Dinner For AHA, Rome

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AHA and I will be in Rome three times in 2012. Links to the trip descriptions are below this post. Enjoy Part 2 of ROMA.

I came to Italy for the art, history, ancient architecture, scenic beauty, food, wine, hill towns, landscapes, and, loving it all, I return for Rome.

Why does one place reach out and hug you, and others simply don’t?  No one really knows, but really, who cares? It just happens. When it does, however, it is very personal and very intimate. For some, it’s a sandy- beached island, a mountain perch, an almost silent lake, the sidewalks of Paris, Vienna, or strolling the Giant Sequoias. But when it happens, you know it.

After about 48 hours in Rome, I felt a sense of sinking into it, a yearning to get lost in it. Not in the great sites necessarily. Suddenly the Colosseum and the Forum jumped into the back seat. I wanted to be on a back street in a nondescript neighborhood. I didn’t want to stand out; in fact, quite the opposite. I wanted to blend in, fit, and melt into Rome.

Frances Mayes feels about Tuscany as I do about Rome.  She describes it this way:  “The place took hold of me and shaped me in its image.”  Exactly.

“I wanted an aperture,” she writes elsewhere, “an opportunity to merge with something limitless. Something that takes you out of yourself also restores

Dinner With Our Roman Friends

you to yourself with a greater freedom.” And finally, “I wanted an aperture, an opportunity to merge with something limitless.”

This last quote touches on what many travelers who fall in love with a place often recount: “I felt like I was home.” I love the way Rome swoops me out of myself, fills me to the brim, and returns a wiser, more humbled me. And often, when wandering its tangled web of streets, I feel very small as the enormity of all that Rome has been, is, and will be, surrounds me. How could I not want a repeat of that thrill ride?

Through the ages, Rome has gathered many, many lovers, of which I am but one. When I arrive, we have such a joyous reunion. Rome is all decked out and gives me her full attention. Below are some thoughts by a few of her other lovers:

Living History In Rome

Barbara Gruzzuti Harrison (1934-2002) – “I am happy here; when I or others have bruised my life, I close my eyes against the hurt and think of Rome: as possibility and hope. . . The world is lovable when the world is Rome. . . For the rest of my life I will love Rome and think better of my life having known Rome.”

Johann Goethe (1749-1832) – In Rome you learn to. . . . “See with an eye that can feel, feel with a hand that can see.”

Henry James (1843-1916) – At nineteen years old, “I went reeling and moaning thro’ the streets, in a fever of enjoyment.”  Fifty years later – “No one who has ever loved Rome, as Rome could be loved in youth, wants to stop loving her.”

H. V. Morton (1892-1979) – “I looked down with gratitude upon the city where I had learnt many things; but one does not say goodbye to Rome.”

Judith Testa – (During my first visit) . . .”A strange energy surged through me, a passion for the place which has never faded but only increased with each subsequent visit.  Whenever I return to Rome, I experience that same anticipation, energy, and excitement.”

Jim Quist – “I love Rome simply because it’s Italian.”

AHA and I will be in Rome three times in 2012. Funny, even after twenty years, just writing those words, “I will be in Rome”, puts a smile on my face and pulls at my heart.  I would love to share it with you.

Musica in Tuscany: July 12 – 18, 2012, includes two days in Rome.

Rome and Tuscany: September 30 – October 8, 2012, includes four full days in Rome.

Roma Amor: Rome Is Love Spelled Backward: October 10 – 17, 2012, is a full week in Rome guided by Judith Testa, PhD, author of the book by the same name, and myself. A daring duo of like-minded pilgrims are we.

Ghosts of the Caesars, Evening, Roman Forum

There is an Italian expression, “Roma, non basta una vita,” which means that for Rome, a lifetime is not enough life to really know her.

Not even close. But knowing Rome would be the destination and getting to know her, the journey. I never want my journey to end. I love this city with all my heart.

Why is it that of all of the wonderful places I have visited in my traveling life, Rome, above all others, gripped me, holds me, and haunts me?

I have wrestled with this question for twenty years. Friends do not understand why I keep returning when there is so much more “out there” to see. They ask if I will guide a trip to Greece or Hong Kong. I smile, as I think about those amazing places and say, “Maybe, someday.” But in my head I am saying, “I don’t want to. I want to go back to Rome.” There is still, after countless visits, so much of Rome that I long to understand, be familiar with, and appreciate.

Maybe it can be explained this way. When I buy a car, I think it through, wrangle, and weigh every aspect and option, and by the time my decision is made, I am in love with it and drive it for years. I’ve sort of sunk my teeth into it, very unlike the car buyer who enjoys flipping cars every couple of years. That is the kind of traveler that I have become as well. I am determined to catch the spirit of a place and sink my teeth in.  When I am not traveling I am reading, highlighting, margin noting, and learning more deeply about Rome.   A list of destinations to see in this world and tick off could not be more unappealing to me.

However, it hasn’t always been that way. In 1989, I was traveling around Europe with my list in hand, happily visiting Switzerland, Paris, Florence, all beautiful and stimulating, tick, tick, tick. Not sinking my teeth into any of them. But then we arrived in Rome, and everything changed. Only this time, I was blindsided as I felt Rome sink her teeth into me! How?

One thing I am sure of is that there is more than one answer to this question. In Part 2 of ROME: Life Is Not Long Enough To Know All Of Rome, I will

My Happy Place

discuss a few, and maybe you will feel your reaction to a special place being described.

As a guest with Art History Alive, my intense passion for Rome and its living history, will be my gift to you. Travelers will have three opportunities to visit and get to know Rome with AHA in 2012.

Musica in Tuscany: July 12 – 18, 2012, includes two days in Rome.

Rome and Tuscany: September 30 – October 8, 2012, includes four full days in Rome.

Roma Amor: Rome Is Love Spelled Backward: October 10 – 17, 2012, is a full week in Rome guided by Judith Testa, PhD, author of the book by the same name, and myself. A daring duo of like-minded pilgrims are we.

In Part Two of ROMA, I will also share news on a few of the fantastically characteristic boutique hotels that AHA now reserves for its guests—a converted cloister, quiet and tucked away, an 11^th-century tower, with one room on each of its five floors, and a pretty guest house gem on a quiet street near the Tiber River—all unique, pristine, and located in the historic center of this amazing city. I have visited each and every one of these hotels, plus many others that did not make the AHA list of preferred properties. Only the best for AHA guests—that is my promise.

Come experience Rome as part of a small group of other intellectually curious travelers. We would love to have you.

Abbey and Monastery, Sant Antimo , Tuscany

Almost everywhere you look in Tuscany, the view is like a backdrop, and this time, we were the movie. Spending five days in September, wandering the quiet back alleys of Sorano, moved by Gregorian Chants in this ancient abbey, and sleeping each night in a castle, we did feel as though we were in a movie. For those five days, we really “lived” in Tuscany. We woke each morning and made our own lattes in the kitchen of our castle apartment. I can smell that hot espresso bubbling right now. Add to that the hot milk and some sugar, and it’s going to be another good day.

We drove up, down, and around those pretty hills, lunched in some great new finds, and visited La Foce, again. Jim and I have found that we cannot get near La Foce without stopping in to just be there. La Foce is a gracious villa that supported several farms in the heart of Tuscany, and ended up right in the center of the World War II fighting. If the walls could talk. The story of La Foce, and all that happened there, both sad and heroic, is in a slim book entitled, War in Val d’Orcia: An Italian War Diary, 1943-1944, by Iris Origo. Signore and Signora Origo owned and lived in the villa during this time—a first hand account, to be sure. Now, the villa has apartments to book and produces some delicious olive oil, which I have in my pantry. Seems sort of extravagant that we do our olive oil shopping in Italy, but we do.

Our anchor in Tuscany is Castello di Proceno. Such a precious place owned by a wonderful couple that we love. Built in the 11th century, acquired by the ancestors of the current owners in the 15th century, the castle is decorated not just with antiques but with Etruscan antiquities, unearthed on the property, dating back to 700 BC.

Up on a rocky spur, this castle fortress has defended the tiny town of Proceno for centuries. Located just up the hill from what for hundreds of years was the main road from Florence to Rome, and from the Catholic pilgrimage route from Germany to Rome, the Americans and Germans also occupied Castello di Proceno in turn, during World War II. The art and history in this place lives, which is why Jim and I return year after year, and this castle is the perfect place for Art History Alive guests to stay.

No trip to Tuscany would be complete without lunch at the outrageous Osteria Acquacheta in Montepulciano. No vegetarians allowed! This is a steakhouse, Italian style. The owner, who carries a rather bloody meat cleaver in his belt, draws a diagram of a steak on your paper tablecloth and asks (forcefully) if you want the whole (that would be the porterhouse cut) or a smaller piece, the NY. You point, and he clomps off to his huge butcher’s block placed in front of a roaring fireplace in the back. Whack, whack! A huge steak is slapped on a piece of butcher paper, weighed, and brought to your table for approval. Our steak was the size of a newborn, no kidding. If you like what you see, you nod, he calculates the cost, again on the handy paper tablecloth, you nod again, and off it goes to the fireplace. The rareness of the still-sizzling steak upon delivery to your table indicates that it has not spent much time on the grate, but WOW, is it delicious! This place is a must for meat eaters. It is loud, raucous, the staff is great, and you make friends with the people at the table 3” from yours. Really, really fun!

Orvieto, just 45 minutes from the castello, is such a big, beautiful hill town. I love everything about it, because it has everything. A fantastic cathedral with breathtaking art and history, winding streets with fun shopping, delicious hidden restaurants, and amazing people watching. The more I visit, the more I love it.

AHA  will be in Tuscany twice in 2012. July 12-18, we will share an Italian music festival at Castello di Proceno, with a very small group of guests, Musica in Tuscany, a Castle Courtyard Concert. And again, September 30 – October 8, with Rome and Tuscany, a Colosseum and a Castle. If you want to know Tuscany, these two itineraries were designed to accomplish just that. In fact, all of our itineraries are created with one thing in mind, getting to really know your destination.

After five leisurely days of just “being” in Tuscany, we are packing and girding ourselves for the upcoming five days in our very favorite, Rome! After Tuscany, it can be a shock to your system. But we will be there on a Sunday, so we are planning to gather with thousands in St. Peter’s Square to see and hear Pope Benedict. We have done this many times over the years, and there is something very special about it.

I will post about our time in Rome in the New Year. It was FANTASTIC.

UGLY AMERICAN ALERT: After our lunch at Aquacheta and an afternoon ramble around picturesque Montepulciano, we were headed back to our car

Steak for two, Acquacheta

about 6PM. Our route took us past the now-closed Aquacheta. Standing in front, trying to peer in the windows, was a very American couple with a computer printout in hand. We were the only other
folks on the street so, in apparent desperation, they looked at us with frustration.

Jim says: “Great restaurant! Delicious! You’ll love it,” and keeps moving.
Woman: (In a whine) “Yes, we’ve heard about it, but it isn’t open.”
Jim: “No, it will open about 7:30 for dinner.”
Man: (Angrily) “If it is so good, why isn’t it open at dinnertime?!”

Cyndie: Walking away, a little ashamed and shaking head.

It was 6PM, he was hungry, and they walked away to find some place, any place that was open. I guess he thought he was still in the states where dinnertime is dinnertime.

TRAVEL TIP: In Italy, the only people in a restaurant having dinner before 8PM are either Americans or Canadians. By grabbing a piece of pizza or a gelato around 4PM, you’ll be hungry when the restaurants are hopping Italian-style.

New Friends, Estela and Gianni, Acquacheta

Above Bellagio, Lunch, Baita Belvedere

I recently Googled the 10 most beautiful lakes in the world, and, I think I need to speak to the judges. Lago di Como did not make the cut, and I wondered about the criteria. I suppose it would be impossible to judge a place on the way it makes you feel. Well, not for me it isn’t.

For visitors, Lake Como has two distinct faces. One really fun and alive, with this big blue beautiful backdrop but focused on the shore, and the other focused right smack on “The Lake.” For me, it all depends on where you stay. I have visited both faces and prefer strongly to focus on the lake. I can shop anywhere.

For over 30 years I have held onto a small, really dated brochure on a place I’d written to before email. This brochure has been suspended over the trash bin several times, but I had a hunch. Something about this hotel drew me in, and someday, I thought, I would at least give it a drive-by. Finally, after all these years and many visits to Lago di Como and some of her very pretty hotels, we spent five beautiful days at the Hotel San Giorgio, in Lenno, and now I know that my hunch was right, because this place is a treasure.

Even though many villa-hotels dot the lakeside, none that I could find have the magic ingredient

Lake Entrance to Villa Balbianello

that the San Giorgio has, and that is the huge rolling lawn and garden that sweep from the hotel down to the lapping edge of the lake. Dotted with chaise lounges, chairs, and small tables all facing the lake (and Bellagio on the opposite shore), it is quiet, restful, and magical. Whether we started our day there in the sun, or ended our day with the sunset, it is what sets the Hotel San Giorgio apart, and it is why I want to share it with AHA guests who surely will love it. Another discovery of a 3-star+ property with a 5-star location—my favorite combo.

Always fun is a boat ride/day trip to beautiful and hopping Bellagio. Thanks to Maggie McKenny-Harris, our intrepid researcher, we experienced a lunch

there that we won’t forget. While all the bustling crowds are winding around the pretty alleyways of Bellagio, Chiara picked us up and whisked us away, up, up, up above the city to the slow food, farm-to-table Trattoria Baita Belvedere, where we were the only English speakers, and we love that. The homemade cheeses, succulent simmered boar, and fresh porcini mushrooms were fabulous, as the back of the Swiss Alps stared across the lake at us, and we looked down on the top of Bellagio. Peace and beauty.

Ice Cream and Oranges on an Island

From Villa Melzi, owned by Napoleon and by Liszt, to Villa Carlotta with its fantastic gardens, the prize- winner for me was the old monastery converted

into Villa Balbianello. Perched on a promontory that juts out into the lake with water on three sides, it is as if it were floating. A short boat ride from the Hotel San Giorgio, this villa, it’s history, collections, and gardens are absolutely staggering.

Isola Comacina is the only island in the lake and a must-stop for lunch on any Lake Como itinerary. And why would anyone pass a seven-course lunch on a stone terrace, overlooking the lake and under spreading shade trees? Please! The freshest ingredients served simply over a lazy three hours include twelve different vegetables, gorgeous pink trout, chicken, and aged parmigiana scooped out of the wheel and plopped right into your palm. And every course is bottomless. Everyone finishes with ice cream and oranges, highlighted by a coffee ceremony featuring sweet scalding espresso and an intriguing tale of island history. OK, I’m there. Back on the mainland, we were thankful we had walked along the pretty greenway from the hotel. We hoped we could negotiate the winding walkway back, but the lounges on the lawn at the Hotel San Giorgio were calling to us, shhhh, nap, nap, nap. Lago di Como has become, or more likely always was, a place to run to, escape into, a place to let down and go limp.

Art History Alive will be traveling to Lago di Como in the Fall of 2013. All of the above-mentioned places will be part of the itinerary, and there will be other surprises as well. Group size will be 6. Start dreaming.

Two Hidden Restaurants, Tuscany

After our last research trip to Italy, I wrote a post entitled, “Wonderful Discoveries and Dismal Disappointments.”  Not so this time—it was all good!

We planned this trip as a working vacation with concentration on three of our favorite spots in Italy. We stayed in each for five days, determined to stay long enough to unpack, settle in, and catch the spirit of the place, which is just what we did.
With five days on the edge of Lake Como, five more at Castello di Proceno in southern-most Tuscany, and five more in our favorite, Rome, we had a wonderful and relaxing time as we explored historic villas and their gardens, rediscovered beautiful hill towns, and visited favorite places that still  move us. We ate in dozens of delicious restaurants, and had tours of some of the most beautiful, historic, and hidden hotels ever.
Before I go any further, I must thank our researcher, Maggie McKenny-Harris, for the list of hotels and restaurants that she painstakingly compiled after, what must ave been, hours and hours of research and interviews. After trying just two of her suggestions, I knew that I was armed with something very, very valuable indeed. Maggie had us in places I would never have found on my own—quaint, characteristic, historic, family-owned, and always, always lovely. Our guests will be so very thrilled with the amazing hotels and incredible restaurants that have now been added to the AHA list. After a little bounce on the beds, I touch the sheets and pillows, I am all over the bathrooms, into the breakfast rooms, and up on the rooftops. After each new find, we toasted Maggie, and I can’t wait to return to these places myself.  Thank you, Maggie, for finding these beautiful little boutique, out-of-the-way spots that our guests will love.
I will post again soon on our lazy time on the edge of Lago di Como, and, for those who will travel there with us, what you have to look forward to. I will follow with a post on Tuscany, our castle, and the upcoming Music Festival trip July 12 – 18, 2012, and the Tuscany Rome trip September 30-October 8, 2012, and finish the series with a post on what is in store for our travelers to Rome, both in September and Rome, October 10-17, 2012.

If you are curious as to what we found by following the primitive signs in the photo above, it was no big deal, just lunch in an Etruscan cave, circa 700 BC! Everything tastes better in a place like this, and welcome to cultural immersion. Thank you, Maggie!

Until we are there again, it is nice to be home, but I can still feel those warm cobblestones under my feet.
Cynthia

Lunch in an Etruscan cave, circa 700 BC

I Am Passionate About What I Do

Here are the deeply cultural, and beautiful tours that AHA will guide in 2012.  Lot’s of choices and gorgeous destinations.  This year we have deeper discounts for returning guests, early applications, and for bringing a friend.  Check out the Discounts page.  And don’t forget, a group of 4-6 friends or family that apply as a group, for any of the trips below, receive a private tour.

AHA is all about cultural immersion travel, and we love it when our guests return home enriched.  So, which culture would you like to take a dip into?

1. GOLD RUSH WINES AND YOSEMITE  April 19-26, 2012

2.  SARDEGNA: ANCIENT, WILD, SPECTACULAR, May 22-28, 2012

3.  PARIS 201: BEYOND THE EIFFEL TOWER, May 30 – June 5, 2012

4.  MUSICA IN TUSCANY: A CASTLE COURTYARD CONCERT, HILL TOWNS AND ROME, July 2012

5.  GERMANY: CASTLES, CATHEDRALS and a CONCENTRATION CAMP, October 1-8, 2012

6.  ROME AND TUSCANY: A COLOSSEUM AND A CASTLE, September 30 – October 8, 2012

7.  ROMA AMOR -  ROME IS LOVE SPELLED BACKWARD:  JUDITH TESTA BRINGS HER BOOK TO LIFE, October 10-17, 2012

A WORD ON WHAT’S NEW FOR 2012:

SARDEGNA – May 22-28, 2012

Hauntingly Beautiful Tuscany

This large island off the west coast of Italy has been a vacation favorite with Italians for eons.  The colorful grottoes, beautiful beaches, and unique history, a result of being located along the high traffic seaway of conquering civilizations through the centuries, makes Sardegna a culture in which you want to immerse yourself.

MUSICA IN TUSCANY - July 2012

AHA’s first summer tour!  Not only will we attend a music festival held in the courtyard of an 11th-century Italian castle, we will stay there as well.  This itinerary will also include meandering through some of the nearby hill towns of Tuscany, enjoying the cuisine and wines that this area is famous for, and it will end with two days in Rome.  Here is a perfect trip for the educators, administrators, and summer vacationers that have asked for a summer trip.  I was listening and look forward to sharing Tuscany and Rome with you.

GERMANY: CASTLES, CATHEDRALS and a CONCENTRATION CAMP, October 1-8, 2012

This trip will begin in the wine country of Bavaria and end in the mountains outside of Munich, Germany.  We will travel the gorgeous “Romantic Road” watching the hilltop castles go by, stopping along the way to explore and “get into” Germany.  But, by way of balance, we will also include, an important piece of history. We will visit Dachau, the infamous concentration camp museum, and Nurnberg.  This is an outstanding art history itinerary, with both treasures and tragedy.

ROMA AMOR: ROME IS LOVE SPELLED BACKWARD – October 10-17, 2012

This tour, focusing on Rome and Rome alone, will be based on my favorite book on the Eternal City, Rome is Love Spelled Backward. And amazingly, for the fortunate guests that sign on, the author, Judith Testa, will guide this tour!  I will be there, too, listening and learning from AHA’s own art history consultant and professor, as she deftly paints, for us, a picture of ancient Rome.  How fortunate are we!

Chinatown, San Francisco

April 19 – 26, 2012 ~ 8 Days ~ Group Size: 6

Price: $2,700.00

San Francisco, Yosemite, and Carmel, a Strong Dose of Beautiful CA

Some history, some pampering, and regaining of perspective in magnificent Yosemite.  Enrichment, exercise, fresh air, shopping, that is what this trip is designed to do.  I guided this trip in 2011 and loved it so much, that I couldn’t wait to offer it again.  Of course, it certainly helped that my guests were awesome and so we had nothing but fun.  This is a great itinerary!

Day 1 – Following your arrival into San Francisco, we will spend the day exploring this beautiful “City by the Bay”.  The Chinese, arriving into San Francisco by the thousands at the onset of the Gold Rush, have made a tremendous impact on this state and especially San Fransisco and the Gold Rush towns.  Fascinating!  Following Chinatown, a fortune cookie factory and extraordinary views in all directions, we will have a delicious dinner and  enjoy the lights of this pretty city before collapsing for the night.

Day 2 – We will leave the bustling Bay Area and drive to the slower paced heart of the California Gold Rush, Sonora.  Nestled in the foothills of the mighty Sierra Nevada Mountains, we will spend two days between relaxing professional spa treatments, and tasting some of the best wines produced in California. After checking into the Historic Gunn House, we will drive to the adorable town of Murphy’s , CA.  Here the main street is about four blocks long, lined on both sides with fun shops and oodles of tasting rooms.  We know these well and are wine club members of a few, so we will introduce you to some of the winemakers and let you choose your favorites.  The last time I took this trip, my east coast guests  became wine club members as well, and now receive regular shipments from Murphy’s, a nice reminder of their time there.  Early dinner in Murphy’s.

Living History in Sonora, CA

Day 3:  Leave it to AHA to discover relaxing spa treatments in an historical building built in 1895.  Built after the gold rush, this classic western boomtown style building with its wooden sidewalks, was the very necessary Mundorf Hardware store with the Mundorf family living above. They would probably be shocked to know that within the rooms where they raised their children, today, soft music and candle light beckon clients into the quiet, warm and relaxing treatment rooms. Our spa treatments will be divided between a one hour body massage that is designed by you, and another glorious hour-long European facial. Whether you prefer a Swedish, sports, or lighter aromatherapy massage, it will be tailored to your achieving an all over “wet noodle” experience. I have spoken at length with, and experienced first hand these professionals, and they understand completely what my goal is for each of you traveling with me on this trip. Pampered excellence and a long lingering memory of travel with Art History Alive.

We will sneak in a very private picnic lunch, at the Gunn House, so you need not feel rushed, but can linger in your newly relaxed state of mind.  The balance of this day can be spent shopping in Sonora, napping, whatever you feel like.

Day 4:  After breakfast we will drive into Yosemite National Park, stopping along the way at scenic views that will take your breath away.  After our picnic lunch, and a walk around Yosemite Village so that you can get your bearings, we will check into our beautiful rooms at the unique Ahwahnee Hotel.   This historic hotel, built in 1926, and like no other in its massive grandeur, still cannot compete with the drama and majesty of Yosemite Valley. You will feel your life slip into perspective as we quietly walk the pathways of Yosemite with its enormous granite cliffs surrounding us and as its magnificent waterfalls crash; all outside troubles and pressures seem to morph back into perspective where they should be.  Now we are on Yosemite time.  All my life I have been visiting this natural cathedral and always have the same response to it.  It makes me quiet, thoughtful and enormously thankful.  If you have been before, maybe it is time to go again, if this will be your first time, brace yourself for a powerful experience.

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike.” John Muir

Storybook Architecture, Carmel

Day 5: After breakfast in the Ahwahnee dining room, we will enjoy the park for the better part of the day before driving back to the coast.  This evening will be spent in Santa Cruz overlooking Beach Boardwalk and Municipal Wharf.  Breakfast surrounded by enormous mountains to dinner overlooking the Pacific Ocean, this is California.

Day 6 and 7: This morning we will make the short drive down the coast highway to Carmel, where we will spend the next two days.  This quaint village is so picturesque in every way, you will never want to leave.  Art galleries, shops, jewelery, a style of architecture that can only be described as “Snow Whitesque”.  Those of you who have been there, know exactly what I am talking about.  One of the prettiest California missions is in Carmel too, with its beautiful old mission garden.

Day 8: From Carmel we will drive to San Fransisco and flights home.

Physical Level: Moderate

Art History Alive will offer these seven destinations in 2012! Great places to visit, more interesting things to learn, and very small groups. Over the next few weeks I will post on each tour individually to include a more detailed description, and a list of recommended reading and movies that will allow you to front load your travel experience.

California Wildflowers

You will notice that we have included one itinerary that includes my absolute favorite places in California.  If Europe is not on your radar screen for this year, consider touring the best that California has to offer.  I am a fifth generation Californian and would love to show you around.  I think that you will agree, this is wonderful line up and I sincerely hope that you will share it with your friends and family.

We are very happy to announce:

• Early booking benefits
• Alumni discounts
• Refundable deposits

The NEW money saving opportunities are on the Specials and Discounts Page. These trips can fill up fast so early booking is important and saves you money.

All trips include: Hotels, all meals and house wines, (well, you don’t have to have wine with breakfast) ground transportation, museum admissions, and travel insurance.

May 22 – 28, 2012 ~ 7 Days ~ Group Size: 6

Price: $3,100.00

AHA is so pleased to have Gillian Seely on board to guide this deeply cultural adventure to her loved Sardegna.  An effervescent and bright young woman who loves AHA as I do, whomever travels with her to Italy will have a wonderful and rich time.  I will be joining this trip, my first to Sardegna, so am looking forward to learning all about this island right along side of you.

Why Sardegna?  By Gillian Seely

In 2006, I went with a friend to the French island of Corsica for a long weekend.  It was stunning, peaceful, and vibrant in a bizarre and serene way that is unique to the Mediterranean, but it was missing something.  Admittedly an Italophile, I wasn’t really satisfied.  “I want my seafood mixed in with al dente linguine”, and “Why aren’t people yelling at each other in heated conversation over dinner?” I whined (in my head, of course).  The island immediately to the south beckoned.  I wanted to go to Sardegna—to see the same kind of island, but, in my mind, the improved version.  Improved simply by virtue of having been inhabited by the fiery and beautiful Italians with whom I am so obsessed.  We didn’t have time.

In the summer of 2010, several years after moving stateside, I did go back to the Mediterranean, and finally, to Sardegna.  It exceeded my expectations, and now I have been honored with the opportunity to lead an Art History Alive trip to this incredible and unforgettable island.

What can you expect to experience on an AHA trip to Sardegna?  Without paraphrasing the itinerary, here’s a look at the cultural highlights that make this one of my favorite destinations:
The Language: “Lingua Sarda”, “Sardu”, or “Limba Sarda”.  A beautiful and musical language that is Italian in essence, but is completely different– as any Italian will readily admit.  The language is said to “feature archaic phonetic features when compared to other Romance languages”.  It is believed to have been influenced by Illyrian, Etruscan, and even the Basque language.   The root of “sard” is said to have come from the “Sherden”, one of the so-called “Peoples of the Sea”.  I’m not a linguist, but it is noticeably different from the Italian I have studied, and for me, listening to Sardu makes me feel like I’m eavesdropping on something ancient and mysterious.

Sardinian “Music Bread”

The Food: Expect to taste authentically-regional island cuisine that comes straight from the sea and the land…really!  You’ll find very few gimmicky “spaghetti Bolognese” set menus here.  Save for a few major grocery chains that import from the continent, the island heavily utilizes its own resources– from seafood to locally-grown produce, and grapes that make unique and flavorful wines.  And the locals are very proud of this point, as you might imagine.  Some delicacies of the island include “pane carasu” or “music bread”, a flat, tortilla-like accompaniment to many main courses; and “fregula”, a pasta of Moorish origin that resembles couscous.  Everything is unique and flavorful!

The Music: Cantu a Tenore is an ancient form of polyphonic “throat singing” that has put the island on the map, musically.  According to some historians, the practice of singing in this style dates back to the Nuragic civilization (we’ll learn all about them on this trip).  Some speculate that the deeply-primitive and almost Moorish sounds were intended to mimic the sounds of the sheep.  The Nuragic people were shepherds.

Nuraghe Dwelling

The Sites: We will see the Nuraghe dwellings, and the Domus de Janas (literally, “houses of the fairies”).  These are strange, prehistoric, beehive-like structures, believed to have been inhabited by the semi-nomadic Sardegnan people.  We will also see the breathtaking Grotto di Nettuno (Neptune’s Grotto), a massive system of coastal caverns filled with intense geological features.  This is one of the most visually-appealing stalactite caves in Europe, and the approach by boat is dramatic to say the least.

Coast of Sardinia

The Beaches: White sands, blue water with excellent visibility, and countless opportunities for snorkeling, kayaking, and swimming in refreshing waters.  Sure, this isn’t the main thrust of the trip, but these beaches are to die for.

Tempted yet?  Sardegna isn’t for everyone.  It does not offer bustling urban nightlife, well-managed museums, high-end shopping districts, or high-profile Roman ruins.  It can be challenging to get around, the residents are uncommonly conservative, and tourism is relatively new to the island.  It is, however, a wonderful place for an authentic Mediterranean adventure and deeply cultural experience.   Think of Sardegna as Italy’s unruly, wild, but stunningly-beautiful cousin.

D.H. Lawrence said it best:

“Sardinia, which is like nowhere. Sardinia, which has no history, no date, no race, no offering. Let it be Sardinia. They say neither Romans nor Phoenicians, Greeks nor Arabs ever subdued Sardinia. It lies out- side; outside the circuit of civilisation. Like the Basque lands. Sure enough, it is Italian now, with its railways and its motor-omnibuses. But there is an uncaptured Sardinia still. It lies within the net of this European civilisation, but it isn’t landed yet…Let it be Sardinia.”

Flag of Sardegna

Our Castle, Castello di Proceno

July 12 – 18, 2012 ~ 7 Days ~ Group Size: 6

Price: $3,300.00

A Castle Courtyard Concert, Hill Towns, and Rome.

In July of 2012, AHA will offer its first summer tour.  How could we pass up the opportunity to share with our guests The Annual Convivio in Musica, held in the courtyard of the castle that we have been sharing with you for fifteen years?  Well, we couldn’t!  So, in July, a very small group of six will travel with me to Tuscany and  Castello di Proceno, where we will check in a few days before the festival and get acclimated to our beautiful castle and surroundings.  We will stay for four days which happily, is long enough to unpack.

On the day of the festival, people from as far away as Florence, to the North, and Rome, to the South, will arrive, well dressed and anticipating the music about to be enjoyed.  The acoustics of the courtyard are perfect, as it is surrounded by tall stone walls, which double as a screen for the beautiful art that is projected upon them during the concert.  Immersed in the music and art of Italy, for an afternoon we will be transported to another time and place.

Following the concert, all of the guests gather to enjoy a buffet of Tuscan delights.  Beginning with

A Tuscan Salami Buffet

champagne, we will dine on country salami, sausage of boar, a variety of freshly prepared crostini, local cheeses and so much more.  Cecilia, owner of the castle, whose recipes we will enjoy is quite famous in the area for her cooking classes.  I have taken a few and the food was glorious.

During the balance of our four day stay at the castle, we will explore some hill towns, prepare a meal together and all around relax.  Our last two days we will be spent in gorgeous Rome, where during that time we will take a stroll that will lead you from The Spanish Steps, to the Trevi Fountain, in front of  The Pantheon, and into romantic Piazza Navona, with its gorgeous Fountain of The Four Rivers.  This is a stroll you will never forget.

Should any of you like to extend an extra day, it can be arranged.  With an additional day in Rome, we could include The Coliseum, The Forum, and St. Peter’s Basilica, and of course, several more great lingering meals.

Gelato in Rome: Grapefruit, Cantalope and Green Apple

Beautiful Nurnburg, Germany

OCTOBER 1-8, 2012 ~ 8 DAYS ~ GROUP SIZE: 6-8

PRICE: $3,300.00

CASTLES, CATHEDRALS AND A CONCENTRATION CAMP

On this trip, we will stop at various points along the fabled Romantic Road of Germany.  We will begin at the northern end of the road, in the medieval city of Wurzburg, which is situated along the Main River and was once an important stop along the Spice Road.  In fact, the name Wurzburg means “Spice City”, and the influence of this mercantile history upon the region is felt in the quaint marketplaces and cobbled streets. We will visit the Wurzburg Residenz, a large and elaborate Rococo palace that is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and its accompanying gardens.  We will enjoy a white wine tasting at the city’s stately wine cellar (northern Bavaria, known as Franconia, boasts some of the world’s best white wines). Still in Wurzburg, we will go to a medieval fortress on a hill that overlooks the city and explore its grounds and the nearby monastery, staying at the beautiful Hotel Maritim on the Main River through rolling vineyard country.

Wuerzburg Residenz

Moving south, we will enjoy some time in Rothenburg, a world-famous medieval fortress town in northern Bavaria, renowned for its city walls (which can be traversed, and from which you can see the rolling hills for miles around), and for its quaint central square, historical artisan shops, and restaurants—this is a great place for picking up Bavarian souvenirs skillfully made from wood and glass.

Later we will visit Nurnberg, seeing the beautiful central square of the city.  We will explore the Toy Museum (Nurnberg is known for its toy manufacturing,  particularly around Christmas time), and visiting the Dokumentationszentrum Reichsparteitagsgelände (Germans aren’t known for linguistic brevity), a somber, but enlightening World War II museum at the site of the Nazi Party’s rallying grounds.

Fairytale Castle, Neuschwanstein

Moving south from Nurnberg, we will visit Munich—site of the world-famous Hofbrauhaus, and the Marienplatz—home of the dancing glockenspiel.  There will be an optional excursion from Munich to the nearby site of the Dachau concentration camp. While this excursion isn’t for everybody, a trip to the site gives unparalleled insight into the lives and deaths of the millions of prisoners who fell victim to the Nazi mentality, and provides a good way to come to terms with the contrasts between the Germany of then and of now.

Leaving Munich, we will visit Neuschwanstein Castle—the “Cindarella Castle” that has come to be a symbol of Bavaria.  Nestled at the foot of the German Alps, a tour of this massive  and iconic castle lets you learn about “Mad King Ludwig” and soak up some regional history.

Our last stop will be in Garmisch Partenkirchen, a stunning mountain town on the Austrian border, and at the end of the Romantic Road.  GAP, as it’s

Munich, Germany

known by locals, is a high-end ski resort in the winter, and a quaint place for hiking and Bavarian-style outdoor activities in the summer.  The views in GAP alone make it perhaps the most beautiful part of the trip.  The trip will end here, and direct trains to Munich run every hour from the GAP station, making airport access very convenient, or alternative transportation can easily be arranged.

This trip will give you an appreciation of the culture of Germany, and specifically of Bavaria.  We will eat delicious and hearty German cuisine, travel along the high-speed and world-famous autobahns, see the stunning countryside, and learn all about the culture of Germany in the middle ages, during the European Renaissance, and World War II…and, importantly, we will come to love and understand the Germany of today!