Italian Summer. music festivals UMBRIA, THE VENETO & O PER A U NDER THE STARS. July 1 to 11, a program of the stanford alumni association

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1 S T A N F O R D T R A V E L / S T U D Y Italian Summer music festivals UMBRIA, THE VENETO & O PER A U NDER THE STARS July 1 to 11, 2011 a program of the stanford alumni association

2 What more romantic way to celebrate summer and immerse oneself in the arts than by attending two of Italy s most acclaimed music and arts festivals? In Spoleto, experience the Festival dei Due Mondi, a gathering of performing artists, musicians and painters that brings together the old and new worlds of America and Europe. In the Veneto region, partake in the Arena di Verona Festival, where audiences as large as 16,000 people take their seats in an age-old Roman amphitheather to be swept away by stirring operatic performances. By day, take in the sights, food and history of Umbria and the Veneto to garnish this Italian feast for the senses. BRETT S. THOMPSON, 83, DIRECTOR, STANFORD T RAVEL/STUDY Highlights ENJOY world-class performing arts in the theaters, churches and monasteries of Spoleto. D ISCOVER the magic of watching opera under the stars at the famed Arena di Verona Festival. W ALK the charming streets of medieval-era Todi and sample delectable wines at a family s historic vineyard. ARENA DI VERONA

3 Mediterranean Sea FRANCE CORSICA Verona Mantova Bologna I TALY Vicenza Venice Assisi Perugia Todi Orvieto Spoleto Rome Adriatic Sea SLOVEN CROA Itinerary At press time, the festival schedules have not been finalized. As a result, the order, timing and dates of the itinerary are subject to change. FRIDAY & SATURDAY, JULY 1 & 2 DEPART U.S. / ROME, ITALY / SPOLETO Depart the U.S. on overnight flights to Rome. Upon arrival on Saturday, transfer to Spoleto and check in to our hotel, located in the historic center of old Spoleto. Gather for a welcome dinner of typical Umbrian dishes. HOTEL SAN LUCA (D) SUNDAY, JULY 3 SPOLETO Embark on a walking tour of Spoleto, a town that blends contemporary arts with its rich past. Explore the city s Pinacoteca to view hidden treasures by Perugino and other Umbrian masters. This evening, join the group to see our first performance at the Festival dei Due Mondi. HOTEL SAN LUCA (B,L) MONDAY, JULY 4 TODI / ORVIETO / SPOLETO Take a guided walking tour of Orvieto, stopping at the cathedral with its groundbreaking Renaissance fresco cycle by Luca Signorelli, which inspired Michelangelo to create the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Journey to Todi, a beautifully preserved medieval village. Return to Spoleto for an evening at leisure or attend an optional performance at the Festival dei Due Mondi on our own. HOTEL SAN LUCA (B,L) TUESDAY, JULY 5 PERUGIA / ASSISI / SPOLETO In Perugia, visit the National Gallery of Umbria, the brightly frescoed Collegio del Cambio, the Fontana Maggiore and the Arch of Augustus. Enjoy some local cuisine and a tasting of delicious Umbrian wines at a hillside winery. Explore Assisi, then return to Spoleto for a performance at the Festival dei Due Mondi. HOTEL SAN LUCA (B,L) WEDNESDAY, JULY 6 SPOLETO Today is free for independent exploration of Spoleto and to attend your choice of performances at the Festival dei Due Mondi (at additional cost). HOTEL SAN LUCA (B) THURSDAY, JULY 7 BOLOGNA / VICENZA Depart Spoleto for Vicenza, stopping in Bologna to stroll the outdoor market and visit the Church of Santo Stefano. Visit the International Museum of Music, housed in the Palazzo Sanguinetti and boasting a large collection of manuscripts and instruments. Check in at our country estate-like hotel six miles outside Vicenza, our home for the next four nights. HOTEL VILLA MICHELANGELO (B,L) FRIDAY, JULY 8 VERONA / VICENZA Drive to Verona and explore its 12th-century Basilica of San Zeno, featuring an altarpiece by Jacopo Bellini, and its crypt, which Shakespeare chose as the setting for the marriage of Romeo and Juliet. Visit the Romanesque Duomo (Santa Maria Matricolare) and the church of Sant Anastasia. Visit the Roman Arena, the venue for the Arena di Verona Festival where we enjoy a performance this evening. HOTEL VILLA MICHELANGELO (B,L) SATURDAY, JULY 9 VICENZA Meander through Vicenza s downtown area, beginning

4 IA DUOMO DI ORVIETO TIA with Palladio s Teatro Olimpico, Europe s oldest surviving indoor theater. After climbing Monte Berico to see a hidden Veronese fresco, enjoy a reception at a private villa not open to the public. This evening take in a final performance at the Arena di Verona festival. HOTEL VILLA MICHELANGELO (B,L) SUNDAY, JULY 10 MANTOVA / VICENZA Drive to Mantova and visit Palazzo Te, one of the greatest of all Renaissance palaces. Continue into the city center and visit the Basilica of Sant Andrea. Head into the countryside for a festive luncheon in a lovely private home, set by the pristine waters of the Mincio River, before returning to Vicenza. Gather for a farewell dinner in a local restaurant and toast the end of our arts-filled journey. HOTEL VILLA MICHELANGELO (B,L,D) MONDAY, JULY 11 VENICE / U.S. This morning travel from Vicenza to Venice and board return flights to the U.S. (B) About the Festivals In 1958, Spoleto was chosen as the site of the worldfamous Festival dei Due Mondi (Festival of the Two Worlds) for its indoor theaters and its extraordinary wealth of medieval monuments. The annual event is one of the most important cultural events in Europe for all branches of the arts, particularly music, opera and theater. Performances take place in a variety of venues, ranging from medieval churches and Renaissance theaters to a Roman-era archaeological site. Operas at the Arena di Verona take place in the city s open-air Roman-era amphitheater. During the Festival, performances traditionally begin at dusk, when up to 16,000 spectators light mocoletini (small candles), and boast huge choruses, enormous set pieces and a great deal of color and movement onstage. The combination of venue and presentation makes the Arena di Verona an opera experience unlike any other. Festival schedules have not yet been confirmed as of the publication of this brochure. Our itinerary may change in order for us to attend the best performances. In addition, the dates of our program may shift by one or two days, depending on final festival dates. We strongly discourage participants from booking international airfare until festival dates are confirmed in late December/early January. Details will be sent to confirmed participants.

5 Information DATES July 1 to 11, 2011 (11 days) S IZE Limited to 35 participants COST* $7,995 per person, double occupancy $8,995 per person, single occupancy *Association nonmembers add $200 per person I N C LUDE D 9 nights of deluxe hotel accommodations 9 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 2 dinners 2 performances at the Festival dei Due Mondi 2 performances at the Arena di Verona Festival Welcome and farewell cocktail receptions Bottled water on excursions Gratuities to porters, guides and drivers for all group activities All tours and excursions as described in the itinerary Transfers and baggage handling on program arrival and departure days Minimal medical, accident and evacuation insurance Educational program with lecture series and pre-departure materials, including recommended reading list, a selected book, map and travel information Services of our professional tour manager to assist you throughout the program N OT I N C LUDED International and U.S. domestic airfare Optional performances at Festival dei Due Mondi on July 4 and 6 Passport and visa fees Immunization costs Meals and beverages other than those specified as included Independent and private transfers Tripcancellation/interruption and baggage insurance Excess-baggage charges Personal items such as , telephone and fax calls, laundry and gratuities for nongroup services What to Expect We consider this program to be moderately strenuous. Daily excursions may involve one to two miles of walking on city streets, sometimes over cobblestones or on unpaved streets in historic areas. In many instances, guided tours and festival venues require climbing up and down several flights of stairs where steps may be steep, uneven or without handrails, and elevators are limited or unavailable. Some sites do not allow motorcoaches to pull directly in front, thus requiring several minutes walk to reach the entrance. Participants must be physically fit and in active good health. Most dinners are independent, allowing you to explore the many fine dining options in Spoleto and the Veneto. We welcome travelers 15 years of age and older on this program.

6 UMBRIAN COUNTRYSIDE Terms & Conditions Deposit & Final Payment A $1,000-per-person deposit is required to hold space for the Italian Summer Music Festivals. Final payment is due 120 days prior to departure. Cancellations & Refunds Deposits and any payments are fully refundable, less a $500-per-person cancellation fee, until 120 days prior to departure. After that date, refunds can be made only if the program is sold out and your place(s) can be resold, in which case a $1,000-perperson cancellation fee will apply. We recommend trip-cancellation insurance; applications will be sent to you. Insurance Stanford Travel/Study provides all travelers who are U.S. or Canadian citizens with minimal medical, accident and evacuation coverage under our group-travel insurance policy. Our group policy is intended to provide minimal levels of protection while you are traveling on this program. We strongly recommend that you subscribe to optional baggage and trip-cancellation insurance. A brochure offering such insurance will be mailed with your confirmation about one week after we receive your deposit. The product offered in this brochure includes a special Waiver of Pre-Existing Conditions and coverage for Financial Insolvency and Terrorist Acts if you postmark your insurance payment within 15 days of the date listed on the confirmation letter. Eligibility We encourage membership in the Alumni Association as the program cost for nonmembers is $200 more than the members price. Stanford alumni may become Annual ($75) or Life ($495) Members. Stanford parents, faculty, staff, interns, residents and fellows may become Installment Members ($90 down, $115/year for four years) or Life Members ($495). Nonalumni may become Life Affiliates (one-time fee, $650). Parents and their children under 21 may travel on one membership. For more information or to purchase a membership, visit or call (650) Responsibility The Stanford Alumni Association, Stanford University and our operators act only as agents for the passenger with respect to transportation and exercise every care possible in doing so. However, we can assume no liability for injury, damage, loss, accident, delay or irregularity in connection with the service of any automobile, motorcoach, launch or any other conveyance used in carrying out this program or for the acts or defaults of any company or person engaged in conveying the passenger or in carrying out the arrangements of the program. We cannot accept any responsibility for losses or additional expenses due to delay or changes in air or other services, sickness, weather, strike, war, quarantine, force majeure or other causes beyond our control. All such losses or expenses will have to be borne by the passenger as tour rates provide arrangements only for the time stated. We reserve the right to make such alterations to this published itinerary as may be deemed necessary. The right is reserved to cancel any program prior to departure in which case the entire payment will be refunded without further obligation on our part. The right is also reserved to decline to accept or retain any person as a member of the program. No refund will be made for an unused portion of any tour unless arrangements are made in sufficient time to avoid penalties. Baggage is carried at the owner s risk entirely. The airlines concerned are not to be held responsible for any act, omission or event during the time that passengers are not onboard their plane or conveyance. Neither the Alumni Association, Stanford University nor our operators accept liability for any carrier s cancellation penalty incurred by the purchase of a nonrefundable ticket in connection with the tour. Program price is based on rates in effect in September 2010 and is subject to change without notice to reflect fluctuations in exchange rates, tariffs or fuel charges. As a condition of participation, all confirmed participants are required to sign a Release of Liability. California Seller of Travel Program Registration # TEL (650) FAX (650) TRAVELSTUDY@STANFORDALUMNI.ORG COPYRIGHT 2010 STANFORD ALUMNI ASSOCIATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED ON RECYCLED, FSC-CERTIFIED PAPER IN THE U.S. PHOTO (JONATHAN BERGER): L.A. CICERO, STANFORD NEWS SERVICE

7 [Stanford Travel/ Study is] an exceptional opportunity to learn under the guidance of a truly dedicated Stanford professor. KIT AND PETER BEDFORD, 60, SICILY C OLLEGE, 2008 Faculty Leader JONATHAN BERGER, DMA 82, is the Denning Family Provostial Professor in Music and the William R. and Gretchen Kimball University Fellow in Undergraduate Education at Stanford. An active composer and researcher, he teaches composition, computational music theory and music cognition. In addition to producing over 60 publications in music, science and technology, Professor Berger has composed numerous works for orchestra, voice and chamber ensembles. He is the 2010 composer-inresidence at the Spoleto Festival USA, which will include the premiere of Arias from his opera, The Three Christs of Ypslilanti. During our program, Professor Berger will discuss musical, stylistic, historical and cultural backgrounds of works we will see at the two festivals. He ll explore the traditions of western opera as a human behavior, how this wonderfully bizarre musical and theatrical form evolved, and where it is headed. Professor, department of music, Stanford University Co-Director, Stanford Institute for Creativity and the Arts MFA, California Institute of the Arts; DMA, Stanford University S T A N F O R D T R A V E L / S T U D Y Reservation Form Italian Summer Music Festivals SIGN UP ONLINE! MR. / MRS. / MS. MISS / DR. / PROF. NAME AGE STANFORD CLASS MR. / MRS. / MS. MISS / DR. / PROF. NAME AGE STANFORD CLASS ADDRESS CITY / STATE / ZIP CELL / WORK / HOME PHONE Here is my deposit of $ ($1,000 per person) for space(s) Enclosed is my check (payable to Stanford Alumni Association) OR Charge my deposit to my: Visa MasterCard American Express ADDRESS I/We have read the Terms and Conditions for the program and agree to them. CARD # EXPIRATION DATE SIGNATURE CARDHOLDER SIGNATURE DATE If this is a reservation for one person, please indicate: I wish to have single accommodations. OR I plan to share accommodations with: OR I d like to know about possible roommates. Mail completed form to address on mail panel or fax to (650) or place your deposit online at Please submit your reservation only once to avoid multiple charges to your account. 6361

8 Stanford Travel/Study Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center 326 Galvez Street Stanford, CA (650) Italian Summer music festivals UMBRIA, THE VENETO & O PERA U NDER THE STARS July 1 to 11, 2011 Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage P A I D Stanford Alumni Association Inspiration is an awakening, a quickening of all man s faculties, and it is manifested in all high artistic achievements. G IACOMO PU CCINI S T A N F O R D T R A V E L / S T U D Y BOLOGNA