc.).

One reminder: Do not call U.S. 1-800 numbers outside the continental United States. This can result in costly long distance fees, since 1-800 numbers do not work outside the country.

Internet Most hotels in Italy have Internet services available, some for free, some for an hourly charge. Sometimes the charge depends on your location—for example, there may be complimentary WiFi service in a common area, like the lobby or reception, but the WiFi in the guest rooms is a paid

52 service. Most hotels will also offer a limited number of computers in the lobby or business center for guests to use. So you can either bring your own device during the trip and use WiFi where it is available, or leave your device at home and rely on hotel computers.

How to Call Overseas When calling overseas from the U.S., dial 011 for international exchange, then the country code (indicated by a plus sign: +), and then the number. Note that foreign phone numbers may not have the same number of digits as U.S. numbers; even within a country the number of digits can vary depending on the city and if the phone is a land line or cell phone.

Italy: +39

53 PACKING: WHAT TO BRING & LUGGAGE LIMITS

Luggage Limits

MAIN TRIP LIMITS

Pieces per person One checked bag and one carry-on per person.

Weight restrictions Varies by airline. The current standard is 50 lbs for checked bags and 15 lbs for carry-ons.

Size Restrictions Varies by airline. Measured in linear inches (length+width+depth). Generally, 62 linear inches is the checked bag limit; carry-on limit is 45 linear inches.

Luggage Type A sturdy, fabric-sided suitcase with built-in wheels and lockable zippers is recommended.

TRIP EXTENSION(S) LIMITS

Same as main trip.

REMARKS/SUGGESTIONS

Luggage rules: Luggage rules and limits are set by governmental and airline policy. Enforcement of the rules may include spot checks or may be inconsistent. However one thing is the same across the board: If you are found to have oversized or overweight luggage, you will be subject to additional fees, to be assessed by—and paid to—the airline in question.

Don’t Forget: • These luggage limits may change. If the airline(s) notify us of any changes, we will include an update in your Final Documents booklet.

• It’s a good idea to reconfirm baggage restrictions and fees directly with the airline a week or so prior to departure. For your convenience, we maintain a list of the toll-free numbers for the most common airlines on our website in the FAQ section.

• Baggage fees are not included in your trip price; they are payable directly to the airlines.

54 Your Luggage • Checked Luggage: One duffel bag or soft-sided suitcase. Look for one with heavy nylon fabric, wrap-around handles, built-in wheels, and a heavy duty lockable zipper. Please do not bring a rigid (plastic shell) suitcase.

• Carry-on Bag: You are allowed one carry-on bag per person. We suggest a tote or small backpack that can be used as both a carry-on bag for your flight and to carry your daily necessities—water bottle, camera, etc—during your daily activities.

• Locks: For flights that originate in the U.S., you can either use a TSA-approved lock or leave your luggage unlocked. Outside of the U.S. we strongly recommend locking your luggage as a theft-prevention measure.

Clothing Suggestions Functional Tips As you will experience a wide range of temperatures and weather conditions, we suggest several layers of clothing. If you like to hand-wash your clothes, look for fabrics that will dry out overnight. You can buy clothing designed especially for travel, with features like wrinkle- resistant fabric or built-in sun protection.

• Footwear: You’ll be on your feet a lot during the trip, and walking over some rough and slippery surfaces. The soles of your shoes should offer good traction. Sturdy and comfortable walking shoes with arch support are suggested.

• Light rain gear is recommended. Regardless of when you travel, rainfall is a possibility. While it may not rain on your trip, we suggest you bring a waterproof shell or coat, preferably with a hood. This might be a better choice than a folding umbrella, which is usually less effective in wind. (Plus it can be tricky to try to hold onto an umbrella and take photos at the same time.)

• Layers are key. We suggest wearing layers, so you can adjust to warmer and cooler conditions as needed. Even in winter, temperatures are moderate, but you should plan to bring some warm layers.

• Bring water gear. We suggest bringing a bathing suit as certain hotels will have pools. Also, bring a pair of shoes or sandals that you don’t mind getting wet. These will be useful for when we go rafting.

Style Hints Dress on our trip is functional and casual. You might want to bring one slightly dressier outfit for dining on your own at a nice restaurant, or for the Welcome and Farewell Dinners, but that is totally up to you.

55 Suggested Packing Lists We have included suggestions from Trip Experience Leaders and former travelers to help you pack. These lists are only jumping-off points—they offer recommendations based on experience, but not requirements. You may also want to consult the “Climate” chapter of this handbook.

And don’t forget a reusable water bottle—you’ll need it to take advantage of any refills we offer as we are working to eliminate single-use plastic bottles on all of our trips.

Recommended Clothing ‰Shirts: A mixture of short and long-sleeved shirts to layer, in a breathable fabric ‰Trousers, jeans, or skirts ‰Shoes and socks: Sturdy and comfortable walking shoes with arch support are suggested. Bring at least a couple pairs of medium- to heavy-weight socks for hiking

‰Light rain jacket/windbreaker with hood ‰Sleepwear and underwear ‰Swimsuit for hotel pools

Seasonal Clothing Spring & Fall Departures ‰Light tops, pants, and cotton sweaters for daytime ‰Long-sleeve shirts, long pants, and a heavy sweater or fleece for evenings ‰Rain gear and/or umbrella

Summer Departures ‰Short-sleeve tops ‰Lightweight pants or shorts ‰Cotton or linen skirts or sundresses ‰Sweater or light layers for cool evenings

Winter Departures ‰Warm pants and socks ‰Long-sleeved tops

56 ‰Fleece or wool sweater, for layering ‰Warm coat

Essential Items ‰Daily essentials: toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, hairbrush or comb, shaving items, deodorant, etc.

‰Spare eyeglasses/contact lenses and your prescription (consider a neck strap for rafting) ‰Sunglasses with a neck strap ‰Sunscreen ‰Insect repellent ‰Moisturizer and sun-blocking lip balm ‰Compact umbrella ‰Wide-brim sun hat with chin strap ‰Pocket-size tissues ‰Water bottle ‰Moist towelettes and/or anti-bacterial “water-free” hand cleanser ‰Photocopies of passport, air ticket, credit cards, prescriptions for your medicines ‰Camera gear with extra batteries or battery charger ‰Electrical transformer & plug adapters

Medicines ‰Your own prescription medicines ‰Travel first aid kit: Band-Aids, headache and pain relief, laxatives and anti-diarrhea tablets, something for upset stomach, cold remedy, moleskin foot pads, anti-biotic cream, or allergy medication.

‰An antibiotic medication for gastrointestinal illness

57 Optional Gear ‰Travel alarm ‰Folding walking staff, sold in most camping stores (preferably rubber-tipped) ‰Reading materials ‰Travel journal/note pad ‰Phrase book ‰Home address book ‰Hand-wash laundry soap (Woolite) clothespins/travel clothesline/stopper ‰Pocket calculator for exchange rate ‰Washcloth ‰Travel-size hair dryer: Many hotels will provide hair dryers, but not all. If a hair dryer is essential to you, consider a travel-size version.

Home-Hosted Visits Many of our adventures feature a visit with a local family, often as part of the A Day in the Life experience. It is customary, though not necessary, to return your hosts’ generosity with a small gift. If you do bring a gift, we recommend that you bring something the whole family can enjoy, or something that represents your region, state, or hometown. Get creative and keep it small—peach jelly from Georgia, maple sugar candy from New England, orange blossom soap from California; something that can be used or used up is best. When choosing a gift, be certain to consider the local culture as well. For example, we do not recommend alcohol in Muslim countries because it is forbidden in Islam, and your hosts may be religious. Not all O.A.T. adventures include a Home-Hosted Visit; please check your final itinerary before you depart.

Electricity Abroad When traveling overseas, the voltage is usually different and the plugs might not be the same shape.

Voltage Electricity at hotels in Italy is 220 volts. In the U.S. it is 110 volts. Most of the things a traveler will want to plug in—battery chargers, MP3 players, tablets or computers—can run off both 110 and 220-240. But you should check the item or the owner’s guide first to confirm this before you plug it in. Plugging a 110V U.S. appliance into 220/240V 50/60Hz service will ruin the motor. If you

58 have something that needs 110 volts—like a shaver or a hairdryer—you can bring a transformer to change the current. (But transformers tend to burn out, so it might be better to leave whatever it is at home.)

Plugs The shape of plugs will vary from country to country, and sometimes even within a country depending on when that building was built. To plug something from the U.S. into a local socket you’ll need an adapter that fits between the plug and the socket. Although you are only traveling in one country on this trip, it may be easier to purchase an all-in-one, universal adapter/ converter combo. Versatile and lightweight, these can usually be found at your local electronics goods or hardware stores. Sometimes you can buy them at large retailers too, like Target or Walmart. If you forget to bring an adapter, you might also find them for sale at the airport when you arrive at your destination.

Different plug shapes are named by letters of the alphabet. Standard U.S. plugs are Type A and Type B. Here is the list of plugs for the countries on this trip:

Italy: C, L, or F

Type C Type F Type L

Availability Barring the occasional and unpredictable power outage, electricity is as readily available on this adventure as it is in the U.S.

59 CLIMATE & AVERAGE TEMPERATURES

Lucca, Italy: The coast and valleys near Lucca usually have warm summers, with highs in the 80s. July and August are generally the hottest months, while June and September offer warm weather without being too hot. April, May, and October have sunny days but the chances of rain are higher. Winter offers many sunny, mild days but nights are cool.

Bologna, Italy: The city is located in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna, away from the coast and close to the Apennines Mountains. As a result, temperatures are generally cooler in Bologna then in other parts of Italy. It still can be warm—summer highs are usually in the 80s, and can spike into the 90s—but winter can be very chilly, with lows below freezing; snow is common. April, May, September, and October are all moderate months, with highs usually staying in the 60s and 70s. Rainfall is possible any time of year, but is most common in the spring and fall.

Rome, Italy: The city of Rome has a climate similar to that of Tuscany, with temperatures averaging in the 40s and 50s during peak winter months, and the 60s and 70s in spring and autumn. Winter rains can be heavy, but periods of sunshine are also common. Summer can be very hot and humid with average temperatures ranging from 65-85 degrees, but potentially reaching into the 90s, especially during July-August.

Tuscany and Umbria: The weather is considerably milder year-round in Italy than in the north and central United States, but with differences depending on the geography of each area. In Tuscany and Umbria, the coast and valleys (Lucca) usually have hotter summers than the hills or mountains (Trevi, Pettino). April, May, and October have sunny days but the chances of rain are higher. Winter offers many sunny, mild days but nights are cold, particularly in hilly regions. July and August are generally the hottest months, while June and September offer warm weather without being too hot.

Bologna and Parma: Both cities are in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna, away from the coast and close to the Apennines Mountains. As a result, temperatures are generally cooler in Bologna and Parma then in Tuscany and Umbria. It still can be warm—summer highs are usually in the 80s, and can spike into the 90s—but winter can be very chilly, with lows below freezing; snow is common. April, May, September, and October are all moderate months, with highs usually staying in the 60s and 70s. Rainfall is possible any time of year, but is most common in the spring and fall.

Winter Departures If you are traveling during the winter, please be aware that the weather in Italy can be somewhat volatile at this time of year, though it’s still relatively mild compared to that of the rest of the world. Moreover, while “off-season” travel may involve stints of inclement weather, it rewards you with the chance to explore Italy’s museums, piazzas, and ruin sites at a time when they are wonderfully free of the summer tourist crowds. Just remember to bring layers, especially if you are taking the Bologna and Parma extension, as both snow and heavy fog are common in this region.

60 Climate Averages & Online Forecast The following charts reflect the average climate as opposed to exact weather conditions. This means they serve only as general indicators of what can reasonably be expected. An extreme heat wave or cold snap could fall outside these ranges. As your departure approaches, we encourage you to go online to www.oattravel.com/myaccount for your 10-day forecast.

Average Daily High/Low Temperatures (°F), Humidity & Monthly Rainfall

MONTH LUCCA, ITALY CHIANTI REGION, ITALY

Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Humidity (avg) (inches) Humidity (avg) (inches) JAN 53 to 36 -- 2.4 45 to 38 78 2.5 FEB 55 to 37 -- 1.9 46 to 38 77 2.7 MAR 60 to 41 -- 2.3 51 to 41 74 2.8 APR 64 to 46 -- 3.3 56 to 45 75 2.8 MAY 73 to 53 -- 2.3 64 to 52 75 3.1 JUN 80 to 59 -- 1.5 71 to 59 73 2.2 JUL 86 to 64 -- 1.0 78 to 64 69 1.8 AUG 86 to 65 -- 2.3 77 to 64 72 2.4 SEP 78 to 59 -- 4.9 71 to 59 75 3.1 OCT 70 to 53 -- 5.9 63 to 53 80 3.5 NOV 60 to 45 -- 5.6 52 to 44 81 3.8 DEC 53 to 39 -- 3.4 46 to 39 80 2.7

61 MONTH PIENZA, ITALY BOLOGNA, ITALY

Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Humidity (am-pm) (inches) Humidity (avg) (inches) JAN 55 to 37 -- 1.3 41 to 29 83 1.7 FEB 57 to 37 -- 1.3 47 to 33 78 1.8 MAR 61 to 41 -- 1.4 56 to 39 70 2.4 APR 65 to 44 -- 1.8 64 to 46 71 2.6 MAY 75 to 52 -- 1.4 73 to 53 69 2.6 JUN 82 to 58 -- 1.5 80 to 60 68 2.1 JUL 88 to 63 -- 0.8 86 to 65 65 1.7 AUG 88 to 65 -- 1.0 85 to 64 66 2.3 SEP 80 to 58 -- 3.9 78 to 59 69 2.4 OCT 72 to 53 -- 2.5 66 to 50 76 2.8 NOV 62 to 45 -- 4.5 52 to 40 84 3.2 DEC 55 to 39 -- 3.2 43 to 32 84 2.4

MONTH ROME, ITALY

Temp. High-Low % Relative Average # of Days Humidity (am-pm) with Rainfall JAN 55 to 39 86 to 67 9 FEB 57 to 40 86 to 66 8 MAR 60 to 42 87 to 68 8 APR 64 to 47 87 to 69 7 MAY 72 to 53 85 to 68 4 JUN 78 to 60 83 to 68 2 JUL 84 to 65 82 to 69 2 AUG 84 to 65 84 to 68 3 SEP 79 to 60 87 to 68 5 OCT 72 to 54 88 to 70 7 NOV 63 to 47 87 to 70 10 DEC 57 to 41 86 to 69 9

62 ABOUT YOUR DESTINATIONS: CULTURE, ETIQUETTE & MORE

O.A.T. Trip Experience Leaders: A World of Difference During your adventure you’ll be accompanied by one of our local, expert Trip Experience Leaders. All are fluent in English and possess the skills, certification, and experience necessary to ensure an enriching adventure. As locals of the regions you’ll explore with them, our Trip Experience Leaders provide the kind of firsthand knowledge and insight that make local history, culture, and wildlife come alive. Coupled with their unbridled enthusiasm, caring personalities, and ability to bring diverse groups of travelers together, our Trip Experience Leaders ensure that your experience with O.A.T. is one you’ll remember for a lifetime.

Culture & Points to Know

Religious Festivals in Italy As a deeply Catholic country, Italy celebrates many religious festivals. But the two biggest are Christmas and Easter. Christmas is celebrated much as in the U.S. but with some key differences. For example, the unofficial start of the Christmas season is the Day of the Immaculate Conception (December 8) and the end is Epiphany (January 6); the focal point of decoration is usually an elaborate nativity scene rather than a Christmas tree; and the festive meal often features fish and seafood rather than a turkey, ham, or other meat. Special foods like panettone cake or certain pastas may also be served at this time of year. Also different from the U.S. is when presents are opened—depending on what part of Italy you are from, it could be on Saint Lucia’s Day (December 13), Christmas Day (December 25), or Epiphany, when a good witch called la befana brings candy to children—but only if you were good last year.

The other big festival is Easter, which is on a lunar schedule, and thus changes dates each year (although it usually falls in February or March). The kick off for the Easter season is Lent, a six-week period of penitence when practicing Catholics “give up” something they enjoy as a way of showing devotion. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, when many Italians will go to church to receive a cross made of ashes on their forehead, which they will then wear for the rest of the day.

Note that Carnival—which is meant to blow off steam before the seriousness—comes before Lent, but is not considered a religious festival. Instead it usually involves street parties, costumes, music, masks, eating, drinking, and crowds. (Venice in particular gets very crowded.)

Lent ends during Settimana Santa (Holy Week). This runs the week before Easter, and includes the Monday after. Smaller shops or family-run restaurants may be closed during this week or on special hours. But larger or famous sites generally stay open as normal except on Easter Sunday or the Monday after. If you have your heart set on a specific attraction, we suggest you check their holiday schedule in advance to avoid disappointment. Religious places of interest, such as historic chapels/churches, will often have special services that you are welcome to attend—even if you are not Catholic. Note that the Vatican celebrations in particular are very popular and will likely need some advance planning or involve waiting in some very long lines.

63 Dressing for Churches Most churches in Italy have a dress code, whether overly stated or not. Typically all they are looking for is shorts/skirts to the knee and covered shoulders. If you’ll be traveling during warm weather months and want to go sleeveless or wear a tank top, then we suggest that you throw a light sweater, cover-up, or shawl into your daypack. That way you’ll have it on hand if you want to pop into a church. In our experience, the dress code is enforced the most in the Vatican/Sistine Chapel and in Rome, but it could come up in any church.

Taking Photographs The etiquette of photographing most people in Europe is about the same as it would be on the streets of your hometown. You need permission to take a close-up, but not for a crowd scene. Consent is especially important if you want to take a photo of a child or minor—ask their parent for permission first. To get a great portrait, show interest in your subject and try to have a bit of social interaction to put them at ease. Then use sign language to inquire if a picture is OK.

Safety & Security As you travel, exercise the same caution and awareness that you would in a large American city. Don’t be overly nervous or suspicious, but keep your eyes open. If you are venturing out after dark, go with one or two other people.

Carry a one-day supply of cash in your pocket. Carry most of your money, and your passport, in a travel pouch or money belt under your shirt. Replenish your pocket supply when you are in a safe and quiet place, or in our vehicle. Don’t leave valuables unattended in your hotel room. Most hotels will offer use of a hotel safe at the front desk or an electronic in-room safe (for which you can set your own personal number). Please utilize them.

Pickpockets may create a sudden distraction. In any sort of puzzling street situation, try to keep one hand on your wallet or money belt. If an encounter with a local turns out to be long and complicated and involves money or your valuables, be very careful. Con artists sometimes target travelers.

Hotel Courtesy Italian hotels do not allow food and beverages to be taken from their breakfast rooms, nor is it courteous to eat or drink food or beverages purchased elsewhere in hotel common rooms. In conformity with municipal laws to promote urban decorum, hotels do not allow hanging laundry on room balconies. Travel clotheslines, used in your bathroom, are a more private and effective solution.

Italian Cuisine Italy may have been unified as a nation in 1861, but its cuisine is another story—and a glorious one at that. Here, gastronomy has always been a matter of regionalism and seasonality. So in Milan (in the rice-growing Lombardy region), your dinner is more likely to include a delicious risotto (a creamy rice dish) than spaghetti, which would be a typical first course in sunny southern

64 Campania. The country is divided up in to 20 distinct regions, each with its own specialties. The good news is that there is certainly culinary overlap, and since Italians are famously passionate about food, you can enjoy many beloved regional dishes all over Italy. The bad news? There is no bad news. . . . Nearly every meal in Italy is cause for joy.

Here’s more good news: not every meal in Italy is cause to loosen your belt. The Italian diet is heavy on vegetables (such as tomatoes, zucchini, spinach, and beans), and the olive oil that is an Italian staple is low in saturated fats. Though eggs, dairy, and meats are consumed regularly, the portions are much smaller than here in the States.

The structure of a typical Italian meal is designed to stimulate your appetite, and promote moderation—along with variety. So it will begin with an apertivo, a glass of sparkling prosecco or spumante, perhaps with olives or nuts to nibble on. Next come the antipasti, an array of hot and cold appetizers that are largely plant-based. This may be crudo (raw vegetables) with various cheeses and salumi (cold cuts such as prosciutto and salami). Try fritto misto, a lightly fried seafood mix, usually with calamari, shrimp, and fish such as sardines or anchovies. Polpette are savory, seasoned meatballs. They’re bite-sized and eaten on their own—not swimming in a giant bowl of red sauce and pasta. That’s an Italian-American invention.

The first course, called primo, comes next. Here is where you may enjoy your carbohydrates: perhaps a small dish of polenta, a dense cornmeal porridge, or a bowl of soup such as minestrone, or stracciatella, a spinach egg-drop soup. This course is also when you will enjoy the beloved pasta. There are more than 350 types and four times that many names for them, based on the region. For example, bigoli (a thick spaghetti) is popular in the Veneto; cheese- or meat filled tortellini rings are from Emilia-Romagna; fregola are tiny pasta cubes from Sardinia; and orecchiette (or, ‘little ears’) are from Puglia. The shape of the pasta is chosen based on the sauce it’s meant to hold.

The main course is called il secondo. This is usually a small, simply prepared dish of chicken, meat, or fish. Perhaps it will be saltimbocca alla Romana, a cutlet of chicken or veal topped with prosciutto, cheese and sage; tagliata di Manzo (herb-rubbed rib eye); grilled, garlicky shrimp scampi; or osso buco, braised veal shanks crusted with a citrus zest mixture called gremolata. This may be accompanied by a course of contorno, or vegetables. They are usually fresh, flavorful and simply prepared, designed to highlight (not dominate) the meal.

Your meal will conclude with a dolce (sweet) such as the famous tiramisu, a layered confection of sponge cake, mascarpone cheese, coffee and liqueur. In Lombardy, it might be the crumbly almond cake called sbrisolona. In the Naples area, perhaps sfogliatelle, flaky layers of puff pastry filled with luscious cheese and citrus. Or Sicily’s gift to sweets lovers, tubes of crispy cannolli filled with creamy ricotta and perhaps pistachios, candied fruit or chocolate. Dolci may be served with coffee or an alcoholic digestivo such as herbal amaro or limoncello. It is meant to aid your digestion of a memorable meal, one that will certainly have been toast-worthy.

65 Shopping: What to Buy, Customs, Shipping & More There may be scheduled visits to local shops during your adventure. There is no requirement to make a purchase during these stops, and any purchase made is a direct transaction with the shop in question, subject to the vendor’s terms of purchase. O.A.T. is not responsible for purchases you make on your trip or for the shipment of your purchases.

Returns If you discover an issue with an item, you should contact the vendor directly and expect that any resolution will take longer than it would in the U.S. We recommend that you keep a copy of all your receipts, invoices, or contracts, along with the shop’s contact information. Keep in mind, local practice may vary from U.S. standards, so don’t assume that you have a certain number of days after the purchase to speak up or that you are guaranteed a refund.

Crafts & Souvenirs

Italy Whether it refers to high fashion or Maserati automobiles, “Made in Italy” has become synonymous with style and quality craftsmanship. Among the most popular buys are leather goods, silk ties, knitwear, gold jewelry, ceramics, straw goods and other handicrafts, small cabinets, and jewelry boxes. Each region in Italy has its specialties. Although you may not visit all of these regions on this trip, we understand that a lot of our travelers may also be traveling independently so we’ve included information for all of the regions that our itineraries visit in Italy:

• Rome: Designer fashions, silks, artwork, religious items, leather goods of all kinds, quality sunglasses.

• Sorrento: Coral, cameos, embroidered blouses, tarsia (intricate inlaid wood marquetry), and Capodimonte ceramics.

• Venice: glassware, lace, velvet and damask, Carnival masks, silver products, and silks.

• Tuscany and Umbria: Both regions are known for their high-quality handicrafts such as alabaster, handmade paper, terracotta, and pottery. Leather goods of all kinds—purses, shoes, gloves, belts, etc.—are a popular buy, especially in cities like Florence and Lucca. (For the best quality, and for leather that is truly made in Italy, buy in a shop and not from street vendors.) Pesto in jars make a nice “taste of Italy” souvenir; so too can bottles of local wine, such as Brunello or one of the Super Tuscan vintages, or a bottle of olive oil.

• Bologna & Parma: Both cities are known for their contributions to cuisine, so foodstuffs are popular souvenirs. You can bring back processed foods such as balsamic vinegar, fruit jams or fruit mustard (la mostarda di frutta), and hard cheeses like parmesan. Cheeses should be vacuum sealed if you plan to bring them back to the U.S.

66 • Sicily: Popular items in Sicily include antiques, ceramics, jewelry, lace, almond pastries (such as marzipan), or local olive oil.

• Sardinia: Sardinia is known for its unique jewelry, specifically wedding rings. However, you’ll find an assortment of options in many shapes and materials.

You’ll also see many different items made from olive wood or Carrara marble; just remember that any marble items you purchase should be put into your checked luggage for the flight home. (If you put them in your carry-on, they may be confiscated by security as “weapons”.)

Value Added Tax: In Italy, a Value Added Tax is levied on most articles, services, and meals, and ranges from 17% to 33%. Depending on how much you spend on certain goods in specially marked Tax Free Shopping stores, you may be eligible for a partial refund of this tax. Ask the shopkeeper, salesperson, or our local staff for details. Be sure to save all receipts and the special Global Tax Refund forms for Customs, as receipts alone are not enough.

U.S. Customs Regulations & Shipping Charges For all things related to U.S. Customs, the ultimate authority is the U.S. Bureau of Customs & Border Protection. Their website, www.cbp.gov has the answers to the most frequently asked questions. Or you can call them at 1-877-227-5511.

The top three points to know are:

• At time of writing, your personal duty-free allowance is $800 for items brought with you. Items totaling more than $800 are subject to duty fees.

• Items shipped home are always subject to duty when received in the U.S. Even when the shop has offered to include shipping and duties in the price, this typically means shipping to the nearest customs facility and payment of the export duties—not door-to-door shipping or payment of the import duties. All additional duties or shipping charges would be your responsibility. Unless an item is small enough to send by parcel service (like FedEx), chances are you will need to arrange shipping or pick-up once the item is in the U.S. and will need to pay customs duties.

• It is illegal to import products made from endangered animal species. U.S. Customs & Border Protection will seize these items, as well as most furs, coral, tortoise shell, reptile skins, feathers, plants, and items made from animal skins.

67 DEMOGRAPHICS & HISTORY

Italy

Facts, Figures & National Holidays • Area: 116,348 square miles

• Capital: Rome

• Languages: Italian is the official language; German, French, and Slovene are also spoken in towns near the borders of Austria, France, and Slovenia.

• Ethnicity: Italian, with small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian- and Greek-Italians in the south

• Location: Italy is bordered by France, Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland, the Ligurian Sea, the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Ionian Sea, the Adriatic Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea.

• Geography: Italy lies in southern Europe and includes the Mediterranean islands of Siciliy, Sardinia, and several other small islands. The region of Tuscany is a blend of rugged hills, fertile valleys, and long stretches of sandy beaches that curve along the west coast of central Italy and fringe the pine-forested coastal plain of the Maremma. Sicily enjoys mountains in the north and east, a vast central plateau, and a fertile coastline dotted with sea-level resort towns.

• Population: 60,317,116 (estimate)

• Religions: Christian 80% (overwhelming Roman Catholic), Atheists and Agnostics 20%, Muslims estimated at less than 2%

• Time Zone: Italy is on Central European Time, six hours ahead of U.S. EST. When it is 6am in Washington D.C., it is noon in Rome. Daylight Saving Time begins the last weekend in March and ends the last weekend in October.

68 National Holidays: Italy

In addition to the holidays listed below, Italy 05/01 Labor Day celebrates a number of national holidays that 06/02 Republic Day follow a lunar calendar, such as Easter. To find out if you will be traveling during these 08/15 Assumption of Mary holidays, please visit www.timeanddate.com/ holidays. 11/01 All Saints’ Day

01/01 New Year’s Day 12/08 Feast of the Immaculate Conception

01/06 Epiphany 12/25 Christmas Day

04/25 Liberation Day 12/26 St. Stephen’s Day

Italy: A Brief History Italy proudly wears the mantle of Rome, the polity from which so much of Italy’s historical, cultural, and religious heritage has derived. But even though the Romans were the first to unify the peninsula, they were not the first to dominate it. That honor goes to the Etruscans, whose empire, Etruria, reached its zenith in the 7th century BC. It was centered between the Arno and Tiber rivers, mostly in Tuscany. The Etruscans were famers, miners, seafarers and warriors, but they were riven by factionalism and in 509 BC, their last king was tossed out by Ligurian-Latin nobles in the small town of Rome. Tired of monarchs, they created the first Roman Republic.

Etruscan culture disappeared by the 2nd century AD, but the Romans were quick to appropriate many aspects of the Greek culture that had taken root in southern Italy and Sicily, where there were Hellenic colonies called “Magna Graecia.” As the colonies were absorbed, so were Greek religion, architecture, and the basic tenets of democracy. During the 1st century BC, Julius Caesar defeated Gaul, making Rome the ruler of the entire Mediterranean world. After Caesar’s assassination in 44 B.C., his nephew Octavian, later called Augustus, became Rome’s first official emperor. The capital became an architectural showcase, and new territories stretched across Europe into Asia Minor, existing under a “Pax Romana” that brought prosperity and stability.

Pax Romana declined in the 3rd century A.D. thanks to inept and corrupt emperors, and attacks by outside barbarians. Rome eventually embraced Christianity in 313 under Constantine I, who established an eastern capital in Constantinople. But splitting the Rome into western (Roman) and eastern (Byzantine) halves did not halt the empire’s demise. The eastern Roman empire fell in 476, and though the Byzantine half survived, it never regained the full might of Rome. In 800, Italy was briefly reunited under Charlemagne, but soon disintegrated into squabbling kingdoms.

Italian culture peaked during the 15th and 16th-century Renaissance. The independent city-states formed a delicate balance of power, with ruling families (such as the Sforzas, Borgias, and the Medicis) funding a golden age of art, invention, and intellectual activity that produced some of the greatest figures of Western civilization—Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Dante Alighieri, Brunelleschi, Galileo, and others. It did not, however, stop the rival families from fighting.

69 By the 19th century, many Italians believed that they could function as a single nation, a belief spearheaded by the general Giuseppe Garibaldi. Independence was declared in 1861, and by 1870, the nation was consolidated under King Victor Emmanuel II. Italy was ruled as a monarchy and joined the Allies in World War I. But the 1920s ushered in a dark era as Benito Mussolini organized discontented Italians into the Fascist Party to “rescue Italy from Bolshevism.” What he delivered was a totalitarian state. Mussolini joined with Hitler and fought the Allies during World War II, during which 400,000 people were killed, hundreds of thousands were left homeless, and the economy was ruined. In 1945, Mussolini was captured and killed by partisans.

Italy was again declared a republic in 1946, but remained seriously divided during the postwar era by political extremes. Governments rose and fell, and in the 1970s, a series of terrorist acts by the left-wing Red Brigades threatened stability. By the early 1980s, the terrorists had been suppressed, but public discontent spilled into the 1990s as inflation and ongoing scandals involving public officials and the Mafia altered Italian politics. Parties dissolved, new ones formed, and new alliances emerged. This led to the election of media mogul Silvio Berlusconi as Prime Minister in 1994. But within a year, Berlusconi was forced to resign. He ran again in 2001 and was reelected, setting up a pattern that repeated for more than a decade: Berlusconi has been Prime Minster three separate times between 1994–2011, and continues to remain a political force despite having been convicted of tax fraud.

The current Prime Minister, independent Giuseppe Conte, was elected in 2018 and heads up a populist coalition. Among his accomplishments have been the introduction of a national guaranteed minimum income, the nationalization of several companies, stricter immigration policies, and the western world’s first national lockdown in response to COVID-19.

70 RESOURCES

Suggested Reading

Tuscany The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen (Fiction) An estranged daughter seeks to uncover her family’s past when she discovers an unopened letter written by her father after his passing. The narrative jumps between the father in World War II and the daughter in the 1970s.

Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy by Frances Mayes (Memoir/Travel Narrative) The true-life story of a wealthy American who falls in love with a dilapidated farmhouse in Tuscany and vows to restore it. Unlike the movie, the book focuses a lot on daily life and the renovations process, rather than romance.

Brunelleschi’s Dome by Ross King (History) What goes into the making of an architectural masterpiece? This book uncovers the behind-the-scenes story of the first dome to be built in Europe since ancient Rome.

The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall by Christopher Hibbert (History) Portrays the Medici’s personal lives and political squabbles, and captures the workings of Renaissance city-state politics.

A Culinary Traveller in Tuscany: Exploring and Eating off the Beaten Track by Beth Elon (Food) Combining travel and food, this book is half guidebook (where to eat in small towns throughout Tuscany) and half cookbook (recipes from those small towns).

General Italy The Italians by Luigi Barzini (1964, Social Commentary) This definitive guide to the Italian national character and way of life, written by the renowned journalist and politician, still rings true today.

La Bella Figura: A Field Guide to the Italian Mind by Beppe Severgnini (2007, Nonfiction/Humor) An Italian columnist and best-selling author journeys through his homeland while providing hilarious observations at the beautiful face Italy shows to the world, and the chaotic, garrulous, and often contradictory impulses that lie behind it.

The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi (2008, Non Fiction) A remarkable true story by best-selling author Douglas Preston who, with Italian investigative journalist Mario Spezi, try to track down the identity of a serial killer known as the Monster of Florence.

History by Elsa Morante (1974, Fiction) A half-Jewish, Roman mother tries to survive in WWII Rome with her two sons. Though the main characters are fictional, each chapter opens with an factual account of real events that happened when the action takes place.

SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard (History) World-renowned classics expert Mary Beard gives an excellent, if somewhat dense, background on the world of ancient Rome.

71 I, Claudius by Robert Graves (Historical Fiction) An engaging fictionalized look at the life of Emperor Claudius, who survived the reigns of Augustus, Tiberius, and Caligula. The book is the basis for the acclaimed PBS series of the same name.

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway (Literature) Set during the Italian campaign of World War I, this classic novel tells the story of a romance between an American ambulance driver and an English nurse.

It Happened in Italy by Elizabeth Bettina (Memoir/History) Recounts true stories about how regular Italians defied the SS and hid or protected their Jewish neighbors during the Holocaust— and the author’s story in how she found out about this slice of Italian history

Suggested Film & Video

Italy Life Is Beautiful (1997) Roberto Benigni is the lead actor and director of this heart-wrenching comedy/drama about a Jewish Italian bookshop owner in Mussolini’s Italy who tries to shield his son from the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp. Italian with English subtitles.

La Strada (1954, Drama) Iconic Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini directed this tale of a waif named Gelsomina (played by his wife, Giulietta Masina) who is sold into the employ of Zampano (played by Anthony Quinn), a brutal strongman in a traveling circus. Italian with English subtitles.

The Bicycle Thief (1948, Drama) As it follows a man desperate to retrieve the stolen bicycle that is crucial to his family’s survival, Vittorio De Sica’s film subtly examines the human condition, society, family, justice, and anguish in the poverty of post-World War II Italy. Simple and powerful, many consider it one of the greatest films of all time. Italian with English subtitles.

1900 (1976, Drama) Bernardo Bertolucci’s epic history follows the lives of two friends (one a peasant, the other a land-owner) born on the same day in Italy. Their lives unfold with vivid cinematography and lush imagery of the beautiful countryside. The movie jumps forward, to the end of World War 1, and follows their story until 1945. The original version clocks in at well over five hours (the longest commercially released film ever), but it always fascinates and never bores. Italian with English subtitles.

Ciao, Professore! (1994, Comedy) The great Italian screenwriter and director Lina Wertmuller (Seven Beauties, Swept Away, and many more cult classics) helmed this “fish out of water” comedy about an elementary school teacher from northern Italy who is mistakenly sent to a poor town in the Naples region of southern Italy. Italian with English subtitles.

Tea with Mussolini (1999, Drama) A semi-autobiographical account of Zeffirelli’s life in World War II Italy. Luca, Zeffirelli’s character, is raised in Florence by his absent father’s secretary among a group of British and American women, who must deal with the rise of fascism, the dangers of resistance, and weather dictatorial custody and betrayal.

72 Big Night (1996, Comedy/Drama) This brilliant little gem is about the volatile relationship between two brothers and their failing Italian restaurant in late-1950s America—a time when “authentic” Italian dining was often a recipe for disaster. Primo (played by Tony Shalhoub) is the uncompromising chef. Secondo (his younger brother played by Stanley Tucci), runs the dining room. Sparks fly as they prepare a feast of a lifetime during one special “big night” to try to save the business. The soundtrack in wonderful too, featuring Louis Prima lots more ‘50s-era Italian- American artists.

Summertime (1955, Drama/Romance) A lonely spinster comes to Venice, falls under its spell, and surprisingly finds herself falling in love with an unlikely suitor. Katherine Hepburn is the leading lady, but Venice itself is the star of this beautifully filmed, David Lean chestnut.

The Merchant of Venice (2004, Drama) Al Pacino gives us one of the most masterful portrayals on stage or screen of Shakespeare’s tragic moneylender, Shylock. He receives strong support from Jeremy Irons and Joseph Fiennes, and Venice itself, where much of the production was filmed. The city looks so enticing, it’s a wonder that Pacino did not chew up the scenery.

The Wings of the Dove (1997, Drama) With no economic prospects, Edwardian lovers Kate and Merton are unable to marry, but then a prospect shows up in the form of a dying American heiress. Her only wish? To see Venice and fall in love. A plot is hatched, with all the psychological nuances you would expect in this sumptuous film version of the Henry James novel.

The Tourist (2010, Thriller) Beautiful Elise (Angelina Jolie) has a mysterious off-screen lover, Pearce, who has fled England and is wanted by both Scotland Yard and the mob. He tells Elise to entrap an unwitting tourist (Johnny Depp), who will be mistaken for Pearce (who is rumored to have altered his appearance), and arrested in his place. This convoluted caper plays out beautifully in Venice’s mysterious alleys, romantic canals, and opulent palaces.

Don’t Look Now (1973, Drama) Grieving the death of their daughter, a Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie come to Venice seeking solace. Instead, they are plunged into a hallucinatory world where the supernatural seems to pervade every atmospheric inch of Venice. An eerie, erotic thriller from director Nicholas Roeg, based on a Daphne du Maurier novella.

Amarcord (1973, Drama/Comedy) This semi-auto-biographical masterpiece, whose title means “I remember,” is director Federico Fellini’s loving and fantastical homage to his 1930s boyhood in the Adriatic coastal town of Rimini. Ribald, exaggerated, filled with hilarious characters and infused with warmth, it won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film.

The Life Ahead (2020, Drama) At 86, Sophia Loren makes her first screen appearance in ten years in this Netflix original, filmed in Puglia. And it’s a stunner. She plays Madame Rosa, a Holocaust survivor who takes in the children of local sex workers. A neighbor asks her to care for Momo, a Senegalese refugee whose delinquency may be too much for Rosa, whose own tormented past is catching up to her.

The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964, Biblical Drama) Considered a classic of world cinema, this story of Jesus’ life was shot in neo-realist style in the ancient rockbound city of Matera, which director Pier Paolo Pasolini found to be more authentic in feel than Galilee itself.

73 Two Women (1960, Drama) Sophia Loren won her first Oscar for this gripping portrayal of a Roman mother trying to protect her daughter from the ravages of World War II. Directed by Vittorio de Sica and based on the acclaimed book by Alberto Moravia.

Rome (2005-07, Television Series) This multiple Emmy-winner from HBO deftly weaves the stories of fictional and real characters (Julius Caesar, Octavian, Marc Antony, Cleopatra, etc.) during Rome’s 1st century BC transition from a republic to an empire. Outstanding production values and a stellar cast.

Roman Holiday (1953, Romantic Comedy) A runaway princess (Audrey Hepburn) sheds her royal persona to experience Rome as the Romans do, with reporter Gregory Peck as her guide. Between the leads and the glorious Roman locations, it’s hard to know where to feast your eyes.

La Dolce Vita (1960, Comedy) The “sweet life” is anything but for Marcello (Mastroianni), a dissipated gossip reporter with whom we spend seven debauched and disjointed nights in mid- century Rome. Considered one of Fellini’s masterpieces. Italian with English subtitles.

Rome, Open City (1945, Docu-Drama) Roberto Rosellini’s landmark, neo-realist film is as remarkable for its content (the story of a real-life priest and the Roman Resistance fighters he helped) as for the hardships faced while making it during the actual Nazi occupation.

74 Useful Websites

Overseas Adventure Travel World Weather www.oattravel.com www.intellicast.com www.weather.com Overseas Adventure Travel Store www.wunderground.com www.oatshop.com Basic Travel Phrases (80 languages) Overseas Adventure Travel Frequently www.travlang.com/languages Asked Questions www.oattravel.com/faq Packing Tips www.travelite.org International Health Information/CDC (Centers for Disease Control) U.S. Customs & Border Protection http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel www.cbp.gov/travel

Electricity & Plugs Transportation Security www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/ Administration (TSA) plugs-and-sockets www.tsa.gov

Foreign Exchange Rates National Passport Information Center www.xe.com/currencyconverter www.travel.state.gov www.oanda.com/converter/classic Holidays Worldwide ATM Locators www.timeanddate.com/holidays www.mastercard.com/atm www.visa.com/atmlocator

75 VACCINATIONS NOW REQUIRED FOR ALL TRAVELERS, SHIP CREW, TRIP EXPERIENCE LEADERS, AND COACH DRIVERS Plus, updated Health & Safety Protocols for our Land Tours

The health and safety of our travelers is always our #1 priority, and we understand travelers are concerned about exploring the world in light of the unprecedented crisis we are currently facing. To ensure your safety and give you peace of mind, we have worked with our regional team and listened to government guidance and feedback from our travelers to create these health and safety protocols for our trips. As we continue to make changes, we will keep our website updated with the latest information.

VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS • All travelers, ship crew, and Trip Experience AND UPDATED HEALTH & SAFETY Leaders will have their temperature checked PROTOCOLS FOR SMALL SHIP every time they return to the ship using a non- ADVENTURES contact infrared temperature scanner. • All travelers must be fully vaccinated against • All meals are served by the dining staff— COVID-19 at least 14 days prior to departure buffets are no longer available. and provide proof of vaccination upon VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS AND boarding the ship. If you are unable to UPDATED HEALTH & SAFETY PROTOCOLS provide proof of vaccination upon arrival at FOR SMALL GROUP ADVENTURES ON LAND your destination, you will have to return All travelers must be fully vaccinated against home at your own expense. • COVID-19 at least 14 days prior to departure. If To meet this requirement, please bring your you are unable to provide proof of vaccination original COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card upon arrival at your destination, you will with you on your trip. The white card must have to return home at your own expense. display your name, type of vaccine, and the To meet this requirement, please bring your date(s) the vaccine was administered. We also original COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card with suggest taking a picture of this card to keep for you on your trip. The white card must display your records as a backup. your name, type of vaccine, and the date(s) • All local Trip Experience Leaders, the vaccine was administered. We also suggest ship staff, and crew will be fully taking a picture of this card to keep for your vaccinated against COVID-19. records as a backup. • All coach drivers will be fully • All local Trip Experience Leaders will be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. vaccinated against COVID-19. • All public areas will be sanitized nightly and • All coach drivers will be fully vaccinated all ships are equipped with High Efficiency against COVID-19. Particulate Air (HEPA) filters.

Help us ensure travelers’ safety and health while on our trips. Please follow best health and hygiene practices to prevent the spread of illness—wash your hands regularly and cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing. Together, we can create a safer travel experience for everyone.

Learn more at www.oattravel.com/covid-update

76 Notes

77 Notes

78 Scheggino a

i Spoleto Trevi

r e Assisi r e v Rome e Extension) (Post-trip

T b Bevagna

m

L. Trasimeno U Bomarzo ITALY Montepulciano Pienza L. di Bolsena & Sovana Pitigliano Pitigliano Siena (Optional Tour) (Optional Florence y San Galgano n a driatic Se a A c s Ravenna u (Optional Tour) (Optional

T Lucca Bologna ITALY Lucca Parma Sea Miles To/From U.S. Land route Lunigiana Valley Lunigiana 020 Sea Tyrrhenian PRE-TRIP EXTENSION Tyrrhenian

79 YOUR TRIP EXPERIENCE LEADER

Your O.A.T. Trip Experience Leader is an insider who lives in the destinations you are exploring. They are not just knowledgeable, but personable and personal—eager to understand your own interests, and happy to share their own. This makes all the diff erence between just visiting a place, and experiencing its true spirit.

For your Tuscany & Umbria: Rustic Beauty in the Italian Heartland adventure, your Trip Experience Leaders have earned an overall “Excellence” rating of 97% in post-trip surveys completed by our travelers.

The Leader in Personalized Small Group Adventures on the Road Less Traveled

CONNECT WITH US: 1-800-955-1925 | www.oattravel.com

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