Program Schedule
Please note that this program runs every other year. It is next scheduled for Summer 2013. The Summer 2011 schedule is provided for reference.
Summer 2011
You must arrive at Rome Fiumicino airport (FCO) before 11 AM on Wednesday, May 18. If you are not already in Europe, you will need to take an overnight flight from the USA leaving Tuesday, May 17.
Wednesday, May 18: Required date of arrival and start of program
Friday, June 17: End date of program
Please note: The program includes a substantial amount of walking. Be sure to bring a sturdy pair of athletic shoes. Heavy-duty hiking boots are unnecessary. You cannot wear sandals on many sites. You must also dress appropriately for ‘church days’ in Rome, Naples, & elsewhere.
“Week” One: Wednesday, May 18 – Tues., May 24.
Staying seven nights at the Villa Vergiliana near Cuma, Italy, we will visit Cuma and the Museo dei Campi Flegrei; Solfatara; Pozzuoli; sites and museums in and around Naples; and Herculaneum and nearby Roman villas. We swim at the archaeological park of Paestum, and we climb Mt. Vesuvius!
“Week” Two: Wednesday, May 25 – Sun., May 29
Staying five nights at a hotel on the edge of Pompeii’s archaeological site, we get to visit Pompeii two days, as well as go farther afield: inland to Benevento, and by boat to the island of Capri with Tiberius’ villa. On our bus ride to Rome we will stop at Sperlonga, the emperor Tiberius’s seashore dining room, and two other sea-side (Roman) towns.
“Week” Three: Monday, May 30 – Tues., June 7
Arriving in Rome Monday, May 30, we settle into the Centro, our home for the rest of the trip. We first familiarize ourselves with the major sites (Forum, Palatine, Colosseum, Capitoline). A day-trip to the Etruscan cities of Tarquinia and Cerveteri helps set the cultural and urban background for Rome. Back in the city visits include early churches (e.g., Santa Costanza) and the great basilicas (St. Peter’s), as well as the Borghese Gallery and other museums.
“Week” Four: Wednesday, June 8 – Friday, June 17
We intersperse our continuing exploration of Rome’s many layers – its city walls, Baths of Caracalla, catacombs, early and baroque churches, the colorful Campo dei Fiori & Piazza Navona, and Mussolini’s unmistakable imprint – with day-trips to Rome’s ancient port, Ostia; the temple of Fortuna Primigenia at Palestrina (ancient Praeneste), and Hadrian’s Villa and the beautiful Villa d’Este at Tivoli. On Friday, June 17, a bus takes departing students to the Fiumicino airport.
