This strategic location has made the island an object of conquest, a crossroads of trading activity, and a meeting place of diverse cultures. Participants in this project will explore the history, culture, and natural phenomena of Sicily, whose mild climate and great natural beauty make it an ideal mid-winter travel destination. Following a week on campus devoted to reading discusion and language study, participants will spend eighteen days traveling from Naples through the south of Italy and around the perimeter of Sicily. An ambitious and varied itinerary will include visits to Pompeii and the Amalfi coast, Greek temples and theaters, Byzantine churches, Norman castles, the remains of an imperial Roman villa, an excursion to the Aeolian Islands, and a partial ascent of Mt. Etna, a periodically active volcano rising 11,000 feet about the Mediterranean Sea. Valid travel documents , health insurance, and physician's statement of current good health required .
Travel insurance is required.
Trip cancellation insurance is optional. Once enrolled, each participant should complete arrangements for these without delay. We will also learn about the tumultuous history of South Africa and its amazing political transformation since the recent end of apartheid. As we explore in and around Cape Town, Johannesburg and Soweto, our journey will include a tour of Robben Island where President Mandela was imprisoned, a visit to Freedom Square in Soweto, tea with the residents of Gugulethu, and a visit with a traditional healer in Nyanga. More leisurely pursuits will include tours of the wineries of Stellenbosch and Paarl, a stroll through the glorious Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, and swimming and lazing with the penguins on the pristine beaches of the Cape.