Mosaic Traditions of Italy

DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY

Day 1 - Depart USA
Overnight trans-Atlantic flight to Venice, Italy.

Day 2 - Arrive Venice, Italy
Tour begins at 2pm at the Palace Bonvecchiati Hotel which will be our home for two nights. We will meet in the lobby at the hotel for an afternoon introductory tour of Venice.

At the end of the walking tour of Venice, you have an option to visit the Palace of The Doges, Venice.

Day 3 - Venice
Tour of the Ghetto This morning after breakfast, Claire Simmons, Jewish Scholar in Residence, will speak to us about the Legacy of the Ghetto, the physical and spiritual home that sustained the Jewish community from 1515 until 1848. Venice is the only Italian city where one can find an intact Jewish ghetto. The Ghetto Nuovo has remained essentially unchanged since its founding in 1515. We will have a one way transfer by boat to the ghetto and visit the two Ashkenazi, the Sephardic and the Levantine synagogues. We will learn of famous Jewish physicians, philosophers, poets, commentators and Kabbalists who contributed to Venetian culture and history.

In the afternoon, there will be leisure time to explore the sights and sounds of this floating city.

Day 4 - Venice–Ferrara–Nonantola– Florence
This morning we will board our bus, depart from Venice and head towards Tuscany and Florence. Along the way we will stop in Ferara, a city in which Jews flourished from the 13th to the 15th centuries. We will visit the ghetto and the fabulous synagogue of Ferrara.

Our next stop will be Nanatola, a small farming village that was a refuge for 107 Jewish children orphaned during the Nazi occupation of Europe from 1941–1944. We will learn about the Villa Emma Foundation that was established in Nonatola to promote peace and Holocaust education. Then we continue through the Tuscany countryside to the city of Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance.

Upon arrival in Florence, we will check into the Hotel Helvetia & Bristol, our home for the next four nights.

Day 5 - Sienna
Today we drive through the Chianti vineyards to the medieval city of Sienna. Jews have lived here since the beginning of the 13th century and Sienna served as the center of Jewish scholarship in the 16th century. We will visit the synagogue that was built in 1786 and view the ghetto fountain, one of the few remaining relics from the ghetto. We will have a free time this afternoon to explore this wonderful city.

Day 6 - Florence Sightseeing
After breakfast, Claire will introduce us to the Jewish influence of the Florence Renaissance. We will then start our walking tour of the Jewish Ghetto, which dates back to the late 14th century and early 15th century. We will walk the streets and squares that were once within the walls of the ghetto and visit the synagogue of Florence, which opened in 1882. It was built in the Moorish style inspired by Constantinople’s Byzantine Church of Hagia Sophia. The Nazis used this synagogue to house military equipment. On the second floor of the synagogue we will visit a Jewish Museum that houses a rich collection of Judaica.

This afternoon we will be at leisure, perhaps to visit the Fine Arts Academy and see the famous David by Michelangelo, or to stroll along the River Arno and walk across the Ponte Vecchio Bridge.

This evening you may choose to join us for the shabbat services at the synagogue and a shabbat dinner afterwards with the members of the Jewish community.

Day 7 - Florence
This morning there will be free time before our afternoon tour of the Uffizi Gallery with an art historian. The Museum is housed in a Renaissance palace of the Medici. Highlights of the collection include the Boticelli Room, Da Vinci’s Annunciation, and the Medici Venus. It is considered to be one of the finest art museums in the world.

Day 8 - Pitigliano
This morning we drive to Pitigliano, a beautiful ancient town completely built in stone, on top of a remote hill in the most unspoiled part of Tuscany. Pitigliano was once a glorious Jewish community. We will visit a perfectly restored synagogue, the rooms of an ancient yeshiva, the Mikva, the bakery, the butcher shop, an old cemetery and a kosher winery. We will drink and toast “Le’chaim!” to the Jewish people. Pitigliano was nicknamed “La Piccola Gerusalemme” (little Jerusalem) because of its once large and thriving Jewish community and the shape and color of its hills and walls.

Departing Pitigliano, we will head towards Rome, the Eternal City, and check in to the Hotel Capo d’Africa, our home for the next three nights.

Day 9 - Rome, Vatican City
We will have an early start this morning for our tour of the Vatican and see the Jewish historical relics housed there.

This afternoon, optional Ancient Rome Tour.

Day 10 - The Jewish Ghetto
This morning a walking tour through the Jewish Ghetto which was created on the 26th of July 1556 when Pope Paul IV Caraffa ordered the Jews to be forcibly moved to the area around the Portico d’Ottavia. We will visit the Great Synagogue, which was consecrated in 1904 and houses the Museum of Jewish Culture. Our guide will take us through the medieval streets where many Jews still live and we will see Deportation Square where Jews were deported to the ghettos and death camps of Eastern Europe.

The rest of the day we will be at leisure to enjoy the grandeur of this wonderful city. Cross the Ponte Fabrizio Bridge to Tiber Island, and you will find a lovely central square where the church of San Bartolomeo was built on the ruins of the temple of Asclepius. From there you can cross the Ponte Cestio Bridge to the Trastevere area, a bohemian quarter which still retains its medieval character. Or head north to the Piazza Mattei, a lovely square with some of the most wonderful fountains in Rome. From the rooftops of some of the public buildings along this square you can enjoy a great view of the Jewish Quarter. From there you can walk up to the Piazzo Campo dei Fiori and just beyond that to Via dei Cappellari, a narrow medieval street overflowing with craftsman and their works. You can continue north to the Via dei Coronari where elegant antiques are sold.

Tonight we will gather for a farewell wine and cheese party. (On the rooftop of our hotel - weather permitting)

Day 11 - Departure for the USA
Today we say “arrivederci” to Rome and transfer to the Rome Rome Leonardo Da Vinci Airport airport for our return flight home.

Note: Above itinerary and hotels are subject to change. Please note this trip involves considerable walking uphill on uneven and cobble stone streets.

TERMS CONDITONS AND CANCELLATION PENALTIES

DEPOSIT: A deposit in the amount of $1,500 per person is due at time of registration. Tour registration is limited to 28 guests. Due to the small group size, registrations will be accepted on a first come first served basis. Upon receipt of the deposit payment, Jewish History Study Tours will send you a written confirmation along with a final payment invoice.

FINAL PAYMENT: Final payment will be due by 90 days prior to departure date. Final payment can be made by a check or any major credit card.

• This tour is based on a minimum participation of 25 tour members. If participants are less than 25, Jewish History Study Tours reserves the right to increase the tour price. If the tour price increases and you wish to cancel the tour, you will be able to cancel without penalty.
• Tour registration form must be completed accurately.
• Tour itinerary is subject to change at any time.

CANCELLATION PENALTIES: Cancellations made to the tour will be subject to the following penalties:

• Cancellations received more than 90 days prior to departure date is subject to a $500 penalty.
• Cancellations received between 89-45 days prior to departure date are subject to a $1,500.00 penalty.
• Cancellations received 44 days or less prior to departure is subject to 100% penalty.

CANCELLATION INSURANCE: Tour cancellation insurance is highly recommended. Premiums are available upon request.

VISAS: All TOUR PARTICIPANTS that are not US Citizens are responsible to obtain the necessary visas. Travel-On will gladly advise you of the required visas based on the country which you hold a passport for.