Jean Grimm 1-888-783-1331
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The Treasures of Central and Northern Italy Art Architecture History Wine Tasting Gourmet Dining 14 Days September 19 to October 2, 2008 2 Day Extension in Rome October 2 to October 4, 2008 |
September and October are the ideal months to see the many and varied treasures of Rome and the enchanting Medieval and Renaissance Hill Towns of Central and Northern Italy. Achieve an insider's view of some of the world's finest art of both the past and the present, as well as one thousand years of distinctly creative architecture from Romanesque to Contemporary. View renowned art collections, visit majestic villas in Tuscany, castles in Piedmont, and magnificent churches, cathedrals and synagogues. Traverse breathtaking landscapes as you follow the wine routes of Umbria, Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, Liguria and Piedmont. On this luxury tour, taste the finest wines and dine in the best restaurants. The wines of the great Brunello di Montalcino, a Lambrusco or a Gavi di Gavi, a Vernacchia or a Barbera go hand in hand with dining on impeccable Italian Cuisine. |
COST: Double occupancy: $5.995 per person Single occupancy: $6,8455 per person The Rome Extension of two additional days is: $900 per person for double occupancy $985 for a single occupancy. Airfare is not included A deposit of $500 is due by March 15, 2008. The balance is due by May 19, 2008. Accomodations in 4 and 5 star hotels: Rome - Hotel Eliseo Siena - Scacciapensieri Alba - Lange Porto Venere - Royal Sporting Club |
Please contact us to reserve your space or for more information: Toll free: 1-888-783-1331 Phone: 1-480-730-1764 |
Itinerary for the Treasures of Central & Northern Italy September 19 to October 2, 2008 Optional Extension in Rome, October 2 to 4, 2008 |
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DAY 1 Friday, September 19 We meet around 4 PM in the lounge of our hotel in Rome. There we will enjoy a welcome cocktail and an early welcome dinner at the Piazza del Popolo's Il Bolognese restaurant. This evening we will take a "Rome by Night" guided tour. DAY 2 Saturday, September 20 This day will be dedicated to Rome Contemporary: visit MAXXI, the new 21st century Museum of Contemporary Art designed by Pritzker Prize winner Zaha Hadgi; Rome’s new Accademia della Musica, designed by another Pritzker Prize winner, Renzo Piano. The Academy’s buildings have been built in the form of string instruments: a violin, a viola and a cello. We will stroll toward the Roman great wall and northern entrance to ancient Rome. In the Piazza del Popolo stands the Egyptian obelisk brought to Rome by Cleopatra. We’ll continue along Via del Babbuino, passing fine antique shops, to the Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps) where we will have lunch at Othello’s, a quaint trattoria and favorite haunt of the film industry. In the afternoon we will visit the Richard Miers (also a PP winner) Ara Pacis Museum. DAY 3 Sunday, September 21 We leave Rome this morning to visit the 15th century Villa Orsini and the garden of Bomarzo (Il Sacro Bosco). Early in the 20th century, the gigantic late Renaissance garden statuary (sculpted from living rock in the Mannerist style) served as an inspiration to the Italian Surrealist movement. We then drive north to the Umbrian hill town of Orvieto to see the magnificent Duomo. Colorful mosaics cover the cathedral’s façade, and inside are unique, priceless frescos and sculpture by Lorensetti and Giotto. We will visit the Medieval city center and the celebrated Pozzo di San Patrizio, a masterpiece of engineering. During lunch in the Giglio d’Oro restaurant across from the Duomo, we may sample Umbria’s renowned “Est Est Est” white wine and early autumn truffles. We continue on to Siena and check into the 17th century Villa Scacciapensieri, where there are formal Italian gardens, frescoes and antiques. |
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DAY 4 Monday, September 22 Vineyards line the route we will take on our way to the walled Medieval town of Montalcino. During our walking tour, we will visit the Gothic church and Palazzo Comunale, where there is a fine collection of Renaissance art. We top off our morning with a private tasting of Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany’s esteemed red wine, at the Fattoria dei Barbi e del Casato. Lunch is in the celebrated Poggio Antico restaurant. In the afternoon, we will drive to nearby Montepulciano, the highest of the hilltop towns. From here, we will enjoy breathtaking views of the olive groves and vineyards which dot the Tuscan countryside and stroll through Montepulciano’s Medieval center and the 15th century Piazza Grande. Dinner is on our own.
DAY 5 Tuesday, September 23 Today, we drive to Prato for a visit to a magnificent 18th century patrician Tuscan villa surrounded by 28 hectares of woods and sculpture gardens. Within the villa is Italy’s foremost private collection of modern and contemporary art. Each of the major artistic movements, from impressionism to the trans-avant-garde, is represented in this diverse and exciting collection. We will see works by Picasso, Leger, Calder, Moore, Segal and others. Richard Serra’s outdoor installation gently covers an entire hill; in a valley, Robert Morris’s green and white marble labyrinth is laid out. After leaving this remarkable place, we continue on to San Gimignano, the Gothic town of towers. In Medieval times, there were well over 50 towers; today, only 14 remain. We’ll stop for wine tasting at Ponte A Rondanino to sample one of Italy’s finest white wines, Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Today’s gourmet lunch is in the Diorando restaurant. Later, in the Collegiata, we view rare frescoes and walk through the 13th century Piazza della Cisterna and Piazza del Duomo. The rest of the afternoon is free to explore this beautiful Medieval town. In the evening, we return to our hotel.
DAY 6 Wednesday, Septmber 24 This morning, we follow the Piero della Francesca trail to the city of Arezzo. Within the plain brick 13th century Church of San Francesco, we will find Piero della Francesca’s gorgeous frescoes; these include the cycle representing the Legend of the Blue Cross, commissioned by the Bacci family in the 15th century. We will enjoy lunch in an excellent café across the street from the church. Afterwards, continuing along the artist’s trail to Monterchi, we’ll see the Pregnant Madonna, another of Piero’s masterpieces and the only known painting depicting the Virgin Mother pregnant. Tonight we have dinner on our own in Siena.
DAY 7 Thursday, September 25 Today, we will visit Siena’s Battisteri and the Duomo and stroll through the Piazza del Campo, where the Paglio (Medieval-costumed horse races) take place each summer. We will have lunch at the Trattoria da Francesco in nearby Lucca. Here, according to Mark Bittman of the New York Times, the tortelli lucchesi are the best in Italy. During the free afternoon, we can explore intriguing Lucca. In the evening, we return to our hotel in Siena.
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DAY 8 Friday, September 26 We leave Tuscany for Parma this morning. Located in the Emilia Romagna region, Parma was ruled for a period during the 19th century by the Austrian Empress Isabella of Parma de Bourbon. The city is renowned for its architecture and great opera, and the European Common Market chose Parma as its headquarters for the Ministries of Food and Agriculture. Here, we visit the 16th century Palazzo della Pilotta; in the museum are masterpieces by Dossi, El Greco, Correggio and the Parmeggianino. We will have lunch in the Angiol d’Oro Restaurant near the Duomo. This afternoon, en route to Alba in the Piedmont region, we will stop at Casale Monferrato to visit the 15th century synagogue, considered to be the most beautiful in the world. Within the synagogue, the Israelite Museum offers exhibits of sacred art and documents. Then it’s on to Alba, where we check into our hotel.
DAY 9 Saturday, September 27 We will begin our exploration of the Piedmont region with a visit to the Santa Vittoria Wineries; here we taste some excellent wines. Anthony Quinn - in his old film “The Secret of Santa Vittoria” - saves Santa Vittoria’s wine production. We continue driving through beautiful wine country, stopping in several of the prettiest Piedmontese towns: Montefiore d’Alba, Fontanafredda, Gerenzano, and Cavour. Each town is famous for its quality wine We will enjoy lunch in the Enoteca Castello di Cavour, located in a 16th century castle and return to Alba in the evening. DAY 10 Sunday, September 28 Our first destination today is Asti, the capital of Italy’s sparkling wine industry. We take a walking tour through the lovely Medieval town center, stopping at Asti’s handsome 14th century Gothic cathedral. We will continue on to Castigliola d’Asti for a wine tasting in the castle’s Enoteca before enjoying a gourmet lunch at nearby Canelli’s San Marco restaurant. We will return to Alba, the city of 100 towers, for a free afternoon. | |
| DAY 11 Monday, September 29 We depart early this morning for the Italian Riviera, passing the vineyards of the Langhe region. In the old coastal city of Portofino, we will visit the San Grigorio church and enjoy a seaside lunch at the Da U Batti restaurant, famous for its fish and seafood. This is the perfect place to taste the Gavi di Gavi Black Label dry white wine. We will continue along the Riviera to beautiful and romantic Porto Venere, where we will check into the Royal Sporting Club Hotel. During our stroll through this picturesque port, we will admire the fishermen’s multicolored houses and artisans’ shops.
DAY 12 Tuesday, September 30 We drive north today, to nearby Cinque Terre, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here we will tour five little villages. Their beautiful pastel colored houses cling to rocky cliffs rising above the Mediterranean Sea. We will eat lunch in Vernacca’s celebrated Gambero Rosso restaurant. Later, we will return to Porto Venere, where the remainder of the afternoon will be ours to wander freely through this idyllic Medieval port - Lord Byron’s favorite place in the world. DAY 13 Wednesday, October 1 Heading south this morning, we leave Porto Venere for Pisa, where we will visit the Piazza dei Miracoli and the famous Leaning Tower. After examining the remarkable architecture and engineering of the tower and adjoining church, we will have lunch on our own. We recommend the Ristorante dei Vecchi Macelli, across the piazza. In the afternoon, we continue our drive along the picturesque coast and return to Rome. Tonight’s farewell dinner is at L’Ambasciatore degli Abruzzi. |
| DAY 14 Thursday, October 2 Those on the extension will tour for an additional two exciting days in Rome. This morning, we visit the Quirinale Palace, built on the highest of Rome’s seven hills by Pope Gregory XIII in 1574, as a summer residence. Later, Quirinale became the official residence of Italian kings. Since 1947, when Italy was declared a republic, the palace has been the home of the President of the Italian Republic. Quirinale is architecturally magnificent: there are many manicured plazas and gardens, and inside is a wealth of antiques and art. We will walk to the romantic Trevi Fountain to toss in a few coins before strolling on to Piazza Navona and lunch in the Tre Scallini, a sidewalk cafe. Water plays in one of Bernini’s fountains in the center of the piazza, and Borromini’s glorious baroque church rises on the far side. This afternoon and evening are free.
DAY 15 Friday, October 3 We begin our day by visiting Michaelangelo’s Capital Hill and the adjoining Museum of Antique Marbles. From there, we walk to the nearby 19th century synagogue in what was formerly the Jewish ghetto. The handsome synagogue is typical of religious architecture of that period. We will see Bernini’s beloved Fountain of the Turtles. For lunch on our own we recommend Piperno’s restaurant, where we can try the famous fired Jerusalem artichokes. In the afternoon, we will visit the 17th c. Villa Borghese and its beautiful gardens. We also tour the lavishly decorated 18th c Galleria Borghese, which was originally the private villa of Papal royalty. The Galleria’s prestigious art collection includes works by Bernini, Rafael, Corregio, Titian, Caravaggio and Canova. In the evening, we have been invited to a penthouse terrace in old Rome for cocktails. Our hosts are art collectors and dealers. Dinner is at La Carbonara in Campo dei Fiori, just a short walk away. DAY 16 Saturday, October 4 Today we transfer (reluctantly) to the Rome airport for our flight home. |
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To book a tour, for more information,
or to design a custom tour, please contact: Jean Grimm Mexican Art Tours 1233 East Baker Drive Tempe AZ 85282-7282 1-888-783-1331 480-730-1764 jgrimtours@aznetgate.net © 1995-2008 by Mexican Art Tours and Jean Grimm All Rights Reserved. |
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