SAVING ITALY TOUR January 3 – 18, 2018 _______________________________________________________________________________ In May 1944, two unlikely American heroes - an artist and a scholar - embarked from Naples on the treasure hunt of a lifetime, tracking billions of dollars of stolen art, including works by Donatello, Titian, Caravaggio and Botticelli. Follow the same footsteps as these American Heroes, as told in Saving Italy, as you embark from the battlefields of Monte Cassino to the Vatican and behind closed doors with the great Allied and Axis leaders: Roosevelt, Eisenhower and Churchill; Hitler, Goring and Himmler. Day 1 ~ Wednesday, January 3, 2018 HOUSTON/EN ROUTE Depart the United States flying overnight to Naples, Italy. Day 2 ~ Thursday, January 4, 2018 NAPLES Benvenuto in Italia! Arrive Naples, Italy. After being met, take advantage at this point, of the close proximity to Pompeii, one of the most important merchant ports of the Roman Empire, for a quick visit to this historic site. Continue to Naples for a delightful panoramic orientation tour discovering the beauty of Naples, a spectacular city rich in history and art, filled with imposing palaces, churches, convents, and monasteries, revolving around just a few streets. Drive through town passing by Piazza Municipio, dominated by the majestic Maschio Angioino Castle; view of the outsides of the Royal Palace, which facade is adorned with Greek, Roman, Gothic, Byzantine, Norman, Spanish, Bourbon and Italian statues; the San Carlo Opera House, one of the most famous Opera houses in the world; the Riviera di Chiaia, affording great views of the beautiful Naples seaside framed by the Sorrento Peninsula and the imposing Vesuvius volcano. Marvel at the beauty of this city along the posh route that runs up the hill to Posillipo through Via Orazio and Via Petrarca. These residential neighborhoods are graced by several dramatic villas and apartments perched on rocky cliffs over the sea with fantastic views all over the enchanting Bay of Naples. It is here that Monument Men artist Deane Keller and Scholar Frederik Hartt began their quest in May 1944 to recover the lost and damaged art during World War II. Arrival at the hotel in time for Dinner. Overnight: Naples (D) Day 3 ~ Friday, January 5, 2018 NAPLES Begin the day with a tour of the Capodimonte Museum, home to one of the largest and most important museums in Italy, which includes art from the original Palazzo Reale di Capodimonte, linked to King Charles of Bourbon, who in 1738 commissioned its construction, entrusting the design to Giovanni Antonio Medrano. The main nucleus of the museum is the Farnese collection, with outstanding masterpieces by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Titian, Parmigianino, Carracci, El Greco and other great painters. Visit the Filangeri Museum, housed in fifteenth century Palazzo Como, which was built between 1464 and 1490 by the wealthy merchant Angelo Como (or Cuomo) in the Florentine Renaissance style. Learn about the unfortunate part of the collected material that was destroyed in a fire started by German troops at the storage facility in San Paolo di Belsito in September 1943. Lunch stop in the Castello Dell’Ovo Pedestrian area. This afternoon, travel outside of Naples to the town of Nola, a modern municipality in the Metropolitan City of Naples in Italy. It lies on the plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Apennines. The “Cicala Castle”, one of the major highlights of the village was the birthplace of Giordano Bruno, a philosopher, writer and Italian Monaco belonging to the Dominican order. Walk through the city center distinctive for its monuments and its narrow streets. Nola is infamous for one of the worst massacres by the Nazis, the “Nola’s Slaughter,” on September 11, 1943. Proceed to San Paolo Bel Sito, named after the unification of Italy, to distinguish this town from others with similar name. The geographical position, combined with the natural beauty of the landscape, from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth century, contributed to give the village the role of sought holiday resort by the Neapolitan aristocracy. See the Villa Montesano, set on a small hill just outside the down town. The villa is remembered for the fire that destroyed many State Archives of Naples, which were moved here during World War II. The continuous bombardment that was constantly subjected the city of Naples advised the Home Secretary to seek a more suitable and safe location for the valuable State Archives of Naples, in which they decided the Villa. The villa and its treasure remained safe only until 28 September 1943, when some retreating German soldiers to provide themselves with food inspected the villa and the documents it contains. On the morning of September 30, at exactly 9:45 am, they began the work of destruction by placing straw and gunpowder at the corners and center of each room; they gave fire and in a few minutes throughout the villa became a single stake. End the day at the Borbonic Tunnels, known as the most fascinating underground route of the city of Naples. The Tunnel was built in 1853 by Ferdinand II of Bourbon, who needed a military way from the Royal Palace to the barracks after the revolution of the 1848. See the old cisterns of the Bolla and Carmignano aqueducts, both of which turned into shelters during World War II. End with the tour in Via Morelli. Dinner at the hotel this evening. Overnight: Naples (B,D) Day 4 ~ Saturday, January 6, 2018 NAPLES/ROME This morning, visit the Church of Santi Severino e Sossio, attached to one of the oldest monasteries in the city, and from 1835 housed the State Archives of Naples. The complex, four cloisters and two churches, after transformations, can be considered as a tourist cultural reference point because of the superb works of classical architecture and Renaissance art. Three of the four monumental cloisters, artistically among the most important of the city, are home of “the State Archives of Naples”, the most extensive and rich collection of documents of southern Italy, with books, pamphlets, manuscripts, and official documents concerning the city of Naples from the tenth century to modern times. Proceed to Abbazia, where the Nazi’s secretly relocated 187 crates of artwork on September 9, 1943, the day after the announcement of the Italian surrender. En route, learn about the other villages Deanne Keller visited during his journey. Arrive at the Montecassino Abbey, home of the sacred relics and monastery of St. Benedict (480-•‐543), the patron saint of Europe and the founder of western monasticism. Since its founding by St. Benedict in 529 AD, Montecassino Monastery has had a troubled history, suffering from repeated attacks, pillage, and natural disasters. Despite its significant and frequent setbacks, the monastery has always been rebuilt and the relics of Saints Benedict and Scholastica have survived through all the turmoil. During World War II, the hill of Monte Cassino was part of a German defensive line guarding the approaches to Rome. Montecassino became the target of assault after assault by Allied troops, and was finally destroyed by air bombardment. The Polish Army and Italian refugees captured the hill at dreadful loss of life. The building that stands today was constructed after 1944 using the old plans. See the Basilica, richly decorated in stucco and mosaics, which enshrines the relics of St. Benedict and his sister, St. Scholastica (and survived all the bombings during World War II); the Abbey Museum, displaying medieval art and artifacts from the monastery and explains the history of monasticism; and The Monastic Church, the main destination for pilgrims. Arrive in Rome with dinner at the hotel. Overnight: Rome (B,D) Day 5 ~ Sunday, January 7, 2018 ROME Full day excursion around Rome. Begin at the famous Trevi Fountain, a late baroque creation. The fountain fills the whole width of the palace façade that acts as a background to the fountain. This spectacular structure is dominated by the central theme of Ocean riding in a chariot drawn by sea horses and tritons. Walk through the street of Via Rasella, where Italian Partisans attached a group of Nazi soldiers in 1944. On 23 March 1944, a column of the German 11th Company, SS Police Regiment 'Bozen', was attacked by a group of Partisans while marching through Via Rasella. The blast caused the immediate deaths of 28 SS policemen and may have killed two civilian bystanders. It was agreed upon by the German police and Commander of the Security Police in Rome (Herbert Kappler) that the execution of ten Italians for each German policemen killed was a suitable ratio. Make our way to Kappler’s “Private Prison,” now the Museum of the Liberation of Rome, where by noon on 25 March, 271 victims were shot and killed. The 271 names each listed their “crime,” except for Jews, who simply had “Jew.” Because of the time limit that Hitler had imposed, Mälzer and Kappler agreed that the victims would have to be shot in the back of the head at close range rather than by conventional firing squad. Tour the museum, and learn about the torture that took place, as well as the persecution of Rome’s Jews, with copies of newspaper reports and posters imposing bans and anti-Jewish orders. The museum also details the underground struggle, exhibiting manifestos and handbills of the resistance. See some of the writings from prisoners nearing death, plastered on the cell walls that include touching messages of life and freedom. Next, the Ardeatine Caves, where mistakenly 335 Italian prisoners (known as the Ardeatine Massacre) were transported and shot to death. It provides information about those imprisoned in Via Tasso and pays attention to the Ardeatine Massacre.