Spring break 2012: ITALY
DEPOSIT DEADLINE: JANUARY 20, 2012
April 6-15, $3995
Perugia, Florence, Rome
We will begin our tour in PERUGIA. We call this a “soft landing,” a place where we can get over jet lag in style in this lovely lively town situated atop a hill. Once an Etruscan fortress, it lies between Florence and Rome in the Umbrian hills, and today it’s known for its universities, one for Italians and two for foreign students. Many SSA girls have studied in Perugia! We will walk through centuries of history (seems like always up hill) from Palazzo Gallenga to the Etruscan Arch and the famous Three Arches, also the Church of Christ. The cathedral is rumored to hold the wedding ring of the Madonna. This was the birthplace of Perugino; we will see his Christ Handing Peter the Keys, in the Sistine Chapel). Perugino was the teacher of Raphael, and a small church not far outside city center hosts a fresco that the two worked on together. Perhaps most importantly, this is the home of the Pergunia chocolate factory and their version of kisses (Baci)!
Ah, FLORENCE. We will see David and just about everything you will have studied in Art History. The Cathedral with Brunelleschi’s Dome and Giotto’s bell tower and the Baptistery with Ghiberti’s bronze doors, the Uffizi with Botticelli’s, Caravaggio’s and more, more, more! Florence is one big Renaissance open-air museum/shopping mall! From Gucci to the flea markets, Florence is a shopper’s Mecca. There are gelato shops on just about every block and some of our all-time most favorite restaurants are here, including the one right across from our hotel!!!
From Florence we go to ROME, built on seven hills and over 2000 years of continuous history. Our hotel is just yards away from the Forum and Trajan’s column. We will have learned in Florence that every church is a museum and in Rome they have them from Byzantine to Baroque. We will see the Pantheon, now a Catholic Church, churches built on top of Roman houses and bakeries, and bakeries that are photo worthy! Rome has it all from the Colosseum, VATICAN CITY (the smallest country in the world) to the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and more gelato and fabulous food and people watching than imaginable.
We have over 32 years experience organizing and leading European tours. We have used the same tour company for 30 years. We offer the kind of tours our parents or adults would be comfortable taking. We are not interested in seeing how many countries or cities can be visited in the amount of time we have. We are more interested in spending time in the cities being visited rather than on the train or bus getting from place to place. You are in good hands with chaperones who are veteran teachers and travelers. We all love each other and we love to travel, to eat, shop, and share our experiences with you.
This tour is NOT a school sponsored tour. It is open to students and adults.
Bridgette Byrd O’Connor, PhD started traveling with us as a tour participant at age 14 and has chaperoned our trips to Spain, France, England and Italy.
David Arbo (science fanatic and avid nature lover) and Anne Arbo (studied religion and art) have chaperoned Italy, France, England, and the Czech Republic with us too many times to count.
Francie Rich has taught world history, studio art and art history at SSA for 27 years. She and her husband John Hodge are professional artists and teach art privately in their studios. They have led tours to Europe, Egypt, Mexico, Chicago and NY.
$3995 Price includes
• Round trip airfare from New Orleans
• All airport, hotel and city transfers by private coach
• Double, triple and quad rooms in centrally located 3 and 4 star hotels with full breakfasts daily (all hotels are in the historic city centers and within walking distance to everything!)
• Entrance and guide to Academia (to see Michelangelo’s David) and city tour of Florence including entrance to: Cathedral, Baptistery and Santa Croce
• Reservation and entrance to Uffizi Museum, Florence
• City tour of Rome including Colosseum and Forum and reservations, entrance and guide to Vatican Museums (Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica)
The $3995 tour price is the discounted price for those paying by check. The non-discounted price of $4094 applies to those paying by credit card. Not included in the tour price is the international airline tax imposed by the FAA, which will be billed separately depending on the amount of tax at the time of final billing. See application for all tour conditions.
Juniors and seniors can earn 3 hours of college credit in conjunction with this tour. Tuition is not included in the tour price. Contact Miss Rich for more information.
Our hotel in Perugia is smack in the center of the historic district. We loved our historic hotel in Florence before it was renovated and we can’t wait to see it now! Our hotel in Rome has a roof top terrace and is a a few steps from the Forum and Piazza Venezia!
Reserve your spot NOW with $500 deposit! Contact:
Bridgette O’Connor 985.590.9452, brikev.oconnor@gmail.com
Anne or David Arbo: annearbo@gmail.com darbo2902@gmail.com
Francie Rich or John Hodge: 985.892.5108, richodge@bellsouth.net