Stonehill College Alumni Travel

We have truly enjoyed STELLAR weather through the first eight days of the trip.  Today's forecast was looking a little bleak to say the least, so we dug out our umbrellas, ponchos and raincoats and set off on the 90 minute journey from our hotel to San Gimignano. Upon arrival, we were pleasantly surprised to find comfortable temperatures and scarcely a rain drop in sight! San Gimignano is one of Italy's best preserved medieval villages known for its impressive skyline of 14 medieval towers. The town's historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The well preserved Romanesque and Gothic architecture, including churches, palaces, and the central Piazza della Cisterna were a sight to behold.  Nestled close to the Piazza is Gelateria Dondoli, a world champion gelato shop that features creative award-winning flavors such as Crema di Santa Fina (saffron and pine nut).  We spent a few hour exploring the sites and wonderful shopping in the town before boarding the bus for the...

This morning, after breakfast at the hotel, we headed to the quaint medieval town of Pistoia.  At the foot of the Tuscan mountains and 30 km from Florence, Pistoia is known for its history, art, and charm...and it did not disappoint on all three levels! Lia shared some history about the town and led us on a stroll past Sant'Andrea, a church which features the famous pulpit crafted by Giovanni Pisano.  Next up was the Ospedale del Ceppo, a hospital founded in 1277.  Once we arrived at the Piazza del Duomo, we were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves smack dab in the middle of the annual Medieval Festival, one of the town's biggest events of the year.  We had time to explore Pistoia on our own before heading out of the square and back to our bus, with just enough time to take in the festival parade, the capstone event of their celebratory weekend.   After departing Pistoia, we took a short drive to Fattoria Betti, a breathtaking farmhouse and vineyard span...

Today, after breakfast, we set off to explore Cinque Terre, a string of centuries-old seaside villages on the rugged Italian Riviera coastline. Unreachable by bus, we hopped on the train to begin the journey to our first stop Manorola, a long winding village built into the hillside overlooking the sea. After some time to explore and shop in Manorola, we headed back to the train station and took a quick ride into Monterosso, a town known for having the best beaches of the Cinque Terre villages. Here, we enjoyed some time at leisure to grab a bite to eat for lunch and explored around coastal village.  Some were even brave enough to take a dip in the ocean. After departing Monterosso, we hopped back on the train into Vernazza for a look around the town, which has a natural pier with an amphitheater shape making it the most picturesque village of the Cinque Terre. As you might guess, shepherding a group of 42 people on and off of public transportation is not for the faint of heart, but...

Phew, today was a very busy, very HOT day, with temperatures nearing 90! After breakfast, we set off on the hour and a half drive to Siena, one of Italy's most beautiful cities.  On our way, our tour director Lia and our bus driver Antonio surprised us with a viewing of the Florence American Cemetery. Comprised of 70 acres of wooded hills, 4,392 American soldiers are buried there, most of whom died in the fighting that occurred after the capture of Rome in June 1944. Once back on the road, we continued our drive through Tuscany's low-lying hills and olive groves while Allyson Sheckler, our faculty host, gave us some wonderful insight into the "must see" items in Siena. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by our local guide Carlo who gave us a walking tour of the city.  The first stop was San Domenico Church, a vast brick church founded by the Dominicans in 1125 as part of their friary, the church contains precious relics of the St. Catherine of Siena.  St. Catherine dev...

Today, after breakfast at the hotel, we boarded the bus to travel to San Miniato for a guided truffle hunt.  Upon arrival at the hunt location, we were greeted by Massimo, Barbara and Marco, three licensed truffle hunters, as well as Mila and Biscia their adorable truffle hunting dogs. Before splitting off into teams, Massimo filled us in on the different truffles that grow in Tuscany as well as how to identify authentic truffle products.  We learned that there are only five proper truffle hunting locations in the world, four in Italy and one in France. Black truffles are harvested July through October, and the elusive and valuable white truffle is harvested in November. Premium "winter" white truffles can sell for as much as 9,000 euros per kilo (or $4090.00 per pound)!  We paired off into two teams, one with Massimo and Milo, and the other with Barbara, Marco and Biscia.  A little friendly competition ensued with Team Biscia outperforming Team Mila five truffles to...

We were up bright and early this morning to make the 80 minute drive into Florence. Known as the "Cradle of the Italian Renaissance", this beautiful city is home to the Piazza Del Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio, and the Cathedral of Santa Maria Del Fiore (pictured).  Our first stop was to Misuri, a manufacturer of luxury handcrafted Italian leather. Here we learned about the Florentine art of leather gilding before Chris, Sharon and Jenn walked the runway showing off some of the magnificent Italian leather.  Next we were joined by a local guide who took the group on a tour of downtown Florence ending with a stop at the Accademia Museum. Founded in 1784, the museum hosts a collection of sculptures, picture galleries and paintings. One of the most important works on display at the museum is David by Michelangelo, which was completed around 1504.  The balance of the day was spent exploring Florence independently until we met up with our fellow travelers on the Piazza di Santa Croce....