EuropeanOperaTours

CAST:                              

Production: Guy Cassiers
Wotan/Wanderer:Rene Pape/Michael Volle/Juha Uusitalo
Siegfried: Lance Ryan/ Ian Storey
Brunnhilde: Irene Theorin
Alberich: Johannes Martin Kranzle
Siegmund: Simon O'Neill
Sieglinde: Waltraud Meier
Fricka: Ekaterina Gubanova
Fafner: Alexander Tsymbalyuk
Fasolt: Iain Paterson
Hunding/Hagen: Mikhail Petrenko
Mime: Peter Bronder
Gunther: Gerd Grochowski
Gutrune/3rd Norn: Marina Poplavskaya
Walltraute: Ivonne Fuchs/Marina Prudenskava
Donner: Ian Buchwald
Freia: Anna Samuil
Froh: Marius Vlad
Loge: Stephan Rugamer
Erda: Anna Larsson

Day 1. June 22. (D*) DEPART FOR MILAN
Depart this evening aboard any airline of your choice to Milan, Italy, arriving the next morning. Dinner and light breakfast served on your plane.

Day 2. June 23. (B,D). MILAN
Independent arrival at the Linate or Malpensa Milan Airport. We meet you for briefing and Gala Welcome Dinner at the super deluxe GRAND HOTEL et de MILAN, composer Verdi’s residence when he stayed in Milan.  www.grandhoteletdemilan.it

MILAN is just not very Italian. All the Milanese do is work, all they care about is money and they refuse to indulge in the myth of la-dolce-vita. The city has its origin from Celtic settlements, which were subdued by the Romans in 222 B.C. In 312 A.D., Emperor Constantine published the Edict of Milan making Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. In 1805, Napoleon placed the Iron Crown of the Kings of Lombardy on his own head to declare himself the Emperor. To the Milanese people, all that is past history.

Day 3. June 24. (B). MILAN
Morning sightseeing of this dynamic city. Among the sights to see are the beautiful Duomo, the world’s largest Gothic Cathedral and the third largest Catholic Church in the world, after the Vatican and in Seville. We will also visit the La Scala Museum. This evening we will see the opera DAS RHEINGOLD by Wagner.

Day 4. June 25. (B). MILAN
Morning drive around Milan to visit Verdi’s Casa di Riposo and the LAST SUPPER by Leonardo da Vinci. This evening we will see the opera DIE WALKURE by Wagner. Light meal during an intermission.

Day 5. June 26. (B,D). MILAN - BERGAMO
Today we drive northwest to Bergamo to visit the composer Donizetti’s Museum, the richly decorated church of Saint Mary Major wherein his tomb lies and the famous Colleono Chapel. We return to Milan in the afternoon. This evening we will have dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 6. June 27. (B). MILAN
Morning is free to take in the Pinacoteca di Brera or any of the fine museums in the city. This evening we will see the opera SIEGFRIED by Wagner. Light meal during an intermission.

Day 7. June 28. (B,D). MILAN
Morning drive to visit Castello Sforzesco to see the unfinished Rondanini Pieta by Michelangelo, the Capella Portinari to see the finest cycle of paintings by the Milanese artist Vicenzo Foppa and the Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio to see the precious altar font and other Lombard – Romanesque style architecture and art works. This evening we will have our Gala Farewell Dinner at a local restaurant

Day 8. June 29. (B). MILAN
Today is free to do window shopping in the city renowned as one of the four cities in the world for fashion and design. Walk down Via Manzoni in front of our hotel to Via Monte Napoleone, Via della Spiga and Corso Venezia. This evening we will see the opera GOTTERDAMMERUNG by Wagner. Light meal during an intermission.

Day 9. June 30. (B).
Fly this morning from Milan back home arriving the same afternoon. Arrividerci. See you soon on another HAT Tour

*B- Breakfast, L-Lunch, D-Dinner

LAND COST (includes all guided tours and UP FRONT ORCHESTRE SEATS (Parket level.)
Double occupancy: $5,950 per person – Single supplement: $1,250
Reservation deposit: $2,000
Balance due: March 22, 2013

• Tour includes:
• Up front orchestra level seats.
• Seven (7) nights at the Grand Hotel et de Milan. ( www.grandhoteletdemilan.it )
• Three dinners with wine in gourmet restaurants
• Three light meals during three performances
• Welcome reception and cocktails
• Guided tours conducted by our special local Milan guide.
• Entrance fees to museums
• Guide, driver, bell boys and waiters gratuities
• Travelling with the owners at your service
• Maximum 15 persons

Air fare is not included. Please make sure that your airline ticket reads from home to Milan and from Milan back home. We urge you to check airline cancellation penalties before purchasing airline tickets since international departure times and flights can change. H.A.T. Tours does not accept liability for cancellation penalties related to domestic or international airline tickets purchased independently in conjunction with this tour.

H.A.T. Tours has been conducting opera tours in Europe for the past 31 years, and is very familiar with this part of the world. Therefore, we offer special tours with many 'extras,' which comes from our long-term knowledge of the area.

Please send your deposit to:
H.A.T. Tours, PO Box 46876, St. Petersburg, Florida, 33741
Phone toll free: (800) 472-4448 – Fax: (727) 360-8459
E-mail: operas@hattours.com - www.EuropeanOperaTours.com