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Italy

Italian Art, Italian Wine: New Spirit in an Age-Old Alliance

Program No. 25698RJ
Italian wineries are embracing the arts and turning agricultural regions into thriving ecosystems that engage all the senses. Explore pioneering vineyards in Tuscany and beyond!
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Start
Food & WineSmall GroupNew
Length
10 days
Rating
New
Activity Level
Starts at
5,999
Special Offer
Flights start at
950
Itinerary
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. Read More.
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
10 days
9 nights
What's Included
17 meals ( 8B, 4L, 5D )
2 expert-led lectures
10 expert-led field trips
1 hands-on experience
An experienced Group Leader
8 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
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Activity Note
Hotel check-in from 3:00 p.m. Remember to bring your nametag.
Afternoon:
After checking in at the hotel and getting your room, take some time to freshen up and relax before our Orientation session. Orientation: 6:00 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. We will learn from the Group Leader as well as local experts who will give lectures and lead field trips; we will also participate in a cooking class led by a local chef. Program-related transportation will be primarily via motorcoach unless specified otherwise, necessitating ascending/descending a few steps. Meals will include wine, coffee, and water with other beverages available for purchase. Periods in the daily schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. During the winter months, some stores are closed during the afternoon hours. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/weather conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. We’ll then enjoy a welcome cocktail together at the hotel before dinner.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the full day ahead.
Activity Note
Walking about 2.5 miles, approximately 2 hours total for the day, Standing up to 1 hour; generally, cobblestone streets, stone-paved alleys, and slight inclines typical of a medieval hilltop town. Some areas are uneven and may involve short uphill stretches and a few steps. Extent and duration of walking and other activities during free time according to personal choice.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will begin our learning adventure in Siena with an expert-led walking field trip through the historical center starting from the S. Domenico Church. Siena, a Gothic Dream, is a town of a thousand colors, rich in history and culture and with a medieval charm that is still almost intact today. UNESCO defined it as "a masterpiece of dedication and inventiveness in which the buildings were designed to adapt to the overall design of the urban structure" and in 1995 inscribed it in the World Heritage List for having skillfully preserved important characteristics of its medieval structure: a historic center delimited by ancient bastions built between the 14th and 16th centuries and a main square, Piazza del Campo, which leaves visitors speechless with the number of monuments and places to admire. The history of Siena begins as a Roman military colony at the time of Emperor Augustus, but it is only from the 10th century that Siena began to acquire great political and economic importance. Great artists such as Duccio di Boninsegna, Simone Martini and the Lorenzetti brothers had the opportunity to express their art in the city. In 1240 the University of Siena was founded with the Schools of Medicine and Law, one of the oldest universities in the world. We will follow the path of Francigena route, along which we can admire medieval buildings and squares such as the headquarter of "Monte dei Paschi", the Palazzo Tomonei and Palazzo Chigi Saracini. We will visit with our local expert the Santa Maria Assunta Cathedral and we will enjoy an on-site lecture on Siena Romanesque-Gothic Architecture.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
Free time. This period of time has been set aside for your personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Please note that the period scheduled for free time is subject to change depending on local circumstances and opportunities for independent exploration.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 45 miles throughout the day, approximately 1.5 hours total riding time. Walking about 1.5 miles, approximately 1 hour total for the day. Walking and standing on uneven surface and may involve short uphill stretches and on gravel paths. There are 10 steps without handrails to enter in the winery.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We board our motorcoach and ride with our Group Leader to Castello di Ama, a microcosm of time, history, nature, and art. It's a small refuge on a hill, immersed in the surrounding mystical and enchanting landscape. Its gardens are a backdrop to 14 site-specific works and installations by 13 international artists. In the now distant 1999, the idea to start a “Contemporary Art Project” was to add a piece of art to the collection every year, following the yearly cycle of the grape harvest. The Contemporary Art Project has one goal: to place the artist in the role of the winemaker, from the raw material, the place as well as the grapes- to create something that goes beyond time. All the artists who have participated so far, starting with Pistoletto and Kapoor, Louis Bourgeois and Chen Zen, have joined in a shared view of art for the community, inspired by the land and the wine, respecting the natural rhythms of the harvest. These works make Castello di Ama an open-air contemporary art museum, uniting art, territory, and winemaking tradition. We will begin the visit with the staffer with a walk in the village of Ama, from the historical part to the productive one, passing through the world of Contemporary Art. We will enjoy the tasting experience which best represents the essence of the microcosm of Castello di Ama: starting from the immediacy of the “Montebuoni” Riserva, the journey continues with the super Tuscan blend of “haiku” with the aim of preparing the noise, mouth and spirit of the majestic “Castello di Ama San Lorenzo 2018”, the most representative “Chianti Classico Gran Selezione”. We will then ride to Gaiole in Chianti.
Lunch:
At a restaurant in Gaiole in Chianti.
Afternoon:
We will visit with our Group Leader the village. We will then return to the hotel.
Dinner:
On your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 85 miles, approximately 2.5 hours total riding time. Walking about 2.5 miles; approximately 1 hour throughout the day; generally flat terrain with some hilly sections.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will board the motorcoach and head to Volterra, a jewel of Etruscan and medieval art, dominating the Cecina and Era valleys from a hill, just over 30 km from the Tyrrhenian coast. Volterra, originally Velathri, is characterized by magical and, at times, enigmatic aspects also because of the ancient legends that have always accompanied it. It is said, in fact, that Volterra was one of the first cities to be populated by witches and vampires. Its history is long, dating back to the Neolithic, but it was the 5th and 4th centuries BC that brought it into history books and legends. In the 13th century it took on the urban layout that makes it one of the best preserved and legible Italian municipal cities. We will begin our learning adventure with the local expert to discover unexpected corners of the town. We will walk along its paved streets and relive its history: we pass the Porta dell'Arco, one of the most important testimonies of Etruscan Volterra, and arrive in Piazza dei Priori, one of the most beautiful medieval squares in Italy, dominated by the Palazzo dei Priori, symbol of municipal power.
Lunch:
On your own in Volterra. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.
Afternoon:
We will ride to San Gimignano, the medieval charm of a city among towers. San Gimignano is probably the best-preserved medieval village in the world, and in fact since 1990 it has become part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The village had been inhabited since Etruscan times, in the 3rd century BC. Probably due to its hilly position in the heart of the Val d'Elsa, it became a stop along the route of the Via Francigena, of which there is evidence as early as 929. Shortly after 1100 San Gimignano managed to obtain independence from the church and under the Ghibellines it reached its period of maximum splendor. Of the original 72 towers, only 14 remain standing. Hence the well-deserved nickname "Manhattan of the Middle Ages". The towers, built by the most powerful families, were the ancestors of today's skyscrapers which are erected by the richest men and the most listed companies in the world. We will embark with the local expert on a walk through the town. We will then return to the hotel.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 86 miles throughout the day, approximately 2.5 hours total riding time. Walking about 1.5 miles, approximately 1 hour total for the day. Walking and standing on uneven surface and may involve short uphill stretches and on gravel paths.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will board our private motorcoach and ride to Montalcino, UNESCO Heritage Site. This medieval village was reborn in the middle of the 19th century, when Ferruccio Biondi Santi revolutionized local wine production, elevating Brunello di Montalcino to the level of quality of French wines. It still maintains the same atmosphere as it used to be. We will stroll with our Group Leader through the alleys admiring the Town Hall, the arcades of the Piazza del Popolo and the Church of Saint Egidio, and the houses in sand tones and terracotta roofs are a worthwhile experience. We will then ride to the Tenuta di CastelGiocondo, a haven of peace and nature, where an intimate and elegant atmosphere blends harmoniously with Tuscan traditions, the rolling landscape, and the surrounding vineyards.
Lunch:
At the winery, we will enjoy the “Four Delicacy Experience” tasting: 5 Frescobaldi wines along with the Chef´s selection which includes appetizer, starter, main course and dessert.
Afternoon:
We will visit with a staffer the winery. The estate is famous for the “Artists for Frescobaldi” project. The initiative draws inspiration from the long-standing tradition of art patronage that has seen the historic Tuscan Frescobaldi family accompany the work of illustrious artists such as Filippo Brunelleschi and Donatello since the Renaissance. Frescobaldi’s estate in Montalcino invites young artists to create works that capture the "genius loci" of CastelGiocondo immersed in a natural setting characterized by Brunello vineyards and woodland. In recent years, the "Artists for Frescobaldi" project has evolved first into a biennial award and then into a commission of site-specific works dedicated to the region and the world of wine. This has resulted in a collection of twenty permanent installations displayed throughout the Estate, as well as a line of artist labels for a limited-edition magnum of Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Ripe al Convento. With the seventh edition of the award, this collection is enriched with two new contemporary artworks that explore the relationship between humans and the environment, created by Giulia Cenci (Cortona, 1988) and Sunmin Park (Seoul), artists of different generations and backgrounds, who spent a period of residency in the Tuscan hills, exploring nature and the wine-growing landscape, and drawing visual and conceptual inspiration from it. We will then return to the hotel.
Dinner:
On your own what you like.
Evening:
At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 264 miles throughout the day, approximately 4.5 hours total riding time. Walking about 1.5 miles; approximately 1 hour between walking and standing on flat terrain
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
After checking out of the hotel, we will board our private motorcoach and transfer to Castelfranco Veneto. During the ride we will enjoy a lecture on the History of Italian wines and the characteristics of grape varieties in Tuscany, Lombardy, and Veneto held by our Group Leader. We will stop en route at Verona, most famous as the hometown of Shakespeare’s tragic couple Romeo and Juliet. Founded by an ancient tribe, Verona became a Roman colony in 89 B.C.E., and you can still see traces of the ancient civilization (the city is even called "little Rome"). In fact, the Arena of Verona is the world’s third-largest surviving Roman amphitheater, and every summer it hosts the city’s renowned opera festival.
Lunch:
On your own in Verona. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.
Afternoon:
We will visit the historic center with our Group Leader. We will then continue our transfer; we expect to arrive in Castelfranco Veneto in the late afternoon and check in to our final hotel.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 222 miles throughout the day, approximately 4 hours total riding time. Walking about 0.5 miles, approximately 1/2 hour. Walking and standing on uneven surface and may involve short uphill stretches and on gravel paths. There are 2 spiral staircases to reach the cellars, no elevator. Extent and duration of walking and other activities during free time according to personal choice.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
Via motorcoach, we will ride to the Ca' del Bosco winery. It has become a place to promote beauty and support young artists, demonstrating the added value of a cultural approach connected to the world of wine. Wine is culture, and the connection with artistic imagination makes the space a meeting place between nature, thought, and culture. Ca' del Bosco is accessed through the work commissioned from Arnaldo Pomodoro, the “Solar Gate”, representing an emblematic gateway to the vineyards and the entire Estate. The Solar Gate does not only function as a portal, but also enshrine the relationship between wine and art, since "art is also making quality wine." The entire art collection of Ca’ del Bosco is distributed primarily throughout the grounds of the Winery, which hosts site-specific creations that bring art into dialogue with its surroundings, opening the world of winemaking to new stimuli and languages, capable of piquing the curiosity of visitors. Ca’ del Bosco winery offers a unique, immersive corporate experience that blends winemaking education, art appreciation, and luxurious hospitality. The "essence" of the experience lies in its commitment to excellence, blending artisanal care with state-of-the-art technology. The private visit involves a journey through the "city of wine," including walking through long, subterranean cellars, the barrique room, and the production areas. We will witness the "Ca' del Bosco Method," which emphasizes attention to detail and a balance of tradition and innovation in producing their renowned Franciacorta sparkling wines. More than a visit, the experience is a journey of discovery, revealing the secrets of a passion that surprises, moves, and astonishes in every detail. The visit with the staffer culminates in professional wine tastings of prestige bottles, paired with local delicacies, allowing to savor the high quality and unique aromatic profiles of the wines.
Lunch:
At a nearby restaurant in Erbusco.
Afternoon:
We will return to the hotel, and the afternoon will be free time. Castelfranco is a small town with impressive mediaeval walls that surround the historic center and represent the town's fortified past. It is the town of famous painter “Giorgione”.
Dinner:
On your own to enjoy what you like.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 29 miles throughout the day, approximately 1 hour total riding time. Walking about 1 mile between the villa and the garden, approximately 1.5 hours on uneven surfaces. Extent and duration of walking and other activities during free time according to personal choice.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
Free time.
Lunch:
On your own.
Afternoon:
We will board our private motorcoach and ride to Crocetta del Montello and visit Villa Sandi, another Italian winery that stands out for its support of the arts. Villa Sandi is the cornerstone of that special bond that exists between art and agriculture. Located where Prosecco Valdobbiadene DOCG and Montello DOC are produced, the winery found a home in a magnificent Palladian villa, a work of art dating back to 1622. Thanks to the commitment and passion of its owners, the Moretti Polegato family, Villa Sandi confirms its cultural commitment and ties to Venice by passionately supporting the programming and initiatives of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. The entrance is an elegant alley sided by statues of the popular Venetian sculptor Orazio Marinali, whose works decorate also the gable and the backyard. A massive pronaos, sustained by four Ionian columns, adorns the main part of the building, on each side of which two elegant Barchesse and a small chapel stand. We will visit with the staffer the secular underground galleries, and barriques and enjoy the viewing of an emotional video, followed by the tasting of Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Docg Brut, Asolo Prosecco. We will then ride to the Locanda Sandi for a cooking class set in the enchanting hilly scenery of Valdobbiadene village. The cooking class will be held by a professional chef who will offer us the opportunity to learn how to prepare a traditional local dishes.
Dinner:
At the restaurant, we will enjoy the results of our cooking lesson. Share favorite experiences and enjoy camaraderie with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.
Evening:
Returning to the hotel. Be sure to prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.
Activity Note
Hotel check-out by 11:00 a.m. See your program’s “Getting There” information regarding transfers.
Breakfast:
At the hotel depending on departure time. This concludes our program.
Morning:
If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on another rewarding program in the future. Don’t forget to like our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!
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