[Edited: Sorry, too late! This happened in 2016.]
Let’s Go to Italy this Summer!
I am thrilled to announce that I’ll be leading a tour in Northern Italy in summer 2016 to visit the installation by Christo in Lake Iseo.
The tour also includes the classical cities of Northern Italy (Milan and Venice), along with some gorgeous wine country off the beaten tourist track.
Northern Italy Tour 2016 featuring Christo’s installation at Lake Iseo
- Minimum 15, maximum 30 people
- Dates: June 18-25, 2016
- English language tour leader
- Accommodation: 7 nights in 4-star hotels.
- Group transfer by private bus to and from Milan’s Malpensa airport on arrival and departure day.
- Group transfers by private bus from one place to another during the group activities.
- Most meals: breakfast and dinner daily, some light lunches
- Culture, art, food and wine
Detailed Itinerary
18 June: welcome to Italy
Pickup from Milan Malpensa airport. Transfer (around 1.5 hours – Milan is big) to your 4-star hotel in Milan, where you can enjoy a short, introductory guided tour of the city centre, as well as some free time. Dinner will be served at the hotel restaurant.
19 June: the style of Italy’s fashion capital
Breakfast, free morning (transfer to Milan included) in Milan, where you can enjoy the city centre, its sights such as Galleria Vittorio Emanuele and the world-famous shopping district around Via di Montenapoleone. Lunch is served in a historic room adorned with columns, right inside the Cathedral museum. Guided visit of the famous Cathedral (Duomo), where you will have the chance to climb up the roof during sunset and admire Milan’s modern skyline from the highest point (see picture below). Dinner will be served in the stylish neighbourhood of Brera.
20 June: vineyards and lakes
Breakfast, free morning in Milan, with lunch on your own. In the afternoon, bus* transfer to the Franciacorta region, the production land for one of Europe’s finest sparkling white wines. A guided tour by bus* will follow – the area is wonderfully dotted with farmhouses, vineyards and picturesque landscapes. The day’s highlight will be the visit to the world-famous Berlucchi wine farm, with the picturesque cellar and a guided wine and food tasting session. Check-in at your four-star hotel with dinner at a local restaurant.
21 June: history and culture
Breakfast. In the morning we will have a guided tour (by bus*) of the marvelous Franciacorta area and its most important cultural heritage, featuring the impressively located San Pietro in Lamosa monastery, one of the most picturesque places in Italy, the delightful Santa Maria della Neve Sanctuary and the imposing Bornato Castle, surrounded by picturesque vineyards. In the castle, you will have the chance to taste the best local wines in a unique surrounding. Lunch will be served during the day-long tour. Upon return to the hotel, free time with dinner on your own.
22 June: Christo’s Floating Piers
Breakfast. Morning transfer to the Sulzano on the Iseo Lake shore. Here you can admire Christo’s Floating Piers project, and take part in it by walking on the piers to Monte Isola (also called Montisola), the largest lake island in Southern Europe (any possible admission fees to Christo’s works are not included in the tour price as no information is available at this time, but I do not anticipate that there will be a fee) and the smaller island of San Paolo. Lunch and afternoon will be on your own so that you can enjoy the fairy tale landscape and the impact that Christo’s work of art makes on it. A quick guided tour of the island is included. Dinner in an agriturismo, evening transfer to the hotel.
23 June: Venice
Breakfast. Morning transfer by bus* to Venice. Upon arrival, a typical taxi boat will take you to your four-star hotel in the city center (porter service included). Free on your own. In the afternoon, guided tour of Venice and its unique architecture. Outdoor dinner, free time.
24 June: glass-making art
Breakfast. Morning transfer to the islands of Burano and Murano, famous worldwide for their traditional glass-making workshops. Watch local masters carve colourful shapes out of melting glass. You will have some free time to enjoy the delightful settings of the tiny islands, perhaps the two most famous out of the 118 that Venice is built on. Upon return to the hotel, free time. Dinner is served outdoors.
25 June: goodbye
Breakfast. Morning transfer to the Milan Malpensa airport. Dropoff for your return flight, end of the tour.
So how much is all this fabulousness going to cost me?
Price and payment
Price per person: $2700. Extra fee for single room use $650 – single room availability is limited and subject to confirmation.
The price includes: VAT (Value Added Tax), accommodation in double room in four-star hotels, tourist tax (tassa di soggiorno), activities and entrance fees to sites and experiences expressly mentioned in the program, transportation as mentioned, meals as specified (all evening meals are made of three courses with drinks), tour leader in English language, rental of headphones for guided tours, other services as specified.
The price does not include: any items of a personal nature including beverages not included in program, laundry services, tips and everything not expressly mentioned in the program.
Payment terms: 50% before 18 March 2016, 50% by 30 April 2016. Please email paige@alloverthemap.net to confirm availability and to arrange payment. Please confirm with me before buying nonrefundable air tickets!
Flights: I do not normally book flights, but I may be able to make arrangements on a budget airline through Reykjavik. Contact me for details.
Important note on availability: Please note that hotel room availability in the Iseo Lake area and in Venice is scarce. The Lake Iseo area is almost entirely fully booked and prices raise on a daily basis. The sooner we can lock in our rooms with a deposit, the better.
Important note on flexibility: Participants should know that travel is unpredictable, and so please understand that all aspects of this itinerary are subject to change. The main goal of this trip is to experience the Christo installation in Lake Iseo, and we will certainly do that. The other parts of the trip have been added so that we can explore some other beautiful areas in the top of Italy’s boot. Please remain flexible as there are often circumstances beyond our control and changes may be necessary.
The tour leaders reserve the right to make changes to the published itinerary whenever, in their sole discretion, conditions warrant, or if they deem it necessary for the comfort of the group.
*I know it sounds like a lot of time on a bus, but we sort of need that to get from place to place and winery to winery. It’s a beautiful area, and we’ll get out of the bus as much as we can. And you’re all fun people.