Italy Performing Arts Tour

Perform in Italy!!! From the ancient hills of Rome to the cobblestoned streets of Florence to the winding canals of Venice, this 8-day tour offers students the unforgettable opportunity to perform in the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, the mother church of the Roman Catholic Franciscans. Students will explore the grandeur of Italy, immersed in Italian performing arts culture with cooking classes, painting workshops, gelato making and tasting, and a glass-making demonstration. Highlights of the tour include the International Choral Festival, Trevi Fountain and Colosseum in Rome, the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio in Florence, and St. Mark’s Square and the Doge’s Palace in Venice. A visit to Padua highlights the teachings of Galileo at the University of Padua and the Basilica of St. Anthony. Students will not want to say arrivederci to their Italian experience.

DAY 1 

• Overnight flight to Rome

DAY 2 

• Arrive in Rome, Italy
• Hotel check-in
• Walking tour to the main square: discover the Trevi Fountain, Piazza di Spagna, with its theatrical staircase of the Trinity of Mounts, Navona Square, the Pantheon Dinner
• OR Take a cooking class
• Dinner
• Return to hotel

DAY 3 

• Breakfast at hotel
• Guided tour of the Capitol, religious and political center of the city, the Roman forums, the Arch of Constantine and the Colosseum
• Lunch
• Take a self-guided walking tour of Rome:
  • Trevi Fountain
  • Pantheon
  • Spanish Steps
• Participate in a painting class
• Enjoy a pizza dinner
•  Return to hotel

DAY 4

• Breakfast at hotel
• Travel to Assisi
• Visit the Basilica of St. Francis
  • Performance opportunity
• Lunch
• Travel to Florence
• Participate in a gelato-making workshop and tasting
• Dinner
• Free time in Florence
• Arrive at hotel

DAY 5

• Breakfast at hotel
• Take a guided tour of Florence:
  • Ponte Vecchio
  • Chiesa di Santa Croce
  • Gates of Paradise
• Visit the Duomo
• Lunch
• Visit the Accademia
• Participate in a fresco art workshop
• Dinner
• Arrive at hotel

DAY 6

• Breakfast at hotel
• Visit Accademia
• Visit Ponte Vecchio (free time)
• Lunch
• Travel to Venice
• Stop in Padua (University where Galileo once taught)
• Visit the Basilica of St. Anthony
• Arrive in Venice
• Dinner
• Hotel check-in

DAY 7

• Breakfast at hotel
• Take a guided tour of Venice
  • St. Mark’s Square
  • Grand Canal
• Visit the Doge’s Palace
• Lunch
• See a glass-blowing demonstration
• Visit Palazzo Ducale
• Dinner
• Arrive hotel

DAY 8

• Breakfast at hotel
• Depart for home