Italy – 2012

Join Chris and Wendy on another one of their exciting travel adventures October 19 – 27, 2012!  This time they’ll be traveling to Italy where you’ll feel the history, see the ancient sites, enjoy the amazing art and beautiful countryside and of course, taste the marvelous food and wine!

Your special tour will start in majestic Rome.  This ancient and fascinating city has so many treasures, not to mention romantic restaurants and cafes.  They’ve included a tour of the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel where you’ll see art that is beyond description!

Leave Rome and travel to Tuscany where you’ll stay in a beautiful villa near Siena.  Enjoy your time in the lovely villa – maybe do a little stitching?  There will be a full day excursion to the amazing city of Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance and Michelangelo’s home.  Visit the Academy of Fine arts and see “David”.  You’ll also have time to explore some of the lovely fabric shops that abound in Florence.

Visit Siena and soak up the history and charm of this ancient city.  If you haven’t shopped enough, Siena is a great place to find beautiful Italian pottery and other goodies to take home.  A trip to Italy would not be complete without a cooking class which we’ve also arranged, followed by lunch.

Your unique tour will be lead by a professional tour director and you will be in your own private coach.

• Non-quilters, spouses and friends are always welcome
• Chris and Wendy are planning a pre-trip project, trip project and many other special touches and surprises – all of which are optional but promise to be great fun!
• Tour including air fare priced at $4,344.00, per person. Optional travel coverage (insurance) is an additional cost.
• We expect this tour to fill fast, so please contact Chris Kirsch (clkquilt@gmail.com); Wendy Rieves (wrieves@aol.com);  or Peggy Andersen of Travel Leaders to sign up soon.  You may contact Peggy at peggy-andersen@att.net or (262)434-0343

Presented By:

Peggy Andersen and

1320 Pabst Farms Cir, Suite 110

Oconomowoc, WI 53066

Here is the current itinerary:

Fri, Oct. 19 DEPART USA FOR ROME

Depart the USA and take an overnight flight across the Atlantic. Enjoy in-flight entertainment and meal service as you travel to Rome, Italy.

 Sat, Oct. 20 ROME ARRIVAL

Welcome to Italy! Upon arrival at the airport, your escort will be waiting outside of the customs area to help you and will accompany you on your transfer to your hotel. The website for your hotel describes itself as “Starhotels Michelangelo, 4 star hotel in central Rome. Of all Rome hotels, we’re so close to the Vatican that select rooms enjoy close-up dramatic views of St Peter’s Dome. The Sistine Chapel is just steps away and we’re walking distance to many historic wonders such as the Colosseum and Castel Saint Angelo.”

http://www.starhotels.com/hotels/michelangelo/en/home.aspx. You’ll enjoy a panoramic tour of Rome on the way to the hotel. In the afternoon explore on your own and have lunch. In the evening you’ll have a welcome dinner in the hotel restaurant. DINNER & OVERNIGHT: MICHELANGELO, ROME

Sun, Oct. 21 ROME

After breakfast take a guided tour of the Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel. Your detailed visit begins with the Corte della Pigna. Visit the Hall featuring Greco-Romansculptures, the Hall of Tapestries with its magnificent 16th Century Flemish tapestriesexecuted from Raphael’s designs, and the 120-feet long Maps Gallery hung with priceless ancient maps. Your tour concludes at the Sistine Chapel, gem among gems,and the Pope’s official private chapel where election conclaves are held, with Michelangelo’s `Creation’ and the famous `Last Judgement’. Exit the chapel at the westernmost end of St. Peter’s Square, one of the world’s most beautiful and famous public spaces. The balance of the day and evening are at leisure for independent sightseeing, shopping and dining. OVERNIGHT: MICHELANGELO, ROME

Mon, Oct. 22 GREVE IN CHIANTI & SIENA

Depart Rome and journey northwest through the scenic Italian countryside. Stop in Greve in Chianti and enjoy sightseeing with your Tour Escort. Enjoy an early dinner at a local restaurant in Greve. Then drive south to Siena, the pearl of Tuscany, and check into your villa http://www.borgosanluigi.it OVERNIGHT: BORGO SAN LUIGI, SIENA

Tue, Oct. 23 SIENA SIGHTSEEING

After breakfast this morning travel to Siena to enjoy a tour of the city and see the principal sights and learn some of its interesting history. Notice the medieval ramparts where you are greeted with the Latin inscription `Cor Magis Tibi Sena Pandit’ (Siena opens its heart to you). Siena is a mystical, gentle and passionate art center. Visit St. Catherine’s shrine in her family home, where she was born in 1347 and well known as the medieval saint of Italy and Doctor of the Church. Also visit Siena’s Cathedrale di Santa Maria, better known as the Duomo –  a gleaming marble treasury of Gothic art from the 13th and 14th centuries. After your tour, spend the balance of the day free before returning to your villa for dinner. DINNER & OVERNIGHT: BORGO SAN LUIGI, SIENA

Wed, Oct. 24  SIENA AREA, COOKING DEMONSTRATION & FREE TIME

This morning you will travel to the Scuola de Cucina de Lella

http://www.scuoladicucinadilella.net for a two-hour cooking demonstration which will be followed by a light lunch. The balance of the afternoon and evening are at leisure for independent activities and dining. OVERNIGHT: BORGO SAN LUIGI, SIENA

Thu, Oct. 25 FLORENCE SIGHTSEEING & ROME

Depart Siena this morning and travel north for a city sightseeing tour of Florence, a city of artistic wealth and beauty. Start your tour at the beautiful Piazza Del Duomo to see the patterned green, white and pink Cathedral of Santa Maria Del Fiore, crowned by Brunelleschi. See Giotto’s Bell Tower and the Romanesque Baptistery of St. John with the exquisite bronze doors by Ghiberti (referred to as ‘The Gates of Paradise’ by Michelangelo). Visit the famous Academy of Fine Arts to view “David”. Spend some time at leisure in Florence to visit local fabric shops on your own before travelling south through the medieval Tuscan towns of Montalcino and Montepulciano to the heart of the Tuscan wine region. Continue to the Eternal City of Rome, where both glorious success and shameful defeat have left visible traces throughout, and check into your hotel. In the evening you are free to choose from the many restaurants that Rome has to offer. OVERNIGHT: MICHELANGELO, ROME

Fri, Oct. 26 ROME AT LEISURE

Enjoy the day at leisure to explore the city on your own, and maybe do some last minute shopping. Nowhere more than in Rome can one get a sense of the continuity of Italian civilization. In the streets or on the piazza, in the gardens and churches, or in front of the palaces, the visitor will understand why Rome has always considered itself a capital, eternally renewing herself and finding strength in her rich past. OVERNIGHT: MICHELANGELO, ROME

Sat, Oct. 27 RETURN TO THE UNITED STATES

Sadly, today your Italian vacation has come to its final day. Transfer to Rome Airport in good time to check in for your flight. You may do some last minute shopping at the duty free stores. Then board your plane and fly back to the USA.

Here’s a bit about their most recent adventure to Ireland in 2010!

Chris and Wendy have led six Sew-We-Go quilting adventures. Their most recent was an 8-day trip through the emerald hills of Ireland. From Galway to Dublin, 24 quilting companions shared beautiful scenery, wonderful food and the warm welcome of the Irish Patchwork Society.

For more information on Sew-We-Go trips, contact Chris today.