RENAISSANCE OF THE AHA WEBSITE

June 13th, 2013

Logo med.

Welcome to the redesigned Art History Alive website. All new and easily navigated with lots of bells and whistles, it now makes your time on the site productive and fun. We hope you’ll agree that the facelift is great but that the heart and soul of AHA cultural immersion travel is more in place than ever, and now, even easier to attain.

Booking a trip, requesting a custom itinerary, or simply picking up information and travel tips, it’s all here, and just a click away. Trip itineraries and booking forms are printer friendly, and you can forward your favorite itineraries to friends and family with one click.

We hope that you will “like” us on our AHA Facebook page, and link AHA to your Facebook pages. Tweet about and follow us on Twitter, and don’t forget to pin the site to your Pinterest boards—all easily accomplished by using the corresponding buttons on the site.

Take a look at the AHA Team page. Welcome aboard to Vincente Holgado, our man in Barcelona, Spain, and June Smith, another “Califonia Girl”, as our newest team members. We are so pleased to be working together, and my, how we have grown and branched out!

 

Ink Is Dry On The New “ART LOVER’S GUIDE TO FLORENCE”, by Judith Testa

September 15th, 2012

Fast Friends in Rome

Fast Friends in Rome

Judith Testa is my friend. She is also an Art History Ph.D and an author of three books, two on the art of Italy and one on her other passion, Sal Maglie and the Brooklyn Dodgers, a very interesting woman, who has taught me so much. She has recently published a book on the art of Florence, not a small feat! This post explains how one tackles an enormous subject that has been written about for 500 years. Judith, I am so proud to know you as a friend, and a pupil, keep teaching and I will keep learning.

 

My friend Cyndie Quist has asked me to tell her friends and clients about my most recent book, An Art Lover?s Guide to Florence: how I decided to tackle such a big subject, how I gathered information, and how I put it all together. It may sound like a strange thing to admit, but these aren?t things I?d considered until Cyndie asked me about them, so it?s been fun to gather my thoughts here.
How did I decide to tackle such a broad subject? Well, I can tell you what I DIDN?T do. I didn?t sit down at my computer and say to myself: ?Now I?m going to write a book about art in Florence!? The project took shape gradually. I write for an Italian American magazine called Fra Noi, which means ?Among Us,? and I write about Italian art and culture. After a while I realized I?d written a fair number of articles about art in Florence, as well as other articles on Florentine Renaissance history, so it occurred to me that I might be able to pull them all together, add a few more, and have a book-length text. I?m fortunate to have an on-going relationship with the Northern Illinois University Press; they?ve published two previous books of mine, including one about art in Rome, so when I proposed a book about art in Florence, the Director of the press agreed.
Choosing the works of art to be covered wasn?t difficult. I spent 30 years as an Art History professor before I retired, so I had a clear idea of the most important works of art in that incredibly art-rich city. To some extent what I ultimately included are my personal favorites, but they?re also the same works that everybody wants to see when they visit Florence. To name just a few: Michelangelo?s David, the cathedral with its great dome, the baptistery and its three sets of gorgeous bronze doors, and the Uffizi museum, which houses one of the world?s major collections of Renaissance paintings. In the case of the Uffizi, I chose to write about a very small number of paintings that I consider especially beautiful and interesting. My advice for visitors to the Uffizi and to Florence in general is: BE SELECTIVE! ?Don?t try to see everything.
How did I gather the information? Mostly the old fashioned way. I read dozens and–over many years–hundreds of books and articles about Florentine history and art. Historians are entitled to their opinions and interpretations, but we can?t just make things up. We have to get the basic facts right about the works of art we discuss, and that requires reading what others have written. I also exchanged many letters and e-mails with historians and art historians, asking them innumerable questions, seeking information I couldn?t find in books. And I spent time in Florence– over the course of years, I spent months there, virtually all my time either in museums or tramping around looking again and again at buildings and outdoor works of sculpture, and always scribbling notes to myself about my observations.
I also took a lot of pictures, some of which I used as illustrations in my book. However, it?s strictly forbidden to take pictures in the Uffizi galleries, and I?ve never owned the kind of camera equipment and lights that would enable me to take pictures of interiors, so I had to purchase those photos from Alinari Art Resource, an immense archive of reproductions.
Putting it all together wasn?t a matter of stringing together the articles I?d written for Fra Noi. I had to go back and review each article, doing further research to make sure that what I?d written was up-to-date and would pass muster with a university press. Part of the publication process with a university press is that the book manuscript is sent out to ?external readers?– scholars who examine the manuscript closely both for factual accuracy and for general tone and quality. If they give it their OK, then publication can proceed. Those readers saved me from errors and offered constructive suggestions that I?m sure improved the final product. But my book isn?t for scholars of Renaissance art. It?s for general readers who want to deepen their enjoyment in visiting the city that?s the ultimate art lover?s paradise!

A PERFECT PARISIAN DAY, By Maggie Harris

August 16th, 2012

 

A Perfect Parisian Day, by Maggie Harris, will appear as a five part series.

Maggie Harris is AHA’s research guru, and though much of her work is done staring at a computer screen, gathering information is not enough for AHA. In this series, Maggie puts her feet on the cobblestones and explores a great AHA destination, Paris. Assignment: To make her way to Musee Marmottan Monet, explore the gallery, and find a special place for AHA guests to lunch. To take copious notes to enrich and improve our travel itineraries for AHA guests! Mission accomplished.

 

 

 

 

I feel really blessed and humbled to be able to apply some of the experience from my travel adventures to the mission and vision of Art History Alive!It is a joy to use travel success )and travel disappointments) to help positively inform the AHA experience. So when Art History Alive asked that I take some time out of my work in Paris to scope some finds for them, what was my response? Oh, fine, twist my arm!

My personal challenge, on this particular day, was to truly explore, to simply take a journey. To have one destination, but to allow

myself to meander my way there and be open to detours along the way. To revisit some favorites and find some new joys as well. To figure it out without my cellphone GPS or scouring the travel books or restaurant reviews in advance. This kind of journey – slower, more aware, unrushed – is just the kind of travel that AHA boasts and often creates the most intense joy and offers the most amazing finds. This was just such a day.

 

It was not just a day in Paris, it was a gloriously gorgeous day, the kind of day that every person who dreams of going to Paris envisions. It was, afterall, April in Paris.

Lucky me to be in this city and have only one goal in mind ? to visit the Mus?e Marmottan Monet. Somehow, on my visits to Paris, I had not yet managed to explore this gem of a museum. It boasts the largest collection of Monets in the world, as well as numerous works by other artists such as Degas, Sisley, Pisarro, Renoir, and more. I was eager to see some of Monet?s less famous pieces and particularly excited about exploring a part of Paris that I was not very familiar with.

 

Ready for my day, I left my lovely hotel in the 6th arr. and set off for the metro station. Craving a caf? cr?me (just as it sounds, coffee with warm cream), I stopped at a storefront that had a serving window on the sidewalk. The pan au chocolat (chocolate croissants, essentially) was calling my name, so in celebration of being in France ? and knowing I would walk it off in no time ? I caved (for just 3 Euros! Take that, Starbucks!) I made a spur of the moment decision to detour up the road to the Jardin du Luxembourg so I could sit and enjoy my morning snack. I have noticed that in France one rarely sees people eating ?on the run? as one does in the States. People aren?t scarfing sandwiches on the metro or gulping coffee as they juggle a briefcase and hail a cab. Any food experience is to be enjoyed. Savored. So off I went to savor!

Once inside The Luxembourg Gardens, in all its leafy, lovely serenity, I love thinking about how Victor Hugo featured the park so heavily in ?Les Miserables?, Hemingway strolling through it, and reading current literature that mentions it. Should I try to grab a green chair around the large fountain area in the bright sunshine, surrounded by tulips and pansies? Should I sit on a bench along one of the shaded paths and watch the joggers and tennis players as they seized the morning in their own way? I opted for my favorite spot of all, right in front of the Medici fountain. It is romantic and mystical to me with great trees filtering lovely green dappled light while their leaves whisper overhead. Today the fountain had actually been drained, but it had no less charm than when it is full of water. I settled into a green lawn chair to enjoy my coffee, croissant, and a little bit of the novel I was reading. Two older Frenchmen played chess to my left. To my right, a quintessential French couple cuddled together on one chair (at 9am!).

After a good 25 minutes of serenity, caffeine, and chocolate, I left the gardens and headed to the metro. I was excited to get to the 16th arr. to explore and witness some great art!

 

 

 

 

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!

 

 

 


WHAT IS CULTURAL IMMERSION AND HOW DO YOU GET IT?

May 7th, 2012

The term ?cultural immersion? is an important one, but like so many great ?tags,? they become overused sound bites and lose their strength. Nonetheless, it is what Art History Alive achieves trip after trip, and why prospective clients ask me my definition. We can achieve a sense of immersion into a place in several key ways:

  1. Slow Pace
  2. Historic Accommodations
  3. Sites in, Under, and Above
  4. Off the Beaten Track
  5. Family-Run Restaurants
  6. Meeting and Greeting Interesting Locals

Slow Pace. Similar to the slow food movement, in order to savor a place, we hold back on pace.?AHA meanders, soaking in the culture.

 

Pucci and Giovanni, owners Castello di Proceno

Accommodations. The place that you sleep on an AHA tour will be small, located in the historic center of wherever we are, and often run by a family that we now call friends. These are the people whom each of you will get to know, and they will go above and beyond to make you feel at home in the city or area they are immensely proud of. Whether we are in Tuscany, Florence, Rome, Paris, or California, our friends welcome us back with the warmest of reunions. Needless to say, locating and building these trusted friendships has been a 15-year labor of love that you, our guests, will enjoy.

In, Under, and Above a Place. For example: AHA will wander with you into tiny colorful towns, under a city through tunnels dating back before Christ, and above the Pacific Ocean perched on a high cliff. We will take you down into a valley only to look up at an enormous and majestic rushing waterfall.

We Will Go Off The Beaten Track. In Italy, everyone goes to the beautiful Chianti region for wine tasting. We, on the other hand, have sought out tucked away wineries so as to avoid the slick marketing of the ?Italian Wine Country.? Instead, AHA enjoys visiting a large typical wine estate overlooking, for example, Orvieto. We taste the wines with complementary foods under a frescoed ceiling. At other times, we might visit a village wine co-op. Here, everyone in the village pools their small private vineyard grape crop to make a wine that they divide up and will drink every day for the next year. The same is true in California. We will go wine tasting in the lesser known wine producing areas of Paso Robles, on the Central Coast, and Murphy?s in the foothills of the mighty Sierra Mountains.

Restaurant Choices Are Key. In Italy, we will eat in family- owned trattorie. These are the restaurants where wonderful smells waft as you walk in the door. They?re where Mama and Grandma are in the kitchen, Papa is at the fireplace roaster, Grandpa is making the coffee and tending the cash register, and the kids are busing tables and taking orders. This is where they approach your table, not with a menu, but with a list of what was cooked today, always fresh, and only seasonal. They will take great pride in their homemade pastas, which will melt in your mouth, and their house wines which were probably made at the co-op mentioned above. This is too much fun! However, if American travelers discover one of our favs, we move on. There is no cultural immersion if the table next to you is talking about their last trip to Vegas.

Roberto, Latte de Luna, Pienza

In California, Paris, and NYC, we will take you to places we know and trust?eateries that reflect the personality of the place we are visiting. From Clint Eastwood?s Mission Ranch steak house in Carmel, CA, to the best French fries in the world at L?Entrecote in Paris, where we enjoy our meals is an important piece of the immersion process.

You, Our Guests, Will Have The Opportunity To Meet and Greet Our Wonderful Friends. This is something NO other tour group, large or small, can boast.?As mentioned above, through years of returning to these places, we have met, and had the pleasure of getting to know, grocers in small towns, tiny hotel owners, restaurant owners, and vintners, all of whom are genuinely happy to see us again. We really enjoy our reunions and introducing our guests to them. This is so key in getting beyond the ordinary in a country. Now you are not simply an observer in a culture, but you are interacting with it. This is a huge difference and uniquely Art History Alive.

I am sure you will agree that when you add these experiences together, you will feel that you have been immersed in a wonderful culture. And so do we!

 

 

 

 


TRAVEL EXPANDS YOUR FRAME OF REFERENCE, FOREVER

April 23rd, 2012

Lake Como

Travel expands our frame of reference for the rest of our lives. We call on our frame of reference daily, without even realizing it, and the wider it is the more valuable an asset to understanding. Of course, travel is typically seen as a vacation, but it can be so much more, especially with Art History Alive.

Often wonderful and unexpected things happen while we are abroad that enlighten us. However, sometimes the impact of your adventure, the expansion of our mind, isn?t noticed until we return home.

Here are three examples that, in my opinion, illustrate the many ways in which travel expands us:

1. Our frame of reference and worldview

Remember the wave of anti-French sentiment that swept through America in 2003? Americans stopped frequenting French restaurants, stopped purchasing French products of any kind, and French Fries became Freedom Fries. It was all about the French not supporting the effort in Iraq. I was frustrated, too, but I remembered September 11, 2002, the first anniversary of that horrid day. I was in Paris, and something happened that changed my frame of reference forever toward France and the French. To read the story, click here.

Anyone who has visited Beijing has walked in and around Tiananmen Square. When we watched CNN and saw that young Chinese student defying the Chinese military tank in the square, it was powerful, but even more so for those of us who have stood in that place.

This past October, when video of the flood in Vernazza, Italy (a part of Cinque Terre) was released, it was very real to those of us who have walked those pretty streets.

2. Our rapidly evolving world market place

I need a special stainless steel hinge. I need it because the salt from the Monterey Bay, across the street from our home, eats any and all other materials. My handyman goes online and finds the hinge I need in ?zinc coated? brass and wonders if it will work for me. I, in turn, go online looking for information on zinc-coated hinges. Up pops a comment from a fisherman off the coast of China. He tells me that he installed a zinc-coated hinge on his long-tail fishing boat and that it did not hold up to marine conditions. Before I thanked him for his input, I sat and stared at my computer screen for a few seconds. Wow, off the coast of China! I?ve been there. I knew where he was. The world is getting really, really small, and I want to be part of it.

3. Replacing ignorance and anxiety with understanding

On one of my trips, I realized before departure that I was facing a challenge. Signed up was a couple. The wife was so excited to be going to Italy for the

Exchanging Ideas, Rome

first and perhaps only time, but her husband seemed bored and uninterested and wondered why folks went on and on about the food in Italy when you could get good spaghetti down the street and around the corner. I sensed some fear, that was thinly veiled. The challenge: to win him over. The winner, Italy. He probably still complains about the expense of everything, but his ignorance and anxiety about this foreign place and culture dissolved when he saw, with his own eyes, that Italians were just as regular as he was, and, that there is spaghetti, and then there is spaghetti. Funny, the stereotypes we have in our heads. I think his came from Lady and the Tramp.

When we travel, all things make more sense. It is human nature to fear the unknown, so go get to know it. Grab your passport and suitcase and get up close and personal with our world. My favorite guest is an intellectually curious and enthusiastic traveler who wants to expand his/her frame of reference, forever. If that describes you, let?s go!

Go ahead and click over to our Home Page to see where we are going in 2012. Join us!

 

LIVING IN ROME, by Alysa Weinstein Gravina, AHA Correspondent

April 12th, 2012

Piazza del Popolo, Rome

They say all roads lead to Rome. In my case it is absolutely true.

No matter where I traveled or what caught my fascination, I always ended up back in Rome. The city does that to you, like it or not.

There are 10 ancient roads that go in every direction in and out of Rome. One of the most historically important roads is Via Flaminia, constructed around 220 BC. Technically, you could drive north about 5 hours, from the Piazza del Popolo, along the Via Flaminia, all the way to Rimini, arriving on the Adriatic coast of Italy, and the hometown of Federico Fellini. This is the street where I live. In 5 minutes, I can be at the Porta del Popolo standing in the piazza with thousands of other people marveling at the magic of the Egyptian Obelisk, or the beauty of the twin churches, Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria in Montesanto.

 

 

If I go in the other direction, in 10 minutes I will arrive at Ponte Milvio. This bridge, which was built in 206 BC, is pedestrian, and after an Italian film,

Lovers Locks, Rome

entitled ?I Want You? (from 10 years ago), the lampposts are decorated with padlocks that young couples have left in honor of their love. But the tradition of “love” stretches much further back. It is said that Emperor Nero used to frequent the bridge with his lovers for certain debaucheries.

 

Being among these monuments and surrounded by a history that shapes us all, is an everyday occurrence for me, but now, being able to write about it, is giving me a chance to appreciate this gift, beyond just living it.

 

 

 

 

MEET ALYSA WEINSTEIN GRAVINA – AHA’s Correspondent in Rome

April 2nd, 2012

Family Life in Rome

How does a young woman from Connecticut, fall in love with a Roman in Guatemala, and three sons later, lives large in the Eternal City? Below is Alysa’s story, and now we can look forward to her posts, from Rome, about life in Rome, on the AHA blog. Welcome to the AHA Team, Alysa, we are so happy to have you!

My name is Alysa Weinstein, and for the last seven years, I have been living in Rome. I was born in NYC and grew up in the Fairfield county suburbs. I was a lucky little girl! I have three younger brothers and nothing could have prepared me better for raising three little boys of my own.

After playing soccer and dancing and singing my way through Greenwich Country Day School and Greenwich High School, I went off to The University of Wisconsin ? Madison, where I did not make the soccer team, gave up my dreams of musical theater, and fell madly in love with Art History and, in particular, Italian art.

After my freshman year, my cousin and I backpacked from Milan to Naples. The adventures are blog-worthy! Two years later, I came back to Rome for my junior summer where I studied the language in the morning and in the afternoon I studied the people, the food, cinema, sights, and everything dolce vita. I caught ?the Eternal City? bug.

After graduating from University, I was introduced to an Italian art dealer with a gallery in NYC and also one in Rome. She hired me on the spot, and while my professional relationship with Carla lasted five years and I worked only and always at the NYC gallery, she is still today a very, very important point of reference in Rome and in my life.

Cut to 2002. On a whim, my brother Justin and I planned a 10-day excursion, vacation, detoxification to Guatemala and Honduras. As we flew away from NYC, the last thing on my mind was finding true love, let alone meeting an Italian. But destiny has a strange way of working . . . and on my first night, I met my husband Carmine, and it was love at first sight. (When he walked into the bar, I was 100% sure.)

So after six months of long-distance phone calls and Alitalia overnight flights, he moved to NYC. One year later, I sold my interior design company and we moved to Rome where we celebrated our wedding with 200 of our favorite people (major blog entry). And three little boys later, I am pretty sure that my love affair with Italy is still going strong, even if the daily life is always more challenging. But if it weren?t, there would be no blog!

SOMETHING NEW: CLASSICAL MUSIC PERFORMANCES FOR AHA TRAVELERS

February 22nd, 2012

Gregorian Chants at Abbey Sant'Antimo, Tuscany

“. . . a true knowledge of the object of our affections gives greater love of it; if our knowledge is slight our love will be little or nothing . . .” Leonardo DaVinci

The object of my affection is Italy, and for twenty years I have been building a true knowledge of it. This knowledge, and subsequent love, is what I will share with you on an AHA trip, it is as simple as that.

For sometime, AHA has been trying to include more music in its travel, and now we will. We are so pleased to announce that beginning in the 2012 travel season, your chosen? itinerary will? include an optional classical music performance! With music being a huge component of any culture, what a perfect fit for AHA guests that are seeking cultural immersion. Your itinerary might include a night at the Opera in Florence, a chamber music recital in a baroque church in Paris, or Gregorian Chants in an ancient Abbey in Tuscany.? Europe is rich with the arts, and we will select something wonderful for every one of our upcoming European trips.

We are launching this new aspect of AHA travel with Musica in Tuscany, July 2012. This itinerary includes a one day music festival, four days in Tuscany and two days in Rome. While in Tuscany, we will stay at Castello di Proceno, host to the annual Convivio in Musica. As Italian music enthusiasts gather in the stone courtyard of Castello di Proceno, we, who are actually staying at the castle, will join the group for a performance of favorite opera arias, followed by a delicious buffet, complete with cold bubbling Prosecco.

Join our Musica in Tuscany group, get to know a bit of beautiful Tuscany, and top it off by spending two wonderful days in amazing Rome.

 

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.

 

Part 1: ROMA – A Lifetime Is Not Enough

January 18th, 2012

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 11th-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.

 

 

TUSCANY: Like A Hollywood Backdrop

December 15th, 2011

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

Lago di Como: A Peaceful Retreat

November 15th, 2011

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.

 

 

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 #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

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.

FROM ROME: First Things First – Food! by Alysa Weinstein Gravina

July 18th, 2012

As soon as I am settled in my neighborhood, I have to find my stores: my macellaio (butcher) my frutto vendolo (fruit and vegetable stand), my alimentari (deli) and my forno (bakery). It is crucial to have a relationship with each and every one of these places and the people who run them. And believe me, this takes time.

I have Roberto on via Fraccassini who always has the most juicy fruits and green vegetables (some pre-cut and pre-washed), minestrone, beans, chick peas and fava, and, when in season, at least 4 types of cherry tomatoes. Something I forgot, living in the U.S. for so long, is that every food actually has a season and, for that matter, so does wine. Roberto loves America, tattoos, R&B music, and fruit and vegetables, so we have lots to talk about on my daily visits.

The alimentari was not as easy. Across the street from the fruit and vegetable stand is a wonderful family-run business. Aurelia Mocci, the granddame (nonna), runs the show even as her husband, son, and daughter man the deli counter. She takes your money and she rarely smiles. They sell all types of prepared meats, cheeses, olives, artichokes, and other vegetables in oil, as well as bread, milk, and butter. Getting more than a frown from her was the ultimate challenge. It seemed impossible until she met my son Sebastian. Then I was in! Because, as everyone knows, Italians LOVE children.

The macellaio is my favorite place. I have never been a very big meat eater, but at this particular stand in a covered market near my house, I can go crazy. They sell meatballs and meatloaf, stuffed olives, and veal and chicken cutlets that are unbelievably mouth-watering. You can also find almost every cut of every type of meat you?d ever want, and they cut it all while you wait. It goes without saying that everything is as fresh as can be or as aged as required. They are also the sweetest family. There is nothing better than being greeted by Leandro with his booming ?Ciao cara,? and knowing that after all these years, I am getting not only the best of his product, but the best of his service.

The bakery, unfortunately, is not in my neighborhood, but I need an excuse to go by the Campo di Fiori (flower fields). Nothing is more fun than making the 30-minute walk from my house to the campo, passing the Pantheon and Piazza Navona along the way, for the most delicious pizza al taglio, which I eat outside the store. Then I buy some fresh bread and a crostata to take home. A perfect day!

It is not important where you have to go for the daily bread but that when you arrive you know who you are dealing with and are sure that you getting what you actually came for.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

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