SOUNDS OF NORTHERN ITALY - 2009
Turin, Verona, Venice, Bologna and Milan

Visit Bergamo (Birthplace of Donizetti), Mantova and Ravenna.

Opera performances:
In Turin:
23 April - DON PASQUALE by Donizetti at Teatro Regio di Torino
In Venice:
26 April - MARIA STUARDA by Donizetti at Teatro La Fenice.
In Bologna:
29 April – RIGOLETTO by Verdi at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna
In Milan:
30 April – IL VIAGGIO A REIMS by Rossini at LA SCALA

Departure: 21 April 2009 – 12 Days. Return: 2 May 2009

LAND COST: (includes orchestra level seats in the theaters listed above)
Double occupancy: $5,250 per person - Single supplement: $1,150
Deposit: $750 per person - Balance due ten (10) weeks prior to departure.

Day 1. – April 21. (D)*. TURIN
Depart this evening aboard any airline of your choice to Turin, Italy. Dinner and light breakfast served on the plane.

Day 2. – April 22. (B,D). TURIN
Independent arrival in Turin. We meet you at the centrally located GRAND HOTEL SITEA, where we stay two nights. Briefing and Gala Welcome Dinner at the hotel.

Day 3. - April 23. (B). TURIN
Morning sightseeing of this elegant and prosperous city begins with a drive along the wide Via Roma Avenue from the 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. This evening we will see the opera DON PASQUALE by Donizetti at the Teatro Regio di Torino.

Turin is to Italy what Detroit is to U.S.A. It is here that the Italian motor industry, reprensented 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 ara nearby, with the famous Vermouths of Martini and Cinzano, accompanied by good cooking of the region give the people a certain sense of being connoisseurs, which is unique in Italy.

Day 4.  April 24. (B,D). BERGAMO - VERONA
This morning we drive east 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 Verona where we stay two nights at the centrally located HOTEL ACCADEMIA. Dinner at the hotel.

Day 5. – April 25. (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 16 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 season.

Day 6. April 26. (B). MANTOVA - VENICE
This morning we drive south to stop in Mantova to see the "House of Rigoletto" and visit the little theater, where the composer Monteverdi first conducted his opera "The Legend of Orpheus" in 1607, and the Ducal Palace to see the superb frescoes painted by Mantegna. We continue our drive east to arrive in Venice, where we stay two nights at the centrally located HOTEL DELL'OPERA. This evening we see the opera MARIA STUARDA by Donizetti at Gran Teatro La Fenice.

Day 7. – April 27. (B,D). VENICE
Morning sightseeing of this fascinating city between the sea and the sky are the Basilica of St. Marks, the Doges Palace, Rialto Bridge and St. Mary of Salvation church. Afternoon free to stroll along the Grand Canal or see the Guggenheim Museum. Dinner at one of the fine Venetian restaurants.

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 (1678-1743).

Day 8. – April 28. (B,D). RAVENNA – BOLOGNA
Today we drive south to Ravenna to see the famous Mausoleum of Galla Placida and the church of Vitalis with the beautiful bright mosaics dating to the 5 century. Afternoon drive to Bologna, where we stay two nights at the deluxe ROYAL HOTEL CARLTON. Dinner at the hotel.

RAVENNA remained the capital of the Western Roman Empire until 455 A.D., when Rome again became the center, only to have the Western Empire come to an end under the invasion by the barbarians. However, the eastern Byzantium (now Istanbul) and Ravenna were recaptured by forces of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian. It was during this period that the famous churches were built here and they contain the finest surviving Byzantine mosaics in the world.

Day 9. – APRIL 29. (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. This evening we will see the opera RIGOLETTO by Verdi at Teatro Communale di Bologna.

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. She was so beautiful that she lectured from behind a screen so as not to distract the students.

Day 10. – APRIL 30. (B). MILAN
This morning we drive west to arrive in Milan, where we stay two nights at the centrally located HOTEL DE LA VILLE. In the evening we will see the opera IL VIAGGO A REIMS by Rossini at the Teatro alla Scala.

Day 11. – May 01. (B,D). MILAN
Morning sightseeing of this dynamic city. Among the sights to see are the beautiful Gothic Cathedral and Verdi’s house where he worked and died. Afternoon free to take in the Pinacoteca di Brera or any of the other fine museums in the city. Gala Farewell Dinner at the hotel.

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 12. – May 02. (B). MILAN – BACK HOME
Fly this morning from Milan 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 Turin and Milan back to U.S.A.  We urge you to check airline cancellation penalties before purchasing airline tickets since international departure times and flights can change. Tours can be cancelled due to low enrolment.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. 

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