Imagine a Vacation in Tuscany
Imagine the peacefulness of a tranquil town close to Florence tucked into a valley and framed by cypress studded hills. Silvery olive groves dot the hills and scents of lavender and jasmine perfume the air. So begins our journey in Tuscany - a magnet for culture since the Etruscans - in the spa town of Montecatini Terme.
Begin your day with breakfast on the garden terrace followed by an unconventional tour: Medici villas, medieval hilltop towns, sculpture studios, or vineyards. These handpicked visits introduce you to the celebrated and often lesser-known jewels of the area. Part modern travelogue, part cultural intensive, Shelley Hornstein, York University Professor of Art and Architectural History, explores these sights with you. She invites her colleagues: art historians, curators, conservators, artists or architects, to fuel your enthusiasm by discussing their expertise at the site of their research (an urban square, a painting, a sculpture restoration studio).
They will be filling your days with memorable moments, keen observations, historical details and information you won't find anywhere else.
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Yoga is offered to refresh you before setting out or upon returning after experiencing the aesthetic highlights of the day. With attention to alignment, form and detail, Scott Davis invites novices and all levels of practitioners to experience the transforming effects of flowing vinyasa.
Enjoy a leisurely dinner of local specialties in the elegant hotel dining room. Later, take a stroll - the passeggiata - through town. Enjoy a gelato or perhaps attend an evening concert. Spend your free days exploring artistic treasures, shopping or effortlessly indulging yourself at the spa or pool. Il dolce far niente: The sweetness of pleasant idleness is never far away.
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Each year the itinerary changes as we draw on the rich resources of academic colleagues who are available to lecture on site. Shelley hand-picks visits to correspond to the speciality area of her own areas of expertise and those of her invited guest lecturers. The itinerary should be available by April 2010. A sample itinerary from a previous year is available by clicking on Highlights.