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Wellesley Education Expedition
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The Essence of Tuscany |
2008
March 27 - April 6
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Join Wellesley alumnae and friends as we experience
the best of Tuscany. Following our itinerary, we will
enjoy the bucolic natural beauty surrounding the
urban centers of Siena and Florence,
while also giving careful attention to those cities’ remarkable
treasures. Accompanied by Richard Wallace, a specialist
in Italian art of the Renaissance and Baroque periods,
we will meet with artists and curators who share the behind-the-scenes
story
of magnificent art, enjoy lunch with locals and wine
tastings with world-class
vintners, meander through gardens behind villa walls, and discover little-known
Renaissance
frescoes in out-of-the way churches and monasteries.
Our program begins with five nights
in the walled town of Siena, where the aura of
the glorious past
still echoes through the enchanting medieval streets.
As we explore this town's extraordinary sites,
we are fortunate to see frescoes that have recently
been uncovered beneath the famous cathedral. We
will be the guests of a Sienese art collector for
a lunch of regional specialties at her home with
one of the most magnificent views to be had in
all of Siena. An excursion through
groves of olive trees and lush rolling hills leads
us to the villa of a marchesa who invites us into
her home for a feast of her favorite delicacies.
In the hill town of Pienza we will enjoy a reception
with the owners of a restored
villa and discuss the marvels of the day. After
a relaxed day in idyllic Cortona, we stop to visit
a count who has invited us for a reception in his
garden, which
was a set for the film Stealing Beauty. En route
to Florence, we will go back to the days of the
Etruscans, visiting the isolated town of Volterra.
Four nights in Florence offer days filled with
artistic discoveries, special openings of hidden
gardens,
and meals featuring classic cuisine and local wines.
We will also visit Lucca, where we scale the park-like
city walls and join a princess to explore her famous
gardens.
With expert academic leadership, lovely, centrally-located
accommodations, behind-the-scenes visits, delicious
Tuscan cuisine and the Wellesley touch, there's
no better way to discover the allure of Tuscany.
Whether this is your first visit to Tuscany or
your fifth, this is an experience not to be missed! |
Richard Wallace
is a specialist in Italian art of the Renaissance and
Baroque periods and has lived in Italy for extended
periods as a Fulbright Scholar and an American
Council of Learned Societies Fellow. For over 40 years,
he was Professor of Art at Wellesley College, where
he taught courses on 16th- and 17th-century painting
and sculpture in southern Europe and on graphic art
in Italy. He received the Pinanski Prize for
Excellence in Teaching in 1987. He has published numerous
books and articles in The Art Bulletin, The Burlington
Magazine, Apollo, The Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld
Institutes, and The Gazette des Beaux-Arts, and has
organized important museum exhibitions in the field.
He has led many tours to Italy and is a frequent speaker to Alumnae groups
and to the Wellesley Friends of Art. |
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More Information
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Trip Details
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| For reservation
and/or a detailed itinerary of this tour, please
contact:
Jayne Lew, Assistant
Director of Travel
Phone: 781-283-2389
Email: travelprograms@alum.wellesley.edu
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Duration: 10 days
Activity Level: Moderate
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