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Wellesley Education Expedition
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Ancient Centers of Culture and Learning
in the Mediterranean: A Voyage from Sicily to the
Aegean Sea |
2007
June 22 – July 3
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Join
Wellesley alumnae and friends on a literary tour
of the Mediterranean, sailing from Sicily to
the Greek Isles and Turkey, while following in
the steps of the great American author, Edith
Wharton. In 1888, decades before the publication
of Wharton’s The House of Mirth, the 26-year-old
writer was newly married and pining for Europe. “I’d
give anything in the world to make a cruise in
the Mediterranean,” she confided to her
cousin, James Van Alen. “You needn’t
do that if you’d let me charter a yacht
and come with me,” he replied.
Wharton called the Mediterranean “a taste of heaven,” the cruise “the
crowning wonder” of her life. Yet for more than a century, little else
was known about this formative experience in Wharton’s life—until
a scholar came across a manuscript in an obscure Cote d’Azur library. It
was Wharton’s personal journal of her travels, each page filled with observational
detail and all the characteristic wit of her later literary masterpieces. Published
in 2003, The Cruise of the Vanadis is that rare treasure: a newly discovered
gem by a classic author.
Rita Freed ’74, one of the most respected scholars of art of the ancient
world, will be our study leader as we recreate Wharton’s voyage. We’ll
be sharing this program with travelers from Bryn Mawr, Smith, and Vassar. In
addition, we will
be accompanied by Carol Christ, Smith College president and professor of English
language and literature, as well as scholars from Bryn Mawr and Vassar. Together,
we’ll retrace Wharton’s route to Syracuse, Santorini, Rhodes, and
the holy isle of Patmos. We’ll travel from Turkey’s Izmir, also known
as Smyrna, to the magni-ficent ruins of Ephesus or Sardis. On the last leg of
the journey, to Piraeus, we’ll sail past the majestic Mount Athos, known
for its memorable views.
Wharton and Van Alen made their journey in a 167-foot steam yacht; we’ll
travel on board the 114-guest Corinthian II, a ship with spacious accommodations
and superb service and cuisine. Throughout the trip, you’ll enjoy the companionship
of Wharton’s words with a copy of The Cruise of the Vanadis to read and
keep, and through which to note how so little has changed in these rustic Mediter-ranean
locales. Join us next summer on this unforgettable Mediterranean voyage!
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Rita E. Freed '74
graduated from Wellesley College and received her Certificate in Museology, Master
of Arts, and Doctor of Philosophy from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York
University.
She is now the John F. Cogan, Jr. and Mary L. Cornille Chair, Art of the Ancient
World at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where she oversees important collections
of Egyptian, Nubian, Ancient Near Eastern, Greek and Roman art. She is also Adjunct
Professor of Art at Wellesley College.
Prior to her work in Boston, Freed was Founding Director of the Institute of
Egyptian Art and Archaeology and Assistant Professor of Artat the University
of Memphis. A historian of art, Freed has organized such traveling exhibitions
as Pharaohs of the Sun Akhenaten, Nefertiti, Tutankhamen and authored many books
and articles. She has also participated on numerous Egyptian archaeological excavations
in Egypt, Israel, and Cyprus. |
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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: 12 days
Activity Level: Mild
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