Trip Leaders: L. Johnson-Mottola , J. Fitzpatrick
Participants: 12

_____________________________________________________________________________________
The islands of Procida and Ischia

Join us on an excursion to two interesting islands in the Bay of Naples. Early morning departure on Thursday to Naples where we will wander from the train station to the port, passing by the Castello Nuovo (Maschio Angioino) to board our boat to the islands. First stop will be Procida – small island where the novel “L’isola di Arturo” by Elsa Morante takes place.

In the late afternoon we will take a boat to Ischia where we will visit the Aragonese Castle near the port of Ischia. After a long day of travelling, we will relax in our hotel’s natural hot spring pool. Dinner will be at the hotel, followed by a walk (panoramic views of the sea). Friday morning a visit to Villa Arbusto which houses the Archeological Museum of Pithecusae and the Angelo Rizzoli museum at Lacco Ameno, a picnic lunch on the beach (weather permitting a swim). On our way back to the hotel we will visit La Colombaia, theater and cinema director Luchino Visconti’s villa and cultural center, or the famous Giardini La Mortella in Forio. Dinner at the hotel. Saturday morning before our afternoon cruise back to Naples we will walk along the Maronti beach to the fishing town of Sant’Angelo. Saturday early evening arrival in Rome.

There will be lots of walking and beautiful views of the sea.

Trip Leaders. D. Dostert, C. Negroni
Participants: 20

______________________________________________________________________________________

Ferrara

Ferrara is located in the very flat delta region of the Po River. The city is considered to be a gem of the Renaissance. Dominated for centuries by the Este family (Lucrezia Borgia for her third trip to the altar married a Duca D’Este)and the family’s brilliant court lured artistic and literary talents from everywhere to make Ferrara a lynch pin of European culture in the 15th and 16th centuries. This trip is made for all-rounders. For students who love history, we will visit the D’Este Castle and the magnificent 12thcentury medieval duomo. Are you interested in architecture, past and present? We will learn about the Herculean Addition, the first modern city plan and see some world famous renaissance structures like the Palazzo Schifanoia and Palazzo dei Diamanti . For more active types, we will bicycle around the renaissance city walls and have a picnic (weather permitting). For nature lovers, we may be able to organize a boat ride through the park of the Po Delta (Parco del Delta del Po). Not to be forgotten are the culinary attractions of Aemilia Romagna, a region considered by many to have the best cuisine on the peninsula. We will make sure everyone gets a taste of some of the local dishes which (other than parmesan cheese, prosciutto and mortadella) include tortelli alla zucca (ravioli type of pasta with a kind of pumpkin filling). Interested and curious students desired.

Trip Leaders: M. Brouse and S. Yates
Participants: 18

Paestum – a taste of the Mediterranean

We are offering Greek Temples and Italian mozzarellas to 15 students at La Morella Agriturismo near the historic site of Paestum, south of Naples.

La Morella Agriturismo is located in an 18th century farm complex, with a restaurant (specializing in local products, including the delicious mozzarellas of the area), a biological garden, a vineyard, and other agricultural features. While we are staying there, we will have the opportunity to learn about the production of olive oil and wine, and to do some tasting.

But we shall also have a taste of Greece when we visit the fabulous Greek temples in nearby Paestum. The temples here, close to the sea, are better preserved than temples in Greece itself and will give us a real ‘flavour’ of Greek life in southern Italy 2,500 years ago. And we shall also have the chance to explore some of the fascinating Greek myths through the vases, paintings and sculptures in the Archaeological Museum in Paestum – Helen of Troy, Achilles, Hercules, Pelias being boiled alive by his own daughter Medea, and many more.

Trip Leaders: Dr.Pope , D. Pringle
Participants: 15

________________________________________________________________________________________

THE NATIONAL PARK OF GRAN SASSO E MONTI DELLA LAGA

This is a three day (2 nights out) trip to the Monti della Laga, the area where the regions Lazio, Abruzzo and Marche meet. We will depart Thursday morning and return to Rome Saturday evening. We will be exploring small towns and villages on the Adriatic side of the Central Appennine. We will also hike through the natural beauty of the National Park of Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga, stopping along the way in prehistoric caves, medieval castles, river gorges, waterfalls, lakes and other sites that the quite spectacular nature of this area has to offer.
We will be based in Civitella del Tronto a spectacular medieval fortress town of the 11th century, site of several wars between the French, Spanish and Piedmontese troops trying to unify Italy. The town, located half way between the Adriatic sea and the Gran Sasso mountain, overlooks the more vibrant Vibrata valley.
This is also a trip for students that enjoy eating well. All the energies lost during the long walks will be recuperated at lunches and dinners when we will enjoy the delicious food typical of this area.

Trip leaders: Fausto Di Marco, Italo Lauteri
Participants: 20

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Capri

We will be spending three days exploring the beautiful landscape and rich cultural heritage of the Isle of Capri. Over the course of its long history, Capri has been home to man and god, to emperor, author and playboy, and in the interest of engaging these multifarious roles we’ll be making excursions to ancient sites as well as to places more directly connected with contemporary culture. On the ancient side, we’ll see the expansive Villa Jovis, the largest of Emperor Tiberius’s villas, the Gardens of Augustus, the remnants of which lie just outside of the city of Capri itself, and Tiberius’s baths, above Anacapri, where he and his grand-nephew Caligula engaged in some of their most infamous and nefarious adventures. More recently, in the age of the Grand Tour and after, Capri was home to – and frequently by—a wide variety of artists and bon vivantes, including Graham Greene, Norman Douglas and Maxim Gorky, and we will walk very much in their footsteps as we explore why so many have found Capri so inspiring.

Trip Leaders: Mr. Masoni and Ms. Lewis
Participants: 20

________________________________________________________________________________________

MAREMMA TOSCANA – FROM “TERRA” TO “TERME”

Our adventure takes us to the Tuscan coastline and initially the Maremma National Park where we will return to nature canoeing down the Ombrone River and mountain biking our way through the pine woods for a picnic at the beach. On Friday we will explore the medieval cities of Pitigliano and the monumental tombs of the etruscan necropolis of Sovana as well as trek the famous Vie Cave before rewarding ourselves with some time in the hot thermal pools of Saturnia - a true highlight of the trip. On our final day we will return to the national park for a hike along a path to reach one of the most breathtaking views of the Mediterranean before continuing onto the coastline; keeping our eyes out for wild boar and deer however! Bring with you the will and determination to be outdoors as we hike, ride, climb, canoe and swim to experience Southern Tuscany like you’ve never seen it before.

Trip Leaders : Jennifer Chen and Luca Derito
Participants: 28

Lucca, Pisa, and the Marble Trail

Our trip takes us first to Pietrasanta, on the Versilian Riviera in the Tuscan province of Lucca. It is here that Michelango, working under orders from Pope Leo X, constructed a road leading to Monte Altissima, a rugged and inaccessible peak, but one known to contain rich deposits of pure white statuary marble, from which he carved his Moses and the unfinished Slaves in the church of St. Peter in Chains. After a wander through the colourful local market, pizza lunch, and a visit to a sculptor’s studio, our bus will take us on a hair-raising tour of the vertiginous roads to visit a marble quarry and sample the local ‘lardo di colonnata’, now a world famous gastronomic speciality once the daily fare of miners who risked their lives to bring Carrara marble to the world. Friday is spent exploring the medieval town of Lucca, whose artistic treasures include the Volto Santo and the tombstone of Ilaria dell’Carretto, a marble masterpiece by the sculptor, Jacopo della Quercia. Bikes constitute the preferred means of transport inside this walled city, and the afternoon’s treasure hunt on two wheels ensures fun and physical fatigue for all. On Saturday, we return to Rome via Pisa and its Square of Miracles, where we can admire the marble pulpit by the great sculptor Nicola Pisano, watch Galileo’s lamp swinging and ( a must for all tourists) climb the Leaning Tower (optional extra) before we hop back on the train to Rome.

Trip Leaders: Ms. Murphy and Dr. Leckie
Participants: 18

_______________________________________________________________________________________

HIGH ABRUZZO: THE STAZZO IL PRATO

From July to September true Abruzzo shepherds take their flocks to camps ("stazzi") just under the highest Apennine crags, where they and their stalwart white dogs fight off wolves and sheep enjoy the good pasture that keeps them fertile, woolly and milk-filled. By October they have all wisely gone to lower elevations and we plan to move into one of their vacated stazzi near Monte Greco. Though we will have shelter, it may be bitterly cold, possibly snowy and to reach it a long hike with heavy pack containing sleeping bag and supplies is necessary. The supplies we'll buy in Sulmona, a handsome little city and Ovid the Roman poet's home town. We hope to rejoin civilization at Scanno or Barrea. This is only for mountain-loving, uncomplaining and cheerful souls who like the idea of remoteness and absolute silence occasionally interrupted by storms, wolf howls and the grunts of foraging bears.

Trip Leaders: J. Ullman, W.Johnson
Participants: 12

SPOLETO, TERNI, AND RAFTING ON THE NERA RIVER

It will be the end of October when we delve into Umbria - perhaps cold, perhaps warm, but either way not for the faint of heart. Leaving Rome Thursday morning, we will take the train to Spoleto, a stalwart Roman town on the ancient Via Flaminia and capital of the great Longobard duchy in the Early Middle Ages. We will spend the day and night in Spoleto, wandering through its Medieval churches, glimpsing into its Roman theater, and bulking up on Umbrian fare. We will need to be well fed, for Friday brings white water rafting on the Nera River. We will move from Spoleto to the Cascate delle Marmore, Europe's tallest (Roman-built) waterfalls. There, when the powers that be decide to (literally) flip the switch and turn on the falls, we will follow the current on the Nera River below with guides, helmets, wetsuits, and dinghies. After a day of paddling through whitewater, we will spend the night in Terni, whose industrial landscape will be a stark contrast to that of Spoleto, but will provide us a warm bath, warm dinner, and warm bed after what will most likely be a chilly day. Saturday we will explore the archaeological park of Carsulae, picnicking among the ruins before we return to Rome.
Again, this trip is for the adventuresome, and carries age and health requirements for it. Along with being willing to wear a wetsuit and jump into a river at the end of October, students interested in coming MUST NECESSARILY:
- Be at least 16 years old
- Be a good swimmer
- Weigh less than 100 Kg
- Be in good physical health (unfortunately, students with asthma, epilepsy, and certain other medical conditions may not participate)

Trip Leaders: A. Lyman and V. Podagelyte / Participants: 12


_________________________________________________________________________________________

FLORENCE

Florence has long been considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1982 because of its important cultural heritage. On this visit we will explore several aspects of this heritage, the scientific, the architectural and the artistic. We will visit the Science Museum and the famous Uffizi Gallery. We will admire Michaelangelo’s statue of David in the Accademia and soak in the atmosphere of a medieval monastery when we visit the cells at the Monastery of San Marco. A more severe medieval face is presented by the Bargello, once the palace of the chief criminal magistrate. It houses a delightful array of art and artefacts including a beautiful ivory portable altar, some interesting jewellery and wonderful bird sculptures.

Trip leaders: J. Shields and N. Chemeissani
Participants: 15