Past Study Tour to Paris, the French Riviera and Italy
Departure Date :  May 22, 2003
Reagan International Airport, Washington, DC


Florence, Italy
NVCC tour group joined  faculty and student members from
South Texas Community College, Grand Rapids Community College
 and John Marshall High School (CA).

More Scenes to Come!


Itinerary

Day 1-2    Flight to Paris

Day 3-4 --- Paris
(Guided Tour to Arc de Triomphe, the Ile de la Cite (where Paris's first settlers landed over 2,000 years ago) and the Eiffel Tower.  Visited Notre Dame Cathedral.  We had optional excursions to Versailles, and Monet's home-Giverny. Took many walking tours and visited the Louvre and more.  Took  the high-speed train to the French Riviera.

Day 5-6 --- French Riviera
Included excursion to Monaco.  Toured the Fragonard perfume factory in Eze.  Spent the night in Nice.  Visited the Vieille Ville and the palm-lined Promenade des Anglais. Visited the Leaning Tower of Pisa on the way to Florence.

Day 7 --- Florence and Siena
Visited medieval Sienna via the Tuscan hills. Strolled through Florence. Saw Giotto's Bell Tower and the Gates of Paradise. Learned how leather is made at an authentic leather workshop.

Day 8-9 --- Assisi and Rome
Drove through the Umbrian hills and spent the afternoon in Assisi. Visited the tomb of St.Francis of Assisi.  After viewing the town's Basilica, continued on to Rome. Toured Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica and viewed  the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican City.  Saw the well preserved body of Pope John the 23rd. Walked the ruins of the Roman Forum and  the Colosseum and more.

Day 10-11 --- Pompeii, Sorrento and the Isle of Capri
Visited the City of Pompeii, stayed overnight in beautiful Sorrento; and, traveled by boat to the beautiful Isle of Capri. Saw the Blue Grottoes and much much more.

Day 12 ---   Return to Naples by boat and departed for Rome and stayed overnight.
Departed for the United States on the next morning.

Program fee included:  round-trip airfare, overnight stays in hotels with private bathrooms, continental breakfast and dinner daily, full-time bilingual tour director,  sightseeing tours, visits to special attractions, a walking tour and  sightseeing briefings.



Hotels -(All 3 Star)

Paris, France:Timhotel-Gare du Nord (May 22nd-25th)

Nice, France:  Hotel Mirabeau (May 25th-27th)

Florence, Italy: Hotel Meridiana (May 27th-29th)

Rome, Italy: Hotel La Pergola(May 29th-31st)

Sorrento, Italy: Hotel Villa Gerardo-Scenic (May 31st-June1st)
Via Capo 82-84
80067 Sorrento, Italy
+39.081.807.3063
Rome, Italy: Hotel La Pergola(June 1st-2nd)


Other Related Links

My EF Educational Tour Site
Here study tour participants can check on their account, visit additional resources and links for the upcoming study tour.

EF Educational Tours Home Page
You can also enter the tour site from the home page.  Just enter the tour number: 114970.

France - Education Resources
Provides an overview and resources to prepare for your tour to France.

An American in Paris
U.S. Ambassador to France Felix Rohatyn speaks to Jim Lehrer about American-French relations.

Napoleon
A  PBS site about Napoleon, once Emeror of France.

Links-Italy

CIA- The World Factbook 2002-Italy
Contains demographic and other important information on Italy.

Italy - Tourism in Italy
Includes information on planning your trip, special interest, travel tips, FAQs, news about Italy, regional links, site map and more.

Historic Center of Florence
An Overview of Florence.

Piazza del Duomo, Pisa
Overview of Pisa with pictures.

Italy's Volcanoe

Italy in a Flash
Includes information on transportation, weather, hotels, current issues, history and more.

Things To See In Italy
An overview of many site seeing opportunities in Italy.

Travel Italy
More travel guidelines for Italy.

Italy for Visitors
An excellent site on just about everything you want to know about Italy.  Includes maps of the various regions.

Sorrento, Italy
Pertinent information on Sorrento, including hotels, villas, and more.

Capri Island
Site includes what to see, images and more.

Official Vatican Site
The official site of the Vatican.  Includes links to the Vatican secret archives, the library, museums, the listing of canonized Saints, news and more.  Also includes the Pope's messages and liturgies.

John Paul II: The Millenial Pope
A very thorough write-up and analysis of the life and contributions of Pope John Paul II.  Includes video excerpts, interviews and biography of the Pope's life and legacy and more.  Live recordings of the Pope's voice in music, chant and songs.

The Romans Page
A site on the way of life of early Romans.

The Rome Project
Site on classical Rome, including literature, military, archaeology, political, philosophical, general, drama, religion, and more.  Also includes maps for printout.

Image Index of Rome
A collection of pictures on Roman art, architecture, tools and more.

Ancient Roman History Timeline
This site provides a chronology/index of the history of Ancient Rome with extensive Internet links.

Chronology of Rome
Another chronological index of happenings in ancient Rome.

Roman Technology Handbook
A site about the tools and technology of ancient romans with related websites.

Ancient Roman History Timeline
Provides chronology/index of history of Ancient Rome with extensive Internet links.

Augustus: Images of Power
Rome's first emperor. Site includes pictures of architecture and other works from Augustus' time.

Plotinus
Includes a discussion of the work of Plotinus.  Nine treatises and discussions on metaphysics and cosmology, psychology, epistemology,  and ethics, taught in Rome until his death.  Known as the father of Neoplatonism.

Publications
(From My Library - Can Be Checked Out From My Office)

A Brief Guide to French History. (Lily Deveze, Carcassonne).

Carolingian Art:  A Study of Early Medieval Painting and Sculpture in Western Europe.
(Roger Hinks, University of Michigan Press)

Debuts:  An Introduction to French. (McGraw-Hill, Book and CD).

French in 10 Minutes a Day.(Kristine Kershul, Bilingual Books, Inc.).

French-Instant Immersion (10 Cassettes).

Italian Drawings: From the 15th to the 19th Century-Drawing of the Masters. (Winslow Ames, Little, Brown and Company)

Louis XIV. (John C. Rule, Prentice-Hall, Inc., New Jersey).

Monet:  A Visit to Giverny. (Gerald Van Der Kemp).

Paris-From Its Origins To The Present Day (Jean Colson, Editions Hervas).

Paris-Knopf Guides (Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York).

Paris-Past and Present. (M. Ercole Pozzpli, Barnes & Nobles Books, New York).

Provence-Past and Present. (S. Rizzi, Barnes & Nobles Books, New York).

Romanesque Art in Europe:  Architecture and Sculpture. (Gustav Kunstler,ed.;
 W. W. Norton & Company)

The Legacy of Leonardo: Italian Renaissance Paintings from Leningrad.  (National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC)

The Renaissance: Medieval or Modern? (Karl H. Dannenfeldt, ed., D.C. Heath & Co.)

The Renaissance (Wallace K. Ferguson, Dryden Press)