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CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH WINES AND YOSEMITE

December 7th, 2012

 

May 5 – 12, 2013? AND May 12 – 19, 2013

8 Days ~ Group Size: 6

Price: $2,700.00??? - OR -

Sierra

5 Days (day 1 through day 5 below)

Price: $2,100.00

 

 

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 have guided this trip 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.

Day 1 – We will meet up at our pretty boutique hotel in San Francisco, and from this point on you can relax and leave this trip to me. Everything will be taken care of so you can relax and enjoy California. We will spend this first day exploring this beautiful “City by the Bay”. Beginning with a drive across the Golden Gate to look back and admire this sparkling city, we will wander a bit in the BEST Chinatown in the U.S.

Because of the Gold Rush, c. 1845, a world wide migration took place, with thousand and thousands of people arriving into San Francisco Bay, by the ship load, everyday, eager to get to the gold fields. Many of these were from China, and they, in particular, have left a stamp on California forever. Hence, San Fransisco’s Chinatown, the best in the U.S.! Following a wander through Chinatown, a visit to a fortune cookie factory and extraordinary views, of the city in all directions, we will have a delicious dinner and? enjoy the lights.

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 massage 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, where the main street is about four blocks long, lined on both sides with fun shops and oodles of tasting rooms.? We know these tasting rooms 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 guided this trip, my east coast guests purchased cases of wine to be shipped home. They told me how they enjoyed opening and sniffing those California wines out east.? A nice souvenir. Early dinner in Murphy’s.

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? 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.

I will provide 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. Dinner in Sonora.

Day 4:? After breakfast, I will drive you into Yosemite National Park, stopping along the way at scenic views that will take your breath away.? After a 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 1927, 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

Day 5: After breakfast in the Ahwahnee dining room, we will take a wonderful open air bus tour of the valley, before driving back to the coast.? This evening will be spent in Santa Cruz overlooking the 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 U.S. Coast Highway 1, 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 of every kind, 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 deliver our new friends, either home, or to their airports and returning flights.

 

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Physical Level: Moderate

Price includes: All hotels, all meals and house wines, massage treatments, ground transportation, museum and park admissions.

THE EURO EXCHANGE RATE IS MOST CERTAINLY IN OUR FAVOR

July 7th, 2012

What does Art History Alive have to do with the economic crunch in the E.U.? A couple of things:

1. Because the exchange rate is the lowest it has been since 1997, we have chosen to pass that savings on to our clients?you! We have three AHA trips going to Italy this summer and fall, and the prices for these trips have come down significantly.

2.? The E.U. is teetering, tourism is down, and this reminded me of something. After the events of September 11, 2001, I clearly remember Mayor Giuliani on television asking folks to come to New York, and not to give way to fear by staying away.?Well, we listened, and one month after that terrible day, we packed up and headed to NYC for the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, wondering if the streets would be a bit empty. Quite the opposite! It was one of the largest crowds on record. Santa Claus is always the huge climax to the parade, riding the last float, but I had to cover my ears when the float that preceded Santa passed by. On that float were Mayor Giuliani, the Fire Commissioner, the Police Commissioner, some fire fighters and police officers, and the flag that flew at the World Trade Center site. We were so glad that we had gone to NYC and supported the city in that terrible time.

I feel a bit the same about the E.U. right now. AHA has so many friends in Italy and France who are suffering as their financial systems struggle. I think that it is safe to say that the E. U. needs our travel dollars more than anytime since post WWII, another terrible time for Europe.

In hopes of stimulating more of you to travel, I am lowering the prices on the upcoming AHA trips and designing personal itineraries for the friends and clients who cannot go with us, but will go on their own and want it to be the AHA style. We will create for you, a dream trip based on your desires and our experience. Infused in each itinerary is my enthusiasm and passion, which I cannot help.

Below are our AHA trips with reduced prices. Each one has been created with every detail considered, every lunch and dinner, every warm evening and cobblestoned alley. And now, we can use these to help our friends out of a very tough time, and see wondrous things at the same time.

MUSICA IN TUSCANY – CLOSED
A Castle Courtyard Concert, Hill Towns, and Rome
JULY 12 ? 18, 2012
Was $3,300. Now $2,900. Savings $400.00

ROME AND TUSCANY
A Colosseum and a Castle
SEPTEMBER 30 ? OCTOBER 8, 2012
Was $3,900. Now $3,400. Savings $500.00

GERMANY, ALONG THE ROMANTIC ROAD
Cathedrals, Castles, and a Concentration Camp
This itinerary is available for purchase. Call for pricing and your copy for travel at your convenience.

ROMA AMOR: ROME IS LOVE SPELLED BACKWARD
Judith Testa brings her book to life as she shares with us her Rome.
OCTOBER 10 ? 17, 2012
Was $4,100. Now $3,600. Savings $500.00

GILLIAN SEELY IS A BIG PART OF THE AHA TEAM

May 17th, 2012

Gillian Seely, marketing

Gillian Seely is AHA?s Marketing and Social Networking Guru. She?came to us through our son Noah, with whom she worked in Boston.?As two young professionals, they discovered that they had both been raised overseas?Noah in Asia, Gill in Germany?and that they missed the stimulation of the art, history, and differing cultures. Noah told Gillian all about AHA, and the next thing we knew, Gill and I were on the phone, practically finishing each other?s sentences.

Gillian drives traffic to the AHA website through FB, Twitter, and outreach emails to targeted organizations.?Making connections nationwide with university alumni groups, non-competing travel sites, Italian cultural organizations, and newspapers, she works hard for AHA.?She has been able to exchange the AHA link with some very well placed sites and get our website in front of?many, many faces that otherwise might not have found it.

With a BA in English Literature from the University of London, and an MA in International Relations from the University of Oklahoma, Gillian has been in marketing and public relations, an account executive, has been an AP English instructor, an intern for CNN London, and is currently in marketing and communications for Pearson, the world?s leading learning company. Gillian also spent almost two years in the Philippines with the Peace Corps, and if that wasn?t interesting enough, she is fluent in both German and Visayan, a Filipino dialect.

Gillian is a HUGE part of our virtual team. She loves what AHA is all about and works very diligently to see that it is successful.? Thanks Gillian, for all your hard work and for being part of?the team!

 

 

 


Upcoming: April in Yosemite – Waterfalls and Wildflowers

February 8th, 2012

Yosemite Falls Reflected

Spring is waterfall season in Yosemite, when the snowmelt comes rushing over rock walls and races 3,000 feet straight down in a powerful ribbon to crash on the rocks below. Juxtaposed against the power and strength of water is the delicate wildflower season, a gorgeous time to be in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

AHA’s Gold Rush, Wines, and Yosemite, April 19 ? 26, 2012, is a great 8-day getaway?from San Francisco to Carmel-by-the-Sea, with Yosemite as the ?jewel in the crown.? However, we are offering our guests the choice of an abbreviated version as well. For those who just can’t get away for a full 8 days but long to get up into the hills and stay in Yosemite, AHA is offering a 5-day, 4-night version. This “Sierra” version, April 19 – 23, 2012, will begin in San Francisco, followed by 2 days in Sonora, including a massage and facial, Murphy’s wine tasting, and, of course, Yosemite?and the Ahwahnee.

I love this area, know it quite well, and enjoy sharing it. The links will take you to details and pricing.

Days 1 ? 5: (Sierra) We will begin this trip at sea level in San Francisco, with all its culture and color, and then meander on to?spend two days in the heart of the Gold Rush area in Sonora. While here, our guests will enjoy a European body massage and facial by leading professionals in the area. We will then go wine tasting in the adorable little town of Murphys, and finally make our way into Yosemite National Park, arguably one of the most beautiful places on earth. After checking in to the historic and very majestic Ahwahnee Hotel, we will explore the park and picnic along the way, just soaking in Yosemite.

Days 6 and 7: We will come full circle as the final two days of this itinerary find us back on the California coast in beautiful Carmel-by-the-Sea. Quaint as can be, with its storybook architecture, we will wander the streets, share some delicious meals, the fresh salt air, and prepare to return to life.

To sign up for Gold Rush, Wines, and Yosemite or Sierra, click here.

 

 

Part 2: ROMA – A Lifetime Is Not Enough

January 31st, 2012

 

 

Dinner For AHA, Rome

 

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.

 

BACK FROM ITALY: VACATION, VOCATION, WHAT’S THE DIFF?

October 24th, 2011

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

 

ANNOUNCING THE AHA TOURS FOR 2012

September 1st, 2011

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!

Trip #1 – CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH WINES AND YOSEMITE – OR – SIERRA

August 30th, 2011

 

Chinatown, San Francisco

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

Price: $2,700.00??? - OR -

Sierra, April 19 – 23, 2012 ~ 5 Days (day 1 through day 5 below)

Price: $2,100.00

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.

 

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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:

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.

TRIP #2 – ITALY’S SARDEGNA: ANCIENT, WILD, SPECTACULAR, by Gillian Seely

August 30th, 2011

 

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

Trip #4 – MUSICA IN TUSCANY: A Summer Festival

August 30th, 2011

 

Our Castle, Castello di Proceno

 

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

Price was: $3,300.00? New price: $2,900.00 Save $400.00

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

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