Journey Through Central Italy

June 10-19 2023

This adult tour offers a wonderful opportunity to step into the cultural richness and artistic wealth of Umbria, Toscana and Lazio. Spoleto, a gorgeous town emblematic of Central Italy, will serve as our tour base. Our guide, Lorenzo Muti, is a native of Spoleto and former faculty member at Duke University and he is a great connoisseur of Italian art and history; as well, Lorenzo is a professional conductor. Your stay will be enhanced by his intriguing insights into Italian culture and society.

Although this tour was designed with educators in mind, all interested adults can join!

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis but encouraged by April 1

FEES

Base Tour Price: $3600

  • Required Tour Deposit: $375 is due upon application in order to reserve your spot

  • Final Balance: Remaining $3225 ($3775 for single room supplement) is due by May 1, 2023  

Fees are calculated on 2023 exchange rates and are subject to change. They are based on double occupancy and include lunch on arrival day, continental breakfast and dinner each day, and travel and fees for all group activities included in the itinerary. This does not include airfare, daily lunches, health or travel insurance, or personal expenses. A single hotel room is available for an additional $550.  Travel insurance is at the traveler’s discretion; however, it is strongly advised.

Participants can make payment by credit card for an additional fee, by check, or by alternate means. Checks should be made payable to “Spoleto Study Abroad” and mailed to:
SSA Tours c/o Cynthia Landvater
2700 Churchill Road
Raleigh, NC 27608

SAMPLE ITINERARY

Subject to change

  • JUNE 10 | DEPART U.S. - U.S. flights to Rome depart on June 11. Plan to arrive at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport (FCO) between 7:30 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. on June 12. We will travel together to Spoleto. If you cannot meet at this time or have other travel plans, please let us know. 

  • JUNE 11 | SPOLETO The seat of a Lombard Duchy during the High Middle Ages, Spoleto preserves a vast array of artistic memories from its historical past. We arrive in time to enjoy lunch and a brief rest, followed by a walking tour that will take you from Roman time to the early Christian period, from the Middle Ages to the blooming of the Renaissance. The XII Century Duomo preserves the last fresco cycle by the Florentine artist Fra Filippo Lippi.

  • JUNE 12 | ASSISI & SPOLETO After a short ride through the valley we arrive at Assisi, a magical town that still preserves the atmosphere, colors and the sounds that must have been so familiar to Saint Francis and his poor friars. The Basilica contains some of the most important frescoes in the history of western painting. After lunch, spend time relaxing and exploring Spoleto.

  • JUNE 13 | ADVENTURE TO TUSCANY Our travels will include stops in Siena and some of the most colorful smaller towns in central and southern Tuscany. In Siena you will be treated to a detailed visit of the Palazzo del Comune (Town Hall) with its splendid frescoes and a spiritually charged tour of the resplendent Gothic Duomo. You will have time to do some shopping in the many shops that line the colorful streets of the city. We will check into our hotel, Casanova Hotel Residence.

  • JUNE 14 | SAN GIMIGNANO & VOLTERRA Tuscan hill town San Gimignano, still brimming with Medieval flavor and 14 surviving towers, reflects a town little changed since the Middle Ages. Local highlights are Vernaccia wine, saffron and wild boar meat. Some of the oldest buildings in Tuscany are in Volterra’s main square. Explore the Roman Theater and the ancient Etruscan arch.

  • JUNE 15 | SAN QUIRICO D’ORCIA, PIENZA & MONTELPULCIANO Our day will include a brief visit to the delightful village of San Quirico d’Orcia and Pienza, built as an example of the ideal Renaissance town. Enjoy sweeping vistas of the Tuscan countryside. Montepulciano is one of the liveliest centers in southern Tuscany, filled with beautiful Medieval and Renaissance palaces and boasting a charming little art museum. We will visit “Il Paradiso di Frassina” vineyards where you can walk between the vines of Brunello, listening to the best harmonies of Amadeus.

  • JUNE 16 | TIVOLI Villa d’Este, home of the spectacular Tivoli Gardens, was built in 1550. The terraced gardens, fish ponds and unique moss-covered fountains will cool you even on the warmest of days. Here we will also enjoy lunch. Spend the late afternoon in Spoleto, re-exploring your favorite jewels or finding new ones before dinner.

  • JUNE 17 | ORVIETO & SPOLETO Orvieto, situated at the top of a majestic hill, will mystify you with its Etruscan past and magnificent Gothic Duomo containing the greatest work of Luca Signorelli, a real precursor of the “divine” Michelangelo. If you have never visited Pompei or Herculaneum, Ostia Antica is the closest you can get to see what an old Roman town looked like. The ruins have been splendidly preserved, there is a huge variety of structures to see and, if time, the archaeological museum a pleasant surprise.

  • JUNE 18 | MONTEFALCO & TREVI A morning visit to Montefalco will offer you one of the most spectacular views of the countryside and a chance to taste some of the best wine in the region. A short trip across the valley to the adjacent hill town of Trevi will provide a complete view of the area.

  • JUNE 19 | DEPART FOR THE U.S. Depart Spoleto at 6:00 a.m., arriving at Fiumicino at 8:30 a.m. Flights out of Rome should leave no earlier than 11 a.m.

Accommodations

Tour participants will be staying at the Palazzo Leti, a 13th Century residence restored as a bed & breakfast. From the Italian-style garden you can enjoy breathtaking views of some of Spoleto’s most iconic landmarks.

PROGRAM CONTACT

Cynthia Landvater
919.656..4294
AdultEnrichment@spoletostudyabroad.org