SUNDAY, JUNE 13, 2004
Tour 1 THE LAST SUPPER, S. MARIA DELLE GRAZIE (15.00 –
17.00)
The most famous fresco in the world by Leonardo da Vinci, painted between
1495 and 1497, on the wall of the refectory in the Monastery of Santa
Maria delle Grazie. After the recent restoration works, it is once again
open to the public.
Cost per person: Euro 24,00 (VAT 20% included).
The tour includes: entrance fee, guide and hostess.
Minimum number of participants: 25
MONDAY, JUNE 14, 2004
Tour 2 CLASSICAL MILAN (09.30 – 18.00)
The Classical Milan tour includes a visit to the Last Supper, Castello
Sforzesco which dates back to the 15 th century, Piazza della Scala
and the Duomo, or Cathedral, a famous example of Italian Gothic architecture.
Snack lunch in a nice cafeteria. In the afternoon an insight into “Creative
Milan”: show rooms and fashionable business areas.
Cost per person: Euro 87,00 (VAT 20% included).
The tour includes: Coach transfers, lunch, entrance fees, hostess and
guide.
Minimum number of participants: 30
Tour 3 STRESA AND THE BORROMEO ISLANDS (09.00 – 18.00)
Transfer by coach to Stresa. Departure from Stresa by boat to Isola
Bella, one of the three Borromeo Islands. After about an hour we arrive
at the island where you can visit Palazzo Borromeo, its artistic treasures
and the magnificent Italian-style gardens. The trip continues to the
Isola dei Pescatori, the smallest of the Borromeo Islands, where lunch
will be served. In the afternoon: a trip to Isola Madre. Visit to the
Palazzo and its fantastic art collection and the abundant Botanical
Garden. Back to Stresa and then back to Milan.
Cost per person: Euro 110,00 (VAT 20% included).
The tour includes: Coach transfers, boat transfer, lunch, entrance fees,
hostess and guide.
Minimum number of participants: 30
TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 2004
Tour 4 MEDIEVAL MILAN (09.00 – 12.30)
One of the most interesting periods in the history of Milan is the Middle
Ages. It was in this period that many of its major monuments were built,
destroyed and rebuilt. Our tour will feature three of these monuments,
the most important in terms of age and artistic value: the Basilica
of Sant’Ambrogio, which is considered the queen and mother of
Lombard Churches, the Basilica of Sant’Eustorgio with the vast
Portinari Chapel at the back of the Church, and the Basilica of San
Lorenzo that is one of the most typical Churches of the Middle Ages
existing in western Europe. A visit to the Museo Diocesano, a museum
which collects the artistic treasures
of the Milan Church, is included. Piazza dei Mercanti, once the center
of town, concludes our tour.
Cost per person: Euro 40,00 (VAT 20% included).
The tour includes: Coach transfers, entrance fees, guide and hostess.
Minimum number of participants: 30
Tour 5 CERTOSA, VIGEVANO AND PAVIA: THE LOMELLINA (08.30 –
17.30)
Lomellina, a region of the Po Plain, surrounded by the Po, Sesia and
Ticino Rivers, offers visitors the fascination of an age-old culture
and the temptation of the natural environment suspended between land
and sea. Along the way, a visit to the Certosa of Pavia is planned,
one of the emblematic monuments of the Renaissance. During the morning
part of the trip continues to Vigevano, a town which welcomes visitors
with its extraordinary monuments such as Piazza Ducale, one of the most
beautiful squares in Italy. Lunch. In the afternoon, a tour of Pavia,
one of the few Italian cities which has managed to preserve the charm
of the Middle Ages: the covered bridge over the River Ticino, the legendary
Church of San Michele, the Cathedral and the impressive University courtyards.
Cost per person: Euro 85,00 (VAT 20% included).
The tour includes: Coach transfers, entrance fees, lunch, hostess and
guide.
Minimum number of participants: 30
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2004
Tour 6 VARESE: VILLA PANZA (09.00 – 12.30)
The huge structure, dating back to the 18 th century, with
the simplicity of its external façade, doesn’t let anybody
hint at the grandeur and at the complexity of the inner rooms. The mansion
does not impose itself on the surrounding space but is otherwise developed
on a horse-shoe design, tending towards the hill side, with a 33,000
square meters park and an architectural structure which has the typical
features of the suburban mansions. The building which can be visited
today is the result of a number of transformations which have been operated
on the structure by the different owners, substantially modifying the
original project. In the years the mansion filled up with art works,
turning the rooms into a true house-museum. In 1966 Count Giuseppe Panza
donated the buildings of the mansion, along with 113 works, to the Fondo
per l’Ambiente Italiano, which has then very soon started the
works of restoration and settlement of the rooms, which are going to
expose temporary art exhibitions next to the works of the Panza Collection.
Cost per person: Euro 42,00 (VAT 20% included).
The tour includes: Coach transfer, hostess, entrance fees, guide.
Minimum number of participants: 30
Tour 7 BERGAMO (08.30 – 13.00)
Bergamo is yet another cultural highlight, being one of the seven art
cities of Lombardy. Since the XIX century, the town is divided into
two parts by age and by altitude: Città Alta (The Upper Town)
and Città Bassa (The Lower Town). In the Città Alta we
visit the Cathedral, the Romanesque Church of Santa Maria Maggiore with
baroque interior. The Renaissance Cappella Colleoni (with sculpture
and ceiling frescoes by G.B. Tiepolo) is our next stop. Opposite the
Cathedral is the Baptistry and nearby is the gothic Palazzo della Ragione
e del Broletto, which with Palazzo Scamozzi and the museum surrounds
the Piazza Vecchia, the old town’s center. Here we also find a
memorial to Torquato Tasso, the poet, whose family lived in Bergamo.
Cost per person: Euro 42,00 (VAT 20% included).
The tour includes: Coach transfer, hostess, entrance fees, guide
Minimum number of participants: 30
