Trafalgar Tours, one of the largest and best-regarded group tour companies in the world, has announced a new, 10-day trip focused on Italy's sizable religious heritage called "A Journey though Christian Italy." It visits Rome, Assisi, Siena, Florence, Padova, and Venice, paying respect to Saints Francis, Clare, Anthony, Catherine, and Mark--along with visits to the major tourists sights and museums as well (Sistine Chapel, Uffizi Galleries, etc.).
The price starts at $1,995 (for June 16, July 14, and Aug. 25 departures; Sept. 8 costs $2,095; Sept. 22 and Oct. 6 cost $2,195), which covers all transportation, first-class hotels, tour guides, museum and sight entry tickets, and breakfasts, along with two lunches and two dinners. Sadly, the price does not include airfare. (I suggest checking rates at airfare aggregator Momondo.com and consolidator AutoEurope/1800FlyEruope.)
A few notes on the phenomenon of religious tourism. Regardless of your personal religious beliefs, one fact is immutable: the earliest tourists were all either traders/merchants or pilgrims. The medieval version of the Grand Tour was to travel to various churches, basilicas, and holy spots, paying your respects, attending services, and casting your eyes upon 101 different miraculous holy relics along the way.
Many people still visit Italy primarily for the religious aspects--Assisi isn't that consistently popular (and crowded) just for the Giotto frescoes, you know. One that that has surprised me when bumping into pilgrims--either in groups or individually, at sights or when staying at convents and monasteries--is that most of them aren't even Catholic. Protestants eager to see the foundations of the Christian church flock to Italy as well.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Air-car packages to Italy from $557
Auto Europe is offering a fantastically priced deal to Italy that bundles together airfare and a rental car. (Just go to the site and click on "Specials.")
Rates start at $557 per person for round-trip airfare and three days with a rental car to fly into Florence or Venice from Boston or New York ($619 from Miami or Chicago). $557 is also the price from Boston to Milan; for some odd reason, the price jumps to $579 for flights to Rome from New York and Boston, $647 for flights to Rome from Miami and Chicago.
Those are the prices for winter travel (Dec. 26, 2008 to Mar. 31, 2009; rates go up by more than 50% in spring), and don't include fuel surcharges of $264 to $330 (other government fees, taxes, and surcharges can add up to an additional $195.)
By the way, three days with a car is perfect for a trip of a week or two. Figure you'd be better off getting around by train to link the big cities, and rally only need a car for exploring hilltowns and vineyards and such. So on a typical 8-day trip (leave Friday night, return the following Sunday), you could fly to Rome, spend three days there, then take the train to Florence and spend two days there, then pick up your rental car to spend the last three days driving back through the hilltowns of Tuscany and Umbria on your way to Rome's airport to depart. Perfect.
Rates start at $557 per person for round-trip airfare and three days with a rental car to fly into Florence or Venice from Boston or New York ($619 from Miami or Chicago). $557 is also the price from Boston to Milan; for some odd reason, the price jumps to $579 for flights to Rome from New York and Boston, $647 for flights to Rome from Miami and Chicago.
Those are the prices for winter travel (Dec. 26, 2008 to Mar. 31, 2009; rates go up by more than 50% in spring), and don't include fuel surcharges of $264 to $330 (other government fees, taxes, and surcharges can add up to an additional $195.)
By the way, three days with a car is perfect for a trip of a week or two. Figure you'd be better off getting around by train to link the big cities, and rally only need a car for exploring hilltowns and vineyards and such. So on a typical 8-day trip (leave Friday night, return the following Sunday), you could fly to Rome, spend three days there, then take the train to Florence and spend two days there, then pick up your rental car to spend the last three days driving back through the hilltowns of Tuscany and Umbria on your way to Rome's airport to depart. Perfect.
Googlus mapus for ancient Rome
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to ancient Rome! You've seen it on the History Channel, and now you, too, can fly through the eerily abandoned streets of a clearly computer-generated Ancient Rome thanks to Google Earth: earth.google.com/rome
In conjunction with Rome Reborn, the folks at Google Earth have recreated a 3-D map of ancient Rome more or less how it appeared in the year 320 AD. Coolest bit: you can even fly into some of the buildings, like the Basilica Giulia law courts in the Roman Forum.
(Note this is not one of those things you can just see on Google's site using your Web browser; you have to download the separate Google Earth application--which if you don't already have, is amazingly cool and free. It's what the Evening News and CNN and such now use to zoom in on trouble spots in the news).
In conjunction with Rome Reborn, the folks at Google Earth have recreated a 3-D map of ancient Rome more or less how it appeared in the year 320 AD. Coolest bit: you can even fly into some of the buildings, like the Basilica Giulia law courts in the Roman Forum.
(Note this is not one of those things you can just see on Google's site using your Web browser; you have to download the separate Google Earth application--which if you don't already have, is amazingly cool and free. It's what the Evening News and CNN and such now use to zoom in on trouble spots in the news).
Italy prepares for a trains versus planes smackdown
The Economist reports that, not only are low-cost carriers like Ryanair and easyJet giving the eternally-in-peril Alitalia a run for its money on some domestic air routes (more on that in a moment), but that the trains are shaping up to be an even better option on long hauls.
A new high-speed track on the Bologna-Milan line will cut 30 minutes off the travel time; by the end of 2009, a similar project should be finished for Bologna-Florence, slashing travel time from 60 to 30 minutes.
Planes still sound faster, right. Well remember: A 90 minute flight actually eats up approximately five hours of your time (give yourself an hour on each end to get to and from the airports, check in at least an hour early for your flight, and pad that with another 30 minutes for luggage retrieval, missed airport trains, and the wise decision to arrive at the airport a wee bit early).
Still, you can't argue with low prices from no-frills airlines--and air connections are a lot faster than trains for going from, say, Milan down to Apulia or Sicily.
The article cites only easyJet's new route connecting Rome's Fiumicino airport with Milan's Malpensa airport, but know that easyJet also flies from Rome to Bari and Palermo, and from Milan to Naples, Apulia (Bari, Brindisi), Sicily (Palermo, Catania), Lamezia, and Sardegna (Cagliari and Olbia).
Meanwhile, Ryanair--which is making a strong bid to oust Alitalia from its own market--now flies from Milan to Rome, Apulia (Bari, Brindisi), Sicily (Palermo, Trapani), Lamezia, and Sardegna (Cagliari, and Alghero); from Rome to Milan, Venice, Trapani, and Sardegna (Cagliari, Alghero); from Bologna to Apulia (Bari, Brindisi), Lamezia, and Sicily (Trapani); and from Pisa to Bari, Lamezia, Sicily (Palermo, Trapani), and Sardegna (Caglieri, Alghero).
Also in the article: more news on the announced rival to the Italian state railways that is aiming to provide high-speed service between Rome, Milan Turin/Torino), and Venice in 2011.
A new high-speed track on the Bologna-Milan line will cut 30 minutes off the travel time; by the end of 2009, a similar project should be finished for Bologna-Florence, slashing travel time from 60 to 30 minutes.
Planes still sound faster, right. Well remember: A 90 minute flight actually eats up approximately five hours of your time (give yourself an hour on each end to get to and from the airports, check in at least an hour early for your flight, and pad that with another 30 minutes for luggage retrieval, missed airport trains, and the wise decision to arrive at the airport a wee bit early).
Still, you can't argue with low prices from no-frills airlines--and air connections are a lot faster than trains for going from, say, Milan down to Apulia or Sicily.
The article cites only easyJet's new route connecting Rome's Fiumicino airport with Milan's Malpensa airport, but know that easyJet also flies from Rome to Bari and Palermo, and from Milan to Naples, Apulia (Bari, Brindisi), Sicily (Palermo, Catania), Lamezia, and Sardegna (Cagliari and Olbia).
Meanwhile, Ryanair--which is making a strong bid to oust Alitalia from its own market--now flies from Milan to Rome, Apulia (Bari, Brindisi), Sicily (Palermo, Trapani), Lamezia, and Sardegna (Cagliari, and Alghero); from Rome to Milan, Venice, Trapani, and Sardegna (Cagliari, Alghero); from Bologna to Apulia (Bari, Brindisi), Lamezia, and Sicily (Trapani); and from Pisa to Bari, Lamezia, Sicily (Palermo, Trapani), and Sardegna (Caglieri, Alghero).
Also in the article: more news on the announced rival to the Italian state railways that is aiming to provide high-speed service between Rome, Milan Turin/Torino), and Venice in 2011.
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