Uffizi Museum, Florence
Uffizi Museum, Florence Optional excursions are scheduled for afternoons. These include a visit to the Uffizi Museum, which holds Florence’s inestimable collection of Renaissance paintings.
Medici Chapel, Florence
Medici Chapel, Florence In Florence we take in the major historical sites and visit places associated with Michelangelo, including his private home, the Medici Palace where he spent his youth, and the Medici Chapel, in which he melded architecture and sculpture into a singular artistic expression.
Days 1-4: Rome & Vatican
Days 1-4: Rome & Vatican Begin your learning adventure in Rome, the epicenter of Western Civilization. Take in the noble monuments and art of center city. Tour the Vatican complex and visit the splendid Borghese Villa and Museum. Venture back in time at the ancient Colosseum and Forum. Exclaim “Arrivederci Roma!” at a program banquet…
Days 5-7: Cortona
Days 5-7: Cortona On the way to Cortona, visit Palazzo Farnese in Caprarola and the fantasy garden of Bomarzo. Spend a day in romantic Cortona, with an evening cooking lesson. On a second day, tour vineyards in the Montalcino region, see the monastery of Monte Oliveto, and enjoy a hearty lunch in the Renaissance town…
Days 8-12 : Florence
Days 8-12 : Florence Visit Arezzo for Piero della Francesca’s frescoes and the palatial home of artist Giorgio Vasari. Tour Florence, the cradle of the Italian Renaissance. Take in such sites as the Cathedral and Baptistery, Uffizi Museum, Medici Palace and monastery of San Marco—then find yourself nose to nose with Michelangelo’s colossal David.
Braga
Braga is home to many Baroque churches and historical buildings. We will see a hilltop elevator powered entirely by water and walk the multiple trails that combine ecological features with cultural patrimony. The landscape within and around Braga will function as our classroom for studying sustainable outdoor tourism and the interpretation of ecological and cultural…
Peneda-Gerês National Park
We camp overnight in Peneda-Gerês National Park, recognized by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve. We will examine how the park incorporates sustainable tourism and the conservation of a unique ecological space through a system of hiking trails, camping sites, wildlife observation, water sports, an adventure park, and stone-age archaeological sites.
Porto
We travel to the city of Porto built on the hillside overlooking the mouth of the Douro river. The city has a largely preserved medieval town center that has been declared a UNESCO world heritage site. We will visit the section of the Caminho de Santiago that passes through the city and region.
Santiago de Compostela
We travel by bus to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, to visit the end of the Caminho, a rich cultural center of inestimable value and global significance that has UNESCO world heritage site status.
Guimarães
The so-called “cradle of the Portuguese nation” and a UNESCO world heritage site with a largely preserved medieval town center. We examine how this small community balances tourism with sustainability.