The Undiscovered Coast of

Puglia and Basilicata:

A Travel Adventure for Alumni & Friends of Duquesne University

May 30 – June 9, 2013 Itinerary (As of April 9, 2013)

Thursday, May30 Depart USA for , Italy!!

Travel from your home city overnight to arrive the next morning in Rome, the Eternal City.

Friday, May 31 Rome

After an early morning arrival in Rome, our flights arriving at Leonardo DaVinci (“Fiumicino”) airport will be met just outside Baggage Claim by our trip leader, Dr. Jean Anne Hattler, and by Michael Wright, Director of Duquesne University’s Italian Campus program. We’ll be transferred via motorcoach to our hotel for the next two nights, Hotel 21 (www.twentyonerome.com), located near the in central Rome, approximately mid-way between the Vatican Museums and the . We’ll leave our bags at the hotel and take a special topical walking tour through Piazza del Popolo, the , and the Spanish Steps while we wait for the rooms to be ready for check-in.

This evening, we’ll enjoy a welcome dinner at Ristorante Gusto.

Independent Lunch. Overnight in Rome at Hotel 21. (D) Saturday, June 1 Rome

This morning you’ll have the opportunity to explore a special moment in Roman history: the early Christian era from when Christianity was either illegal and underground to when it emerged in the early 4th century as the official religion of the Roman Empire. We’ll start at the Catacombs of St. Priscilla, known as the “Queen of the Catacombs” for the large number of martyrs who are buried in this complex, with Latinist and Church historian, Gregory DiPippo. Before heading to lunch, we’ll also stop to see the Church of St. Agnes Outside the Walls and visit the Mausoleum of St. Constanza to see the magnificent porphyry tomb of the daughter of the Emperor Constantine. Saturday, June 1 After our special visits, we’ll head to the Villa , one of Rome’s large green parks to have a (cont.) memorable lunch at La Limonaia.

Afterwards, we’ll head to the Duquesne University Italian Campus, where we’ll enjoy an opera recital by the students of the “Lirica Roma” opera program (students of Duquesne’s Mary Pappert School of Music) followed by an aperitivo with the singers and other Duquesne “Maymester” Summer 2013 students in the courtyard. We’ll return to the hotel in the early evening, leaving the balance of the day for independent activities.

Independent Dinner. Overnight at Hotel 21 (B, L, A) Sunday, June 2 Rome * Polignano a Mare Join the rest of your fellow travelers for an optional English-language Mass at Santo Spirito in Sassia. Afterwards, enjoy a coffee or cappuccino and a light lunch in a nearby café or trattoria. Then spend some time wandering about St. Peter’s Basilica. We’ll gather again at noon beneath the Pope’s balcony in St. Peter’s Square to hear the Angelus prayer lead by the new Pope, Francis I, and receive his blessing.

In the afternoon, we’ll head southeast via motor coach to the first stop on our “undiscovered Italy” itinerary for a visit to Polignano a Mare. Here, we’ll check into our beautiful home for the next three nights, the Pietrablu Resort (www.pietrablu.it/resort/?lang=en).

Dinner tonight at the hotel. Pietrablu Resort (B, D) Monday, June 3 Polignano a Mare *Lecce

This morning we’ll proceed by coach to the Baroque city of Lecce in the heel of the boot where Daniela Lopez, a native of Lecce, will be our guide this morning through this whimsical and fascinating southern city. Lecce’s Baroque palaces and churches are among the most memorable of Southern Italy’s unexpected visual delights.

After our morning tour, we’ll enjoy free time to independently sample the local cuisine for lunch and explore the historic heart of the city.

Dinner tonight in the hotel. Overnight at Pietrablu Resort (B ,D)

Tuesday, June 4 Polignano a Mare

Today is a free day to enjoy soaking up some sun and bathing in the beautiful waters of the Adriatic Sea from the private beach of our resort! For those who would rather explore, take the free shuttle at the resort into the small village of Polignano a Mare, a town with an incredible setting on the craggy cliffs over the Adriatic. Do as the locals do and stroll with a gelato, enjoy the small shops, and people watch.

Tonight we will enjoy having a fresh fish dinner coupled with a spectacular setting at the Ristorante Grotta Pallazzese (see photo, left).

Overnight at Pietrablu Resort (B, L, D) Wednesday, June 5 Castellana * Alberobello *Matera

This morning after breakfast, we will leave Polignano a Mare and visit the Caves of Castellana. We’ll explore this extensive cave system, including the breathtaking “White Cave” with a local geological guide. After our morning visit, we’ll travel by coach a few more miles down the road to the town of Alberobello, known for its medieval conical-shaped homes called “trulli.” We’ll have a typical Pugliese feast at the Trullo d’Oro and afterwards we’ll enjoy a brief walking tour through the town to explore these unique trulli houses! Late in the afternoon we’ll leave the Puglia region and arrive in one of Basilicata’s most important cities, Matera.

Independent Dinner. Overnight at the Hotel Sant’Angelo (www.hotelsantangelosassi.it/it/home/). (B, L)

Thursday, June 6 Matera

Our guide and Matera native, Nadia Garlotti, will take us on a fascinating tour of a town where the citizens dwelled in caves until the end of the 1950s! The caves of the “Sassi” district, where our own hotel is located, is a place where one feels as if they are in limbo between the ancient and the modern. Today’s tour will include the cave homes and churches of this special city.

This evening, we will have a special Farewell Wine Tasting and Dinner at the luxurious Ristorante Sant’Angelo, focusing on the famous wines, Negromaro, Primitivo, and Aglianico, from the Puglia and Basilicata regions.

Independent Lunch. Overnight at the Hotel Sant’Angelo (B, D, Wine Tasting) Friday, June 7 Matera * Rome

After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll depart by coach for our journey back to Rome. With an independent lunch break en route, we should arrive back in the Eternal City by 4:30 p.m.

This evening we’ll participate in a special evening visit to the Vatican Museums, including the and the ancient statues lit by candlelight, led by our prestigious Italian Campus professor, Elizabeth Lev.

Independent Lunch and Dinner. Overnight at Hotel 21 (B) Saturday, June 8 Free Day in Rome!

Today is a free day for you to explore personal sightseeing interests in Rome, shop for gifts and souvenirs, and enjoy a final “passegiata” or walk through the cobblestone streets of the Eternal City. Don’t forget to throw a coin in the to guarantee your return to Rome!

Independent Lunch and Dinner. Ovenight at Hotel 21 (B) Sunday, June 9 Rome - USA

Morning departure to the Leonardo DaVinci (“Fiumicino”) airport to catch our flights back to the USA.

Ciao, Bella Italia!

Itinerary subject to change according to circumstances. B=Breakfast; L=Lunch; D=Dinner; indicates included meals.