DAY 3
MILAN - CREMONA - PARMA (3 NIGHTS)
Leaving Milan this morning we travel to Cremona which from
the late 16th century gained a reputation for its stringed
instrument manufacturers. We will visit the Stradivarius Museum
and the Palazzo Communale where we will see displayed
some of the most famous violins in the world. We continue to Parma
where we will be based for the next three nights. On arrival in
Parma, we shall visit the Arturo Toscanini birthplace and
Museum. It was here that the famous maestro was born in 1867,
and it is a very important meeting point for music students and
enthusiasts from all over the world.
- Your first concert performance will be today
DAY 4 DAY TRIP TO BUSSETO AND MANTUA
We
will then drive just outside Busseto to Roncole to visit the
house and museum at the birthsite of Giuseppe Verdi. We
will continue to Mantua, home of the Roman poet Virgil.
Here we will visit Mantua’s Ducal Palace to see the
magnificently appointed apartments and frescoes.
DAY 5
DAY TRIP TO LUCCA & TORRE DEL LAGO
Today
we make our way to Lucca, a town where the streets and square
are full of atmosphere with their Renaissance and Gothic palaces,
their towers of nobility, old shops, sculptured doorways and coats
of arms, elegant wrought iron railings and balconies. Starting from
Piazza San Michele, we will follow Via Roma and Ville Fillungo to
Piazza del Anfiteatro situated inside the Roman amphitheatre. We
will visit the Birthplace of Giacono Puccini and the
Puccini Museum and learn more about the life of the famous
composer, including the Steinway piano at
which he composed Turandot. We will then travel the
short distance to the seaside town of Torre del Lago where he
lived and composed many of his most famous works and is buried; we
will visit his home and the Puccini Museum.
- Your second concert performance will be today
DAY 6 PARMA - SAN MARINO - PESARO (1 NIGHT)
From
Parma, we take the breathtaking drive up the slopes of Monte Titano
to San Marino, one of the smallest states in the world. After
lunch, we continue to Pesaro on the Adriatic coast, the town
of which was the birthplace of the composer Gioacchino Rossini.
- Your third and final concert performance will be today
DAY 7 PESARO - RAVENNA - VERONA (1 NIGHT)
This morning, we will visit the Rossini Birthplace and Museum.
We will then drive to Ravenna, an Eastern jewel in a Western
setting, truly beyond compare. No other town in Europe has such
perfectly preserved monuments and memorials from the late Empire
to the early Middle Ages. The Tomb of Galla Placidia's
wonderful mosaics are a model of classic perfection. The
Church of St. Vitalis is one of the wonders, not only of
Ravenna, but of the world, for the beauty and richness of the
marble that remains. We will then continue to Verona.
DAY 8 VERONA - BERGAMO - MILAN (1 NIGHT)
Verona forever associated with Romeo and Juliet is one of
Italy's most ancient and glorious cities. It has a wealth of
monuments that testify to its past importance. We will view the
picturesque Erbe and Lord's Squares, the Tombs of the
Scaligers, Castelvecchio, Scaligers Bridge and the large
Roman Amphitheatre, used for some of the most spectacular
opera performances staged anywhere in the world. We will then
continue to Bergamo, which was the home of the composer,
Donizetti, where we will visit the museum
dedicated to the life and work of the composer. We will also
visit Piazza Vecchia, which is the historic centre of the town
and The Palazzo della Ragione the oldest communal
palace in Italy, which dates from 1199 but was rebuilt in the
16th century. It has graceful arcades, trefoil windows and a
central balcony surmounted by the Lion of St. Mark. We will
continue to Milan where the remainder of the evening is free to
spend at leisure.
DAY 9
DEPARTURE FROM
MILAN
Our enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to an end as our tour
manager/guide accompanies us to the airport for the return
flight home
