August 20 – 27, 2009

Back by Popular Demand! Join our springtime exploration of Renaissance Italy and its unrivalled legacies of art, architecture, philosophy, and science, as we combine four centuries of work with the telescope. During the event-filled days in Rome and Florence we cross paths with the work of artists like Brunelleschi, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Bruno, the masters who set the stage for the life and work of Galileo Galilei. In observing the four hundredth anniversary of the invention of the telescope, we visit many of the places associated with the Tuscan artist who revealed mountains in the Moon, the satellites around Jupiter, and the multitudinous stars of the Milky Way, so changing our way of regarding the universe forever. Suggested Reading List

".What exceeds all wonders, I have discovered four new planets and observed their.motions.and these new planets move about another very large star (Jupiter) like Venus and Mercury, and (perhaps) the other known planets, move about the Sun." —Galileo, 1609.

Tour Includes...

Itinerary...

Day 1 —Rome

Upon arrival we will be met and transferred to our hotel. Stroll down to the Spanish Steps or sip a cappuccino at a sidewalk café. Welcome to Galileo's Italy! Meet our fellow travelers at a welcome pizza and wine supper. (D) Request a Brochure

Day 2 —Rome

Following breakfast we will be taken on a tour of Rome including such as the Piazza della Repubblica, Aurelian Walls, Borgheses Park , Piazza del Popolo, the Pantheon, Castel St. Angelo and the magnificent Basilica of St. Peter. (B) Request a Brochure

Day 3 —Rome

Today a visit to the Sistine Chapel with its magnificent fresco of the last judgment by Michelangelo is planned.

This afternoon there will be an opportunity for an optional visit to the Castel Gondolfo and Pisa . (B/D) Request a Brochure

Day 4 —Rome - Florence

Journey to beautiful Tuscany and Galileo's Florence for four nights. After checking in to our hotel, there will be a walking tour of Florence culminated with a visit and possible climb of the "Cupola di Brunelleschi". At the Cathedral you will see the Baptistery and Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise have been recreated. (B/D) Request a Brochure

Day 5 —Florence

We begin today with a lecture before visiting the Science History Museum , the Palazzos Medici and Pitti and Galileo's resting place at the Church of Santa Croce . (B) Request a Brochure

Day 6 —Florence

Today we will visit the Palazzo Medici and Galileo’s resting place at the Church of Santa Croce.  This afternoon we will be treated with the unique astronomical exhibit currently in Florence:  GALILEO:  Images of the Universe from Antiquity to the Telescope.  This extraordinary exhibition is a journey through time, beginning with the mystical and poetic visions of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, moves through the planetary architectures of Ptolemy and Arab astronomy and finally arriving at the theories of Copernicus, that inspired Galileo and Kepler.  (B) Request a Brochure

Day 7 —Florence

Today we will visit Galileo's House and Observatory and a visit to the San Matteo Convent where his beloved daughter, Suor Maria Celeste, lived until her death in 1634. (B/L) Request a Brochure

Day 8 —Florence - USA

Arrivederci to Galileo's Italy and the engineering and art which influenced the world we live in today. Extend your Italy stay with one of several extensions. (B) Request a Brochure

How to Prepare for this Trip

Click on the following link for a detailed list of preparations: Preparing for this Trip

Reading List

Galileo Books: A selected Reading List of related books from Amazon.com

Interested? Request a Brochure