This tour has been cancelled for March of 2021. If you would like to be contacted if this tour is rescheduled, please call 800-811-7244 or email carleton@studytours.org.
The Trip
You are invited to travel with Carleton history professor William North and fellow Carls and immerse yourself in Italian history, art, architecture, and cuisine on this custom-designed, Carleton-exclusive tour of Rome and Tuscany.
Enjoy the comfort and convenience of spending five nights in Rome and five nights in Florence at centrally-located, four-star hotels. An expert tour manager and local guides assist Professor North throughout the program, allowing you to relax, learn, and savor each day.
Highlights along the way include:
- Two full days in Rome, including the ancient sites of the Colosseum, palace of Emperor Nero, House of Augustus, and Forum; and architectural treasures such as the Basilica of San Clemente, Chiesa dei Santi Quattro Coronati, Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, and Santa Maria in Trastevere.
- Tivoli’s magnificent Hadrian’s Villa and Villa d’Este, a superb Renaissance palace, both UNESCO World Heritage sites.
- Spectacular art collections in Vatican City, including St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel; and at the Borghese Gallery, housed in a 17th-century villa.
- Two full days in Florence, where a walking tour of the historic center includes the stunning Duomo (cathedral) and Michelangelo’s peerless marble sculpture of David at the Accademia Gallery. Also visit the famous Medici’s Chapels, which are masterpieces of Renaissance architecture and sculpture, and the grandiose Boboli Gardens.
- A day trip to Siena that includes a walking tour of such highlights as the marble-clad Basilica di San Domenico; Piazza del Campo, one of Italy’s most beautiful squares; and the Duomo, with its Piccolomini Library and Museum.
- A day trip to Pisa featuring the Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles), part of the UNESCO World Heritage site Piazza del Duomo, with the famous campanile (Leaning Tower); and Campo Santo, with one of the world’s largest fresco restorations.
- Special culinary experiences, such as a typical Roman kosher lunch in the Jewish Ghetto, a wine tasting dinner in Rome’s Trastevere neighborhood, lunch at a winery between Pisa and Florence, a home-hosted dinner in Florence, and a visit to Siena’s historic Caffe Nannini for a cappuccino break.
Tour Leader
William North joined the history faculty at Carleton in 1999, after receiving his PhD in medieval history from the University of California, Berkeley, and holding a post-doctoral fellowship in Byzantine Studies at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C. He has developed courses focused on the late Roman world, religion and society in the early Middle Ages, and a range of courses focused on the religious and political history of Rome. Bill has spent more than three years living in Italy and regularly co-teaches an off-campus studies program that brings together history, art history, urban studies, and religious studies in Rome, Ravenna, Venice, and Sicily; the content of this program is particularly dear to his heart.
In his scholarship and teaching, he is particularly interested in the dynamics of religious, political, and cultural encounter; the role of art and architecture in communicating political and religious ideas and identities; and the ways in which the legacies of the ancient world are preserved and re-appropriated for contemporary purposes, especially within the Mediterranean World; he recently co-led an NEH Seminar in Rome on the theme Reform and Renewal in Medieval Rome. In addition to being Professor of History at Carleton, Bill has also directed the European Studies Concentration and currently co-directs the Medieval and Renaissance Studies Concentration as well as the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program.
Prices Per Person (10 nights)
Double Occupancy (15-19 participants) $6,145
Double Occupancy (10-14 participants $6,945
Single Supplement (limited availability) $1,245
Single room supplement will be charged when requested or required (limited availability).
With fewer than 10 participants, a small group surcharge may be applied.
Itinerary
Friday, March 12, 2021: Fly to Rome
Saturday, March 13 : Ancient Rome | PM at leisure
Sunday, March 14: Tivoli: Hadrian’s Villa, Villa d’Este | Rome
Monday, March 15: Religious Rome
Tuesday, March 16: Vatican City: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica | Rome: PM at leisure, wine tasting dinner
Wednesday, March 17: Rome: Borghese Gallery | High-speed train to Florence
Thursday, March 18: Florence: Walking tour, Accademia Gallery, dinner at a local home
Friday, March 19: Florence: AM at leisure | PM Medici’s Chapels, Boboli Gardens
Saturday, March 20: Siena walking tour
Sunday, March 21: Pisa | Winery lunch | Florence: Farewell dinner
Monday, March 22: Fly home
For a more detailed description of the itinerary, download the brochure.
Additional Information
To make a reservation or for more information please call 800-811-7244 or email Carleton College Alumni Adventures.