This tour will be conducted by EF College Tours from May 17 – May 27, 2011.
Professor Christine Reising will be the Art Department representative. She will
teach the studio portion of the program. The primary activity while in Italy will be
the collection of documentation for two handmade journals that reflect the student's
interests and experiences while on the journey. Students will draw and paint, write,
photograph, and collect collage materials for inclusion in their journals. They will
be expected to present completed journals after they return from Italy and will
share their creative experiences with the Siena community in a group exhibition.
For additional information or questions contact Professor Reising at
creising@sienaheights.edu or call her at 517/264-7866.
ITINERARY FOR THE ART OF ROME, PARIS, & FLORENCE
Day 1 Flight
Overnight flight to Rome•
Day 2 Rome
Arrival in Rome • Arrive in bella Roma, the
Eternal City. After clearing customs, meet your
EF Tour Director, who will accompany you to your hotel.
Day 3 Rome
Guided sightseeing of Rome • Pass the grassy
ruins of the ancient Forum Romanum, once
the heart of the Roman Empire, and admire
the enduring fragments of Rome’s glorious
past. Then visit the mighty Colosseum, Rome’s first
permanent amphitheater whose three tiers are
approximately equal to a 12- to 15-story building.
Later, visit the legendary Forum Romanum, once the
heart of the Roman Empire.
Walking tour of Rome • Continue on to the
legendary Trevi Fountain and make sure to toss
in a coin to ensure your return to Rome. Then
view the Pantheon, one of the best-preserved
ancient buildings in the city. Finish off in the
Piazza Navona, the popular square where you
will see Bernini’s impressive Fountain of the
Four Rivers.
Day 4 Rome
Visit to Vatican City • Today, you will explore
Vatican City, the world’s smallest country. Begin
at the Vatican Museum, where elaborate
galleries filled with one artistic masterpiece after
another lead you directly to the Sistine Chapel.
Next, tour St. Peter’s Basilica, erected on the site
where the saint was martyred. Enter the basilica
under the watchful eyes of the brightly dressed
Swiss Guard. Inside, admire Michelangelo’s Pietà,
the only sculpture he ever signed.
Day 5 Assisi • Florence
Transfer via Assisi • Stop in Assisi, birthplace
of both St. Francis and St. Clare. On your visit
to the Basilica of St. Francis, follow the life of
one of Italy’s most beloved saints through Giotto’s
artful frescoes. Arrival in Florence •
Day 6 Florence
Art and Architecture tour of Florence* •
Take a tour of Florence today with an expert
local guide. As the birthplace of the Italian
Renaissance, Florence is home to some of the
world’s most exquisite art and architecture.
Visit to the Accademia • Admire Michelangelo’s
original statue of David inside Florence’s
acclaimed Accademia Gallery. The museum
also houses the artist’s four famous unfinished
statues, the Prisoners.
Day 7 Florence • Paris
Visit to the Uffizi Gallery • See Boticelli’s famous
“Birth Venus” painting up close. Study the details of
Leonardo da Vinci’s “Annunciation.” The Uffizi is one
of the oldest and most renowned art museums in the
world, with a collection of paintings and statues that
include original masterpieces by such artists as
Titian, Boticelli, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci
and Michelangelo.
Night train to Paris • Board an overnight train
With couchette for your transfer to Paris.
Day 8 Paris
Arrival in Paris • Welcome to Paris, cosmopolitan
City of Light. After clearing customs, you
are greeted by your EF Tour Director, who will
remain with you throughout your stay.
Guided sightseeing of Paris • Discover the
city on the Seine, beginning with the imposing
Arc de Triomphe, commemorating Napoleon’s
Grande Armée. Take a drive down the elegant
Champs-Élysées to the Place de la Concorde.
Pass the Conciergerie, where prisoners of the
Revolution spent their final days, and see Les
Invalides, Louis XIV’s grand retirement home
for wounded soldiers. You’ll also see the École
Militaire. Next, make a photo stop at the Eiffel
Tower to marvel at the 6,000-ton centerpiece
for the 1889 World’s Fair. Pass the Opéra Garnier,
where the famous Phantom of the Opera haunted
his dear Christine, and marvel at Église de la
Madeleine,designed as a temple of glory for
Napoleon’s army. Continue past the geometric
gardens of the Tuileries as you make your way
to the Place Vendôme, a vast square surrounded
by elegant 17th-century façades.
Visit to Notre Dame Cathedral • Built between
1163 and 1361 over the remains of an
ancient Roman temple, it was here that Napoleon
crowned himself emperor in 1804. Step inside to
admire the stained-glass rose windows and seemingly
weightless vaulted ceilings.
Day 9 Paris
Guided visit to the Louvre • An expert guide
will share insights about the artwork and artists
represented at the incomparable Louvre
during a guided tour for your group. Built to
defend the city in the 13th century, the Louvre
today safeguards one of the world’s greatest art
collections. Enter the museum through world
renowned architect I.M. Pei’s glass pyramid,
constructed in 1989. Inside, discover priceless
antiquities from Asia, Greece and Rome. You’ll
also see precious objects from the Middle Ages
and the Renaissance, as well as iconic European
paintings such as the Mona Lisa.
Visit to an atelier • See where working Parisian
artists draw their inspiration on your visit to an
atelier. You can find everything from potters’
wheels to fashion mannequins to canvasses that
stretch to the ceiling inside. Dedicated to creative
reflection, these studios are sanctuaries for
artists of all mediums.
Day 10 Paris
Guided visit of the Musée d’Orsay
• Today, an expert guide will introduce you
to the Museé d’Orsay’s highlights. Part of this
museum’s draw is the building itself, not just
the artwork that adorns its walls. Built for the
1900 Universal Exposition, the Gare d’Orsay
functioned as a train station until 1939 and was
converted into a museum in 1986. The museum
is noted for its collection of Impressionist
paintings—a walk through the upper gallery
will reveal works by Monet, Renoir, Degas, Sisley,
Pissarro and countless others.
Optional excursion to Giverny • Join an
optional half-day excursion to the village of
Giverny, where impressionist painter Claude
Monet lived and worked for more than 40 years.
As you explore Monet’s home you will not only
see his other artistic work, but you’ll also see
his personal collection of Japanese paintings as
well as his studio. Make your way through the
extensive gardens to the pond where Monet’s
art comes to life as you stand on the wooden
footbridge that spans the pond. Participants
must enroll in this excursion no later
than 50 days prior to departure.)
Day 11 Home
Return home • Your tour director assists with
the transfer to the airport, where you’ll check in
for your return flight home.
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