Stonehill College Alumni Travel

Today we embodied the "work hard, play hard" philosophy to the fullest. After a much needed rest and breakfast at our hotel, we boarded the bus for a short trip to Pisa. As some may know, busses are not able to navigate the roads leading to the piazza, so we disembarked the bus and boarded a vintage tram to make our way to this most impressive UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Campo dei Miracoli is a walled area and one of the most stunning squares in the world.  Featuring lush green lawns the Piazza is home to three structures symbolizing the main stages of human life; the Pisa Baptistery (the largest of its kind in Italy), the Pisa Duomo, (a medieval Roman Cathedral and one of the most impressive in Tuscany), and the Camposanto (a cemetery built in 1277). Perhaps the most recognizable buildings in the Piazza is the Leaning Tower of Pisa, a free standing bell tower which is actually part of the cathedral. After enjoying some free time to explore the area on our own, we boarded...

  Buona sera! We landed at the Florence airport at 10 a.m. local time after about 15 hours of travel.  We were greeted at the airport by our lovely guide Lia, who escorted us to our private motor coach and introduce us to Antonio, our driver for the duration of the trip. We set off for Montecatini and arrived at the hotel in time to put our feet up for a bit and enjoy some lunch.  After checking in and getting a little R & R, we set out on a walking orientation tour of the quaint town of Montecatini-Terme. With a rich history of restorative waters and baths dating back to Roman times, Montecatini-Terme is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. After a very busy travel day, we were able to relax and unwind with a delicious private welcome dinner our hotel restaurant (see photos below!). Tomorrow, we will set out early to explore Pisa with an evening visit to an "agriturismo" farm for a wine and olive oil tasting followed by a traditional home-cooked dinner. ...

Today we had to bid goodbye to London.  It was a wonderful ten days filled with incredibly beautiful weather, laughter, and learning.  We were blessed to have been guided by Janet, who remained with us all the way up to the departure terminal at Heathrow Airport.  Before we departed from our hotel, we grabbed one last group photo with our bellhop and the iconic red telephone booths just outside of our hotel! Until next year!!

Today some of the group took an optional excursion to Windsor Castle, while the rest of the group enjoyed the last full day with free-time in London.   The oldest and most occupied castle in the world, Windsor Castle sits 25 miles west of central London.  Our tour of Windsor Castle included the magnificent State Rooms, Queen Mary's Dolls' House. as well as St George's Chapel where eleven monarchs are buried, including Queen Elizabeth II. Unfortunately, there is no photography allowed in any of the indoor areas of Windsor Castle but we were able to get some outside shots.  After the tour, the group had some time to explore the markets and charming town of Windsor before boarding the bus back to London. Once in London, we were able to briefly visit Buckingham Palace for some photo ops before jumping back on the bus to the hotel where the group was united for a farewell dinner at Scoff and Banter in Kensington.  After dinner, it was back to the hotel to get organiz...

Today after breakfast, we boarded the bus for the two hour trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon. Situated on the River Avon, and commonly known as just Stratford, the charming market town is in the county of Warwickshire most well known for being the birthplace and burial place of playwright and poet William Shakespeare. William and his wife, Anne Hathaway are both from Stratford and went on to raise their children here. The group spent the morning exploring Shakespeare's family home, which at one time also housed his father's glove making shop.  William was born in the birthing room and lived in the home all the way through his first five years of marriage to Anne. Their own children, Susanna, Judith and Hamnet were also born in the house.  After passing through the family for several centuries, the home was sold to Thomas Court in 1806 and then put up for sale by Court's widow in 1864.  In order to save the building a public campaign was launched, supported by Charles Dickens. T...

After departing the hotel, we took a drive northeast to Cambridge.  We began our tour with an unexpected, but very welcomed visit to the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial, which honors the service and sacrifice of Americans who served overseas during World War II. The cemetery includes markers for 23 unknown burials, 81 markers of the Star of David for those of the Jewish faith, and 3,732 with a Latin cross for the others.  The markers are not separated by rank; officers and enlisted men are buried side-by-side. The memorial building is separated into two parts; a small devotional chapel at the far end, and an impressive map 30 feet long and 18 feet high at the near end titled "The Mastery of the Atlantic - The Great Air Assault".  The map covers the span of a large wall and features the principal sea and aircraft routes that brought troops to Europe from the United States.  After leaving the Cemetery, we continued on to the vibrant college town of Cambridge. ...

After breakfast, we set off for a full-day excursion to the city of Bath, dubbed "the most elegant city in England". Perhaps one of the most popular residents of Bath is 18th century novelist, Jane Austen, whose life's work now resides in the Jane Austin Centre in downtown Bath. The entire city of Bath is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  After a driving tour of the city, we stopped to visit the Royal Crescent, a crescent-shaped row of 30 townhouses designed by architect John Wood, Jr. and built between 1767 and 1774.  Currently 10 are still full-size townhouses; 18 have been split into apartments of various sizes; one is the No. 1 Royal Crescent museum, and The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa, which lies at the center of the crescent, is made up of No. 15 and No. 16 and rents for close to £1000 per night ($1300 U.S. dollars)! Next, we visited the Roman Baths, one of the most preserved Roman ruins in the world. Built in AD70 over hot springs, the site contains thousands of ar...