SOUNDS OF NORTHERN ITALY - 2010

Bologna, Venice, Verona, Milan and Turin

Visit Modena, Ravenna, Vicenza and Bergamo (birthplace of Donizetti)

Opera performances:
In Bologna:
23 May. MATTHAUS PASSION by J.S. Bach at Teatro Comunale.
In Venice:
25 May. DON GIOVANNI by Mozart at Teatro La Fenice
In Milan:
29 May. DAS RHEINGOLD by Wagner at La Scala, Daniel Barenboim conducting.
In Turin:
30 May. LA BOHEME by Puccini at Teatro Regio di Torino.

Departure from U.S.A.: 20 May 2010 - 13 Days. Return: 01 June 2010

LAND COST: (includes orchestra level seats in the theaters listed above)
Double occupancy: $5,450 per person - Single supplement: $1,150
Deposit: $750 per person - Balance due ten (10) weeks prior to departure.

Single Single occupancy $6,600.00 Single occupancy ex. deposit $5,850.00 Deposit $750.00

Double Double occupancy per person $5,450.00 Double occupancy ex. deposit per person $4,700.00 Deposit per person $750.00

Day 1. May 20. (D)*. UNITED STATES - BOLOGNA
Depart this evening aboard any airline of your choice to Bologna, Italy. Dinner and light breakfast served on the plane.

Day 2. May 21. (B,D). BOLOGNA
Independent arrival in Bologna. We meet you at the deluxe ROYAL CARLTON HOTEL, where you will stay for three nights. Briefing and Gala Welcome Dinner at the hotel.

Day 3. May 22. (B). BOLOGNA
Morning sightseeing of this city, built predominantly of red bricks, to include Piazza Major and Neptune's Fountain, the Basilica of Saint Petronio and the two very tall towers rising high above the old buildings. We visit the University of Bologna to see the operation theater where medicine was first taught in the western world. Afternoon at leisure.

BOLOGNA is one of Italy's oldest cultural cities. It was settled by the Etruscans before the Romans got there in 189 B.C., followed by barbaric tribes, the Huns and the Lombards. Europe's oldest university was founded here in 1088 and it had the honor of having the first woman as a professor. It is said that she was so beautiful that she lectured from behind a screen so as not to distract the students.

Day 4. May 23. (B). MODENA, PARMA - BOLOGNA
Full day excursion will be made to first visit MODENA, where Luciano Pavarotti was born, to see one of the finest Romanesque cathedrals in Italy, on the Unesco World Heritage list and witness the Balsamica festival. We continue our journey west to PALMA, to visit VERDI country, the humble house where he was born, his childhood home and the house where he married his pupil, Margherita, now turned into a museum. Afternoon return to Bologna. This evening we will see the concert MATTHAUS PASSION by J.S. Bach at the Teatro Comunale.

Day 5. May 24. (B,D). RAVENNA - VENICE
Today we drive east to RAVENNA to see the famous Mausoleum of Galla Placida and the church of Vitallis decorated with the most beautiful bright mosaics, dating to the 5th century. In the afternoon we drive to Venice, where we stay two nights at the centrally located HOTEL de la FENICE. Dinner at the hotel. 

Day 6. May 25. (B). VENICE
Morning sightseeing of this fascinating city between the sea and the sky. Among the sights are the Basilica of St. Marks, the Dodges Palace, Rialto Bridge and St. Mary of Salvation church. Afternoon free to stroll along the Grand Canal or see the Guggenheim Museum. This evening we will see the opera DON GIOVANNI by Mozart at the Teatro la Fenice.

VENICE built on 117 islands has 15 canals and 400 bridges. The famous gondolas have been the traditional means of transport for centuries. Venice has a reputation for intrigue, politics and arts. Its school of paintings exemplified by Bellini, Lotto, Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto and Canaletto later influenced the Impressionists. Among its musicians was Antonio Vivaldi (1676-1743).

Day 7. May 26. (B,D). VICENZA - VERONA
Today we drive west to first visit VICENZA to see some of the architectural masterpieces created by Andrea di Pietro, alias Palladio. Afternoon arrival in Verona, where we will stay two nights at the centrally located HOTEL ACCADEMIA. Dinner at the hotel.

Palladio, born in Padua in 1508, began his career as a stonemason in Vicenza, where he became a protégé of a nobleman who directed his architectural training and took him on many trips through Italy. Before he died in 1580, he became the most influential architect in the world, ever. "The Four Books of Architecture" written by him and published in 1570, are still used in colleges today. They have been both inspiration and guidance to many, including Thomas Jefferson when he built his home at Monticello, VA.

Day 8. May 27. (B). VERONA
Morning sightseeing tour of this red- and ochre-colored city to include the Balcony of Romeo and Juliet, the lively Piazza delle Erbe with its open-air market, the Tomb of the Scaligers, the Old Castle and the Arena. Afternoon at leisure.

VERONA was the setting of the balls, the secret marriage and the balcony where Romeo and Juliet said their farewells around 1300, as immortalized by Shakespeare in his play. Enclosed in its 16th century fortifications, Verona is regarded as the key to Northern Italy. The nucleus of the old town includes pleasant squares connected by alleys and arcaded passageways. The St. Zeno Major Church is one of the finest Romanesque churches in Northern Italy. The 12th century doors under the entrance show scenes from the Old and the New Testaments in expressive ways. The Arena, which can accommodate 25,000 spectators, draws large crowds of opera lovers during the summer season.

Day 9. May 28. (B.D). BERGAMO - MILAN
This morning we drive west to stop first in BERGAMO to visit the famous Colleoni Chapel and the church of St. Mary Major, wherein lies the composer Donizetti's tomb, and which is richly decorated with many beautiful works of art. We continue our journey to Milan where we stay two nights at the centrally located HOTEL de la VILLE. Dinner at the hotel.

Day 10. May 29. (B). MILAN
Morning sightseeing of this dynamic city. Among the sights to see is the beautiful Duomo, the world's largest Gothic Cathedral and the third largest catholic church in the world - after the Vatican and in Seville. Afternoon free to take in the Pinacoteca di Brera or any of the other museums in the city. This evening we will see the opera DAS RHEINGOLD by Richard Wagner in La Scala, with Daniel Barenboim conducting.

MILAN is just not very Italian. All the Milanese do is work, make 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 just history.

Day 11. May 30. (B). TURIN
Today drive west to arrive in Turin, the first capital city of unified Italy, in 1860. We stay two nights at the centrally located GRAND HOTEL SITEA. This evening we will see the opera LA BOHEME by Puccini at the Teatro Regio di Torino.

Day 12. May 31. (B,D). TURIN
Morning sightseeing of this elegant and prosperous city begins with a drive along the wide Via Roma Avenue from Piazza San Carlo, showing a graceful example of city planning laid out in the 17 century, with the churches of San Carlo and Santa Christina symmetrically placed on the south end and the Cathedral placed at the north end. We will visit the Cathedral San Giovanni, where behind the high alter is the Chapel of the much-contested Holy Shroud. Gala Farewell Dinner at the hotel.

Turin is to Italy what Detroit is to the U.S.A. It is here that the Italian motor industry, represented by Fiat and Lancia, was born. The textile and leather industries are also highly developed here. Yet, the city center is lined with arcades, beneath which are attractive shops selling highly reputed articles made in Turin itself. The wines of the Piedmont are nearby and with the famous vermouths of Martini and Cinzano, accompanied by the good cooking of the region, give its people a certain sense of being connoisseurs.

Day 13. June 01. (B). TURIN - BACK HOME
Fly this morning from Turin back home arriving the same afternoon. Arrividerci. See you on another H.A.T. Tour.

*B-Breakfast, L-Lunch, D-Dinner (including wine)

Airfare is not included. Individuals make their own flight arrangements. Please make sure that your airline ticket reads: U.S.A. to Bologna and Turin 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 international airline tickets purchased independently in conjunction with this tour.

The group is limited to fifteen persons maximum. The Managing Director Grethe Arani and/or Aspee Arani will personally escort this tour. Local English-speaking guides are provided in each of the cities visited.

Please send your deposit to:
H.A.T. Tours
PO Box 46876, St. Petersburg, FL 33741
Phone toll free (800) 472-4448 or Fax (727) 360-8459
gnahat@EuropeanOperaTours.com
www.EuropeanOperaTours.com