CSULB: Florence & Venice (2024)

Today you should plan to arrive in Florence and check into our hotel.

We will begin our day with a walking tour of the city, visiting such landmarks as the Ponte Vecchio, Oltrarno, and Palazzo Vecchio. The rest of the afternoon is free and then we will sit down for welcome dinner at 6pm.

Lecture 1, 9-10:15am

Today we will start our day by visiting and taking a tour of Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore. This is a museum containing what has been called “one of the world’s most important collections of sculpture.” It is here we will also tour Brunelleschi’s Duomo. The dome was built between 1420 and 1436 and is still the biggest masonry vault in the world to this day. We will spend more time in this area today as next we will visit Giotto’s Bell Tower and the Baptistry of San Giovanni. The Baptistery is one of the oldest buildings in the city, constructed between 1059 and 1128 in the Florentine Romanesque style.

Lecture 2, 9-10:15am

After breakfast today we will visit the Accademia Gallery, starting first with the Museum of Musical Instruments. While we are here, we will also spend some time exploring some of the other attractions in the museum, the most famous of which is Michelangelo’s David. Later in the day we will take some time to slow the pace and explore Boboli Gardens. The gardens are a park that is home to a collection of sculptures dating from the 16th through the 18th centuries, with some Roman antiquities.

Lecture 3, 9-10:15am

Today after breakfast we will visit the Teatro della Pergola and take a tour of this historic opera house. After the tour there will be some free time to allow you to get ready for dinner tonight. After dinner we will return to Teatro della Pergola and attend an opera production.

Lecture 4, 9-10:15am

Today we visit Piazza del Carmine and visit the Brancacci Chapel. The chapel is sometimes called the “Chapel of the early Renaissance” for its painting cycle, among the most famous and influential of the period. After this there will be some free time to explore in the afternoon.

Today we will visit the Uffizi Gallery. One of the most important Italian museums, it is also one of the largest and best known in the world, and holds a collection of priceless works, particularly from the period of the Italian Renaissance.

After breakfast, we will depart for Venice, check into our hotel, and meet after lunch for a tour of the city. Our first stop will be St. Mark’s Basilica. It is the most famous of the city’s churches, and one of the best-known examples of Italo-Byzantine architecture. Next, we will visit the Museo di San Marco which sits on the Piazza San Marco, one of the most famous piazzas of Venice.

Lecture 5, 9-10:15am

After lecture we will visit the Museum of Music, a world class musical instrument exhibit. The afternoon is free.

Today’s first stop will be the Guggenheim Museum of Venice. We will take some time to observe some of the different artworks. Here, you will find Cubism, Futurism, metaphysical paintings, plus many more designs. Once you have been inside take a wander around the gardens as well.

After lunch on your own, we will meet up to try our hand at making some of the traditional masks of Venice.

Lecture 6, 9-10:15am

After lecture, we will visit the Jewish Museum. The Jewish Museum of Venice was founded in 1953 by Cesare Vivante and rabbis Elio Toaff and Bruno Polacco. It focuses on the history of the Jewish people in Venice.

After breakfast, we will visit another amazing gallery, the Gallerie Dell’ Accademia, which specializes in pre-19th-century art. It was originally the gallery of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia, the art academy of Venice, from which it became independent in 1879. Later on we will take a food tour and get to sample some of the delights the city has to offer.

Lecture 7, 9-10:15am

Today we will visit the Doge’s Palace. The palace was built in Venetian Gothic style and is one of the main landmarks of the city of Venice. The palace was the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme authority of the former Republic of Venice. It was built in 1340 and extended and modified in the following centuries.

A free day for you to wander in Venice. In the evening, we will attend the Teatro La Fenice to enjoy an opera performance.

Lecture 8, 9-10:15am

After lecture we will visit Ca’Rezzonica, a public museum dedicated to 18th-century Venice (Museo del Settecento Veneziano) and one of the 11 venues managed by the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia.

Today we will take a boat ride to the island of Murano. We will be able to explore this island and visit the Glass Museum and learn about the process of glass ornament making before we return to the city.

Lecture 9, 9-10:15am

Today will be a leisurely day to allow ample time to relax before tonight’s concert at the Santa Maria della Pietà.

After breakfast we will check out and return to Florence. We will meet for a farewell dinner in the evening.

Today we will say our farewells, check out by 11am, and return to the United States.