The Passion Play and Northern Italy June 18 28, 2010

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1 The Passion Play and Northern Italy June 18 28, 2010 Join Father William Joensen, professor at Loras College, for an exciting once-in-alifetime opportunity to experience the Passion Play in Oberammergau and historical and religious sites in northern Italy. This specially customized program includes tickets to the Passion Play an event put on by the townspeople of this quaint Bavarian town once every ten years. The program includes guided visits to some of the greatest artistic treasures in Italy such as the Byzantine mosaics in Ravenna and Venice and the frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. We will visit the unique historical center of Ferrara, sail along the grand canal of Venice, savor the world-class cuisine of Bologna, and travel through the Alps to Trent, Innsbruck, Munich and, of course, Oberammergau! Fr. Joensen will also celebrate Mass with us at a number of historical venues throughout the program. We are all members of a global community that is increasingly interdependent. The future of our world depends on our cultivating a spirit of hospitality, respect, understanding and compassion for one another. Enlightenment comes in many forms, but we believe that there are few life experiences more moving than exploring other cultures, meeting people of diverse backgrounds, and becoming a citizen of the world leading and inspiring respectful and compassionate ways of life.

2 Our Program Friday, June 18 We depart Chicago today on an overnight flight to Italy. Dinner and breakfast will be served on the flight. Saturday, June 19 We arrive in Italy and are met, assisted and transferred to our hotel in Bologna. We will have some free time to relax, freshen up and adjust to the new time zone. This afternoon we will have a walking tour of the central historical district. Not only is Bologna Italy s culinary capital; its center is one of lively cultural life, including a first-class music conservatory and the oldest University in Europe. Its numerous Baroque, Gothic and Renaissance churches and palazzi, contain major works by artists of the Bolognese and Emilian schools, as well works by Giotto, Tintoretto and Raphael. We will enjoy a Welcome dinner together this evening. Overnight in Bologna. Sunday, June 20 Breakfast. Today we travel to Ravenna to see the Byzantine mosaics. Our tour of Ravenna includes visits to San Vitale, the Mausoleo di Galla Placida, Battistero Neoniano, the Basilica di Sant Apollinare Nuovo, the Mausoleo di Teodorico and the Basilica di Sant Apollinare in Classe. We will celebrate Mass at one of these sites. Lunch is included today in Ravenna. Ravenna became the capital of the Roman Empire in 404. Emperor Honorius s sister, Galla Palcida, embellished it with beautiful basilicas and palaces decorted in Byzantine-influenced mosaics and art. After Byzantium became the capital in 476, Ravenna eventually came under its rule and was administered by Exarchs. Ravenna was an important and powerful city of influence along the Italian peninsula. We will visit some of the most notable sites where Byzantine art is expressed and have an opportunity to consider the development of religious art and architecture, comparing and contrasting early Christian/Roman, Byzantine and Renaissance forms. We return to Bologna in the evening for overnight. Monday, June 21 After breakfast we will travel to Padua stopping en route in Ferrara for a visit. We will have a walking tour of the central historical district of Ferrara - including the Duomo, the picturesque medieval streets, the synagogue, Palazzo Schifanoia, Palazzina di Marfisa d'este, and other central sites. Ferrara is an often overlooked Italian city with many surprises. It has a fascinating and well-preserved medieval town center, including important historical sites associated with the Jewish community that thrived there when Jews were persecuted in other parts of Europe. This afternoon we continue on to Padua. We will celebrate Mass at the Basilica del Santo, a beautiful church with eight-tiered bulbous domes that can be seen from miles away. The church was built to celebrate the life and ministry of St. Anthony who is buried there. Padua is one of the best preserved medieval cities in Italy. The city center surrounds the historic University of Padua, one of the earliest in Europe and place where Galileo lectured for many years. Dinner and overnight in Padua. Tuesday, June 22 Breakfast. Today we will embark on an excursion to Venice with a trip up the Grand Canale. Upon arrival we will visit the Basilica of San Marco (celebrating Mass here) and the Doge s Palace. This afternoon we are free to enjoy the city at leisure. Optional excursions to the islands of Murano and Torcello will be available. Our tour manager will be available to assist with arrangements for the optional visits.

3 For those who love the history of art, a walk along Venice's narrow calle focuses on discovering one of the greatest painters of all times: Tiziano. The Basilica della Salute, the magnificent Baroque church at the entrance to the Grand Canal, was built by the Venetian people as thanksgiving to the Virgin Mary for delivering the city from the plague which had decimated the population in the 17th century. Continue through small squares to the Frari Basilica and Monastery erected by the Franciscans between the 14th and 15th centuries housing Tiziano's masterpiece, the Assunta. Across the San Polo district, and crossing the Rialto Bridge, visit the Campo San Salvador and its church, recently restored to its original splendor. The piazza San Marco, live with music and cafes, provides the perfect backdrop for the exotic Byzantine-style Basilica of S. Marco. Built around the tomb of St. Mark the Evangelist, its interior is one of the most ornately decorated churches in the world. Every inch of wall and ceiling is covered in gold and multicolored mosaics. The Doge s Palace, administrative center of the Venetian Empire, was a symbol of the power of Venice and immense wealth the city. We return to Padua for overnight. Wednesday, June 23 After breakfast we will visit the Palazzo della Ragione and the Scrovegni Chapel. Then we travel to Verona to visit the Roman amphitheatre, Piazza delle Erbe, Piazza dei Signori, Arche Scaligere, San Zeno Maggiore, and the Tomb of Juliet. We will celebrate Mass at San Zeno. Overnight in Verona. The Scrovegni Chapel is one of the most important works of art in Western art history. It is a chapel erected by Enrico Scrovegni near his family palace. He engaged Giotto one of the great early Renaissance painters to decorate the chapel. The frescoes are magnificent in their coloration and perspective and narrate the lives and events of Mary and Jesus. Verona is often associated with Romeo and Juliet and continues to evoke the charm of their era. One of the best preserved Roman amphitheatres dominates the entrance to the city. There are beautiful Romanesque and Lombard churches and wonderful markets and charming squares. Thursday, June 24 Breakfast. Today we travel to Trent. Upon arrival we will visit the Duomo, Castello del Buon Consiglio and other central sites. We continue on to Innsbruck for overnight. Trent is beautifully situated in the Alps and was made most famous for the Council of Trent which was convened in the 16 th century to deal with the Reformation. Many important sessions took place here, and doctrinal and disciplinary issues that would shape the life of the Catholic Church for four hundred years were hammered out here by theologians and bishops. Innsbruck is situated in a magnificent valley surrounded by the majestic Alps. The town was richly adorned by the the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire Maximilian I and the Habsburgs continued to make it a center of European culture thereafter. It is now part of the Tyrolean province of Austria and is a charming city with unique covered galleries, spendid Baroque churches, and richly endowed museums. Friday, June 25 Breakfast. This morning we will visit the town of Innsbruck before departing for Munich. Upon arrival in Munich we will have a walking tour of the city center. Dinner and overnight in Munich. Munich is the official capital of Bavaria and a magnificently beautiful city of parks and palaces, over 32 museums, and a lifestyle that is easygoing and immensely hospitable in an inimitable, typically Bavarian way. Among others we visit the New Town Hall, built in 1867 Its 260 foot tower with its Glockenspiel (carillon), with St. Peter s Church and the twin towers of the Cathedral, one of the most distinctive features of the city s skyline. We then continue to the captivating enchantment of the Nymphenburg, the Cathedral Church of Our Lady which is a metropolitan Church of the Archbishopric of Munich and the Ludwigstrasse, extending from the Siegestor (Triumphal Arch) to the Feldherrenhalle (Commanders Hall); built under King Ludwig I. in the first half of the 19th century. Saturday, June 26 After breakfast we will travel to Oberammergau for the day to attend the Passion Play. We return to Munich late in the evening for overnight.

4 Oberammergau is an upper Bavarian town made famous by its production of the Passion Play which began in At this time the Bubonic Plague was sweeping across Europe threatening the village of Oberammergau. In hopes of being spared from an early death, the residents made a pledge that in exchange for their continued livelihood, they would present the Passion Play every 10 years. The first play was conducted atop the fresh graves of the victims of the plague. Approximately 2000 village residents will work together to bring the 41 st production of the play to life in The story of Jesus life, death and resurrection is captured most vividly in the six hour play full of magnificient costumes, passionate actors and the backdrop of the majestic Bavarian mountains and skies. Sunday, June 27 Breakfast. Today we are free to explore Munich on our own. There will be some optional excursions available. Our tour manager will be available to assist those in making arrangements for the optional visits. We will meet this evening for a Farewell dinner. Overnight in Munich. Monday, June 28 After breakfast we will transfer to the airport for our return flight to Chicago.. Inclusive Features Air transportation via regularly scheduled flights between Chicago ~ Bologna and Munich ~ Chicago. Four star hotel accommodations in twin-bedded rooms with private baths as follows: Bologna ~ 2 nights Padua ~ 2 nights Verona ~ 1 night Innsbruck ~ 1 night Munich ~ 3 nights Continental buffet breakfast served daily in the hotels. One Welcome dinner at a local restaurant in Bologna including beverages. One dinner at the hotel in Padua. One dinner at the hotel in Munich. One Farewell dinner at a local restaurant in Munich including beverages. One lunch in Ravenna. Transportation via private deluxe air-conditioned motorcoach with English-speaking assistance. Services of a professional tour manager in Italy and Germany. Privately guided sightseeing as per the itinerary including entrance fees. Tickets, reservation fees and entrance fees to the Passion Play, all museum and other site visits, except when noted optional. Luggage, porterage, road and local taxes.. Program Prices $ per person based on double occupancy $ supplement for single room occupancy $ additional airline taxes, airport fees, security fees, fuel surcharges (estimate as of October 17, 2008) $ $ for Oberammergau Passion Play ticket Please note: The price of the ticket for the Passion Play varies based on the proximity to the stage and the section that is available upon purchase of the group block. The reservations are made after illume receives all registration applications and deposits from the program participants.

5 Please note: Single rooms for single use are limited to 10% of the total number of rooms reserved. Thereafter, double rooms for single use will be secured at a supplemental cost of approximately 150%. Land Only Program Prices: (excludes all air transportation and airport transfers) $ per person based on double occupancy $ supplement for single room occupancy $ $ for Passion Play ticket Program Registration: To reserve a place on this program, complete the registration application and send $100 deposit by March 1 to: Fr. William Joensen Loras College 1450 Alta Vista Dubuque, IA William.Joensen@loras.edu All prices listed are discounted for payment by check. When paying with a credit card you will be charged the standard base price which is 5% higher. Illume strongly recommends the purchase of travel insurance to protect this important investment. Please refer to the attached Conditions and Clauses for the cancellation policy. A link to Travel Insured International is provided on the Travel Resource Center for your program: On confirmation of your registration, a second deposit of $850 will be due on April 25, Balance of payment due not later than: March 18, 2010 Program No The prices are based on availability of services at the time registration material is received; currency exchange rates in effect (October 17, 2008), and on 2008 land and air tariffs and are subject to change. All services are provided subject to Illume s Conditions and Clauses.