Meet fellow travelers for an orientation walk through the heart of Milan. Stroll past Teatro La Scala, through Milan’s elegant Galleria, past the gothic Cathedral, the church of S. Satiro, a jewel of the Early Renaissance architecture and a visit to the Ambrosiana for the highlights of the collection. 

Enjoy a glass of prosecco and a welcome dinner at a nearby restaurant. 
(R,D) 

Head outside of Milan for a special visit to the Carthusian monastery of Pavia, perhaps the most richly endowed monastic foundation in Italy and mausoleum of both the Visconti and the Sforza. Nestled in the heart of rice fields, the Certosa di Pavia is a centuries-old monastery, and may well be one of the most beautiful ecclesiastical buildings in Europe. Explore the monumental complex with one of the Carthusian Fathers as our guide. 

Enjoy a reception “al fresco” lunch at an agriturismo. 
Free afternoon in Milan.
(B, R, L) 

Parma is a beautiful city with a rich gastronomical tradition. Enjoy a group lunch at a typical trattoria specializing in Parma’s food specialties.

On the way to Bologna, stop for a balsamic vinegar tasting outside of Modena.
Check into Grand Hotel Majestic già Baglione around 6:00 pm. 
(B, L, T) 
.

Enchanting Mantua, located at the convergence of three lakes and the river Po. Mantua was once the stronghold of the Gonzaga family who ruled the city from the 14th century to 17th and built one the most powerful and impressive Renaissance Courts in Italy. Explore the imposing Ducal palace and Mantegna’s masterpiece, the Camera degli Sposi and the Studiolo of Isabella D’este. Visit Sant’Andrea, Alberti’s perfect 15th century church made for the Gonzaga family. 
Lunch will served in the heart of charming Mantua. 
Finish the afternoon with a stroll through the Gonzaga’s famous pleasure palace, Palazzo Te designed and decorated by Giulio Romano. 

Return to Bologna around 5 pm.
(B, L) 

Arrivederci!

Elaine Ruffolo has been teaching art history in Florence, Italy since 1989 and is a popular instructor for students and adults alike. Her special interests include the history of art and patronage Renaissance Florence. Elaine firmly supports that the best way to understand a work of art is by exploring the context in which it was made.  What makes art history interesting and relevant today is study of the political situation, economic conditions, patronage, and the artist's personality which is reflected in the work of art.

Explore Leonardo’s Milan in depth today, beginning with a visit to the Pinacoteca Brera.  Afterwards we’ll head to our second stop, the gargantuan Castello Sforzesco, where Leonardo spent two decades working for Ludovico il Moro. You’ll marvel at the imposing castle and collection which reflect the dominance of the Visconti and Sforza families as well as behold Michelangelo’s last Pietà, left unfinished in Rome and only purchased for the Milanese civic collections in the twentieth century. 

This evening experience an after-hours visit to behold Leonardo’s masterpiece, the Last Supper. Following our private visit enjoy a reception “al fresco” followed by dinner in a private Milanese nobile home. 
(B, R, D) 
 

Often called the world's most beautiful lake, Italy's Lake Como has been a popular resort destination for the wealthy and powerful since the days of the Roman Empire, when Roman author and magistrate Pliny the Younger built villas named "Comedy" and "Tragedy" along its shores. Today, the list of luminaries who own homes or villas on Lake Como runs the gamut from Richard Branson to George Clooney to John Kerry. On your visit to Lake Como, you'll explore the lake on a private boat cruise from Bellagio stopping at 18th-century Villa Del Balbianello, built on the site of a Franciscan monastery and renowned for its exquisite, terraced gardens ablaze with magnolias.  

Lunch will be served in beautiful Bellagio and finish the afternoon wandering through the botanical gardens at Villa Carlotta. 
(B, L) 
 

Get to know the best of Bologna by walking its streets and famous food market. Stroll through the maze of streets where shops and stalls display an overwhelming array of fresh pasta, artisanal mortadella, hams and salamis, cheeses, fresh fruit and vegetables, and an irresistible variety of bread and pastries.  
Continue to the Palazzo dell’Archiginnasio, the seat of the university until 1803, and visit Piazza Maggiore and the Cathedral of San Petronio. 

Free for lunch on your own. 
This afternoon enjoy free time in Bologna.
Join together for a festive group dinner in a typical Bolognese trattoria. 
(B, D) 

For a brief, dazzling moment, Ravenna was an unlikely refuge for a world falling apart. The city’s history, enshrined in superb Byzantine mosaics, reflects the twilight of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the Middle Ages. While ageless monuments were falling everywhere, Ravenna was crowded with new and sumptuous palaces and churches. We will visit the famous monuments of Ravenna including San Vitale, the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia and Sant’Apollinare Nuovo. 
 

Following a group lunch, take a short drive to Sant’Apollinare in Classe before returning to Bologna.
This early evening, enjoy a prosecco and say farewell to the program.

Kellin Nelson first came to Florence in 2002 as an undergraduate with New York University where she fell in love with Italy, its culture, and its art. In 2007, thanks to a fellowship from Syracuse University, she returned and completed her Masters in Renaissance Art History. After working for several museums in the Los Angeles area, in 2012 she moved back to Florence with her husband, fellow Syracuse graduate Professor Sean Nelson.