ACADEMIC Study Trips: Fall 2009

STUDY TRIPS

The JFRC offers school-sponsored Study Trips each semester during holidays, fall and spring break, as well as short day trips in Italy on selected weekends.  Each Study Trip is accompanied by a faculty member and an SLA.  The itineraries are prepared with both academic and cultural interest in mind, taking into account the prevailing economic factors.  Trips may be canceled and deposits returned if fewer than the required number of participants apply.

HOW TO REGISTER FOR A STUDY TRIP

Due to limited seats, trips will be decided on a first-come, first-serve basis. The business office will be open at 12:30 pm on Tuesday, September 8th so that students may sign up for trips.  At that time, students may sign up for only ONE study trip.  Depending on availability, students may be given the opportunity to sign up for additional trips at a later time.  More details on how to register for the study trips will be provided at the Fall Study Trips meeting on Monday, September 7th. 

Students pay directly at the Business Office at the JFRC for all Study Trips.  Credit cards may be used.  Information regarding payment due dates, etc. will be posted on the Study Trips Bulletin Board.  Please use this as your main Study Trips resource!

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Students in need of financial assistance in order to participate in certain group travel opportunities may be invited by the Director and Assistant Director for Student Life to apply for Forza Roma funds generously contributed for this purpose by JFRC Alumni.  Students may contact Todd Waller, Associate Dean of Students, for details.

 

   Ostia Antica & the Catacombs

September 19

The beautifully preserved ruins of Ostia Antica, Rome’s ancient seaport, lie twenty miles from the modern metropolis, in the meadows between the Tiber River and the Tyrrhenian Sea.  It was founded, probably in the 4th century BC, as a military colony to guard the river mouth against seaborne invasions.  Later, during the centuries when virtually all imports reached the Capital via the Tiber, Ostia gained prominence as the domestic landing for cargo boats.  By the 2nd century AD, it had become a flourishing commercial center inhabited by upwards of 100,000 people, whose apartment buildings, taverns, and grocery shops are still intact.  This day-long study trip will include a guided tour of the ruins and catacombs of this ancient city. 

 

Cost: €25
The price includes bus transportation to and from Ostia, a boxed lunch, and park entrance fees.  Register and pay in the Rome Center Business Office.

Approximate number of students: 50
A minimum of 20 is required in order for the trip to be offered.

Approximate length of trip: 8:45 am – 5:00 pm
This study trip is a day trip.

Facilitator: Prof. John Nicholson.

Questions about logistics should be directed to: RomeSLA@luc.edu

For more information about Ostia, visit: http://www.ostiantica.it/


 

   Cusano Mutri: Sagra Dei Funghi

September 25-27

Cusano Mutri is a small typical Italian hill town in the mountains about three hours outside of Rome in the region of Campania with its own fall festival dedicated to the cuisine of local mushrooms. Hosted by Prof. Grazia Sotis, Rome Center Professor of Italian language, literature, and culture, the students will attend a "sagra" or food festival that features many regional dishes, as well as music, arts, and traditional crafts. The weekend will also include guided tours to some interesting paleontology sites. The Sagra dei Funghi offers American students a chance to encounter a region of Italy where few tourists venture.

Cost: €235.00
The price includes all transportation, two nights’ accommodations, daily breakfast, two lunches, two dinners and guided tours.  Register and pay in the Rome Center Business Office.

Approximate amount of deposit: €150.00
The non-refundable deposit is necessary to secure your place on the study trip. Register and pay in the Rome Center Business Office.

Approximate number of students: 25
A minimum of 15 is required in order for the trip to be offered.

Facilitator: Prof. Grazia Sotis

Questions about logistics may be directed to RomeSLA@luc.edu.
For more information, visit: http://www.comunecusanomutri.it.

 

Tentative Cusano Mutri Itinerary

Day 1:  3:00 p.m. Departure

Please meet the SLA and our bus in the John Felice Rome Center's  driveway ready to leave.
Bring your waiver with you.
7 p.m. Arrival in Cusano Mutri
Check in to Cabins
Dinner @ the Sagra
Free time downtown for exploring

Day 2:  Breakfast @ cabin

9:45 a.m. Guided visit to il Museo Territorio di Cusano Mutri
11:15 a.m. Walk in Historical Center of Cusano Mutri
12:30 p.m. Lunch @ local restaurant
1:30 p.m. Trip to Pietraroja for guided tour of the Parco Geopaleontologico and Paleolab
View local artisans producing local foods
7:30 p.m. Light dinner @ local restaurant
Free time downtown for exploring

Day 3:   Breakfast @ cabin

9:30 a.m. Visit to Bocca della Selva (mountainous), view local artisans at work.
Optional horseback riding - an estimated cost of €10-15 per hour
Light lunch @ the Sagra
Free time downtown for exploring
5 p.m. Departure

There will be a collection made to tip the bus driver. Please set aside €1.00.
 

Professor Schwarten’s Students in Velletri

Professor Schwarten, the students, and I really enjoyed a full day in the town of Velletri. He took us on a short walking tour from the train station to his home.  Then in groups of two, we had to find certain local food markets, order the food ( in Italian of course), and find our way back to his home.  For antipasti, we ate mozzarella and olives and then pasta with mushrooms for the main meal; it was delicious! Then, we tried wine at an old place used a long time ago for drinking, playing games, and socializing.  On our way back to the train station, we ran into the wine festival that included parades and dancing. 

 

Professor James Schwarten and children: Julia and Christopher , students :Angie Moreno, Elena Green, Anne Campanella, David Vinci, Megan Buchheit, Hannah Zillmer David Vinci, Angie Moreno, Elena Green, Hannah Zillmer, Megan Buchheit, Anne Campanella Professor James Schwarten and children: Julia and Christopher


   Classical Greece

 

October 9 – 18 (Fall Break)

The journey includes two nights in Athens, an excursion to the island of Mykonos, and an extensive exploration of the Peloponnesian peninsula. Visits to archaeological sites include Tolo, Corinth, Mycene, Nauplia, Epidaurus, and Olympia. 

Approximate cost: €1,200.00
The cost includes all transportation, travel to and from Greece, guided tours, most museum entrance fees, three-star hotels (3 students per room) and daily breakfast.

Approximate amount of deposit: €300.00
The non-refundable deposit is necessary to secure your place on the study trip. Register and pay in the Rome Center Business Office.

Approximate number of students: 50
You are not able to give up your seat to another student in the event you decide not to participate in the study trip after having made a deposit. All deposits are non-refundable.

Facilitators: Dr. Alexander Evers and Dr. Susana Cavallo

Questions about logistics may be directed to RomeSLA@luc.edu.
For more information about Greece, visit: http://www.greece.gr.

Tentative Greece Itinerary

Day 1:     Morning bus transfer from the Rome  Center Campus to Fiumicino Airport and depart  by flight to Athens. Arrive in Athens, transfer to the hotel. Free evening in Athens.

Day 2:  Tour of Delphi. Evening group will stay in town of Arachova.

Day 3:   Sight-seeing in Olympia.

Day 4:  Visit to Sparta and Mystras.

Day 5: The tour will continue through the Peloponnesian peninsula. Afternoon to be spent in Mycene.

Day 6:  Transfer by speed boat to the Greek island of Mykonos.

Day 7: Exploring the island of Mykonos and neighboring archaeological site on the island of Delos.

Day 8 & 9:  Hiking, swimming and exploring beaches in and around Mykonos.

Day 10: Return to Athens and depart for Rome.

 

   Poland

October 10-13 (Partial Fall Break)

This trip is intentionally designed so that students may participate in a school sponsored program for the first half of fall break and then be free to travel on their own for the remainder of the vacation. The Poland trip will come to a close on Tuesday, late afternoon, October 13. Prague, Berlin, Vienna and other European capitals are within a 4 to 6 hour train ride from Torun, Poland. In short, students are invited to come to Poland for an opportunity to meet Polish students and hear from leading human rights professors. Students will have the best of both worlds as the second half of fall break one can travel as he/she desires.

The Poland trip offers a one-time opportunity to learn about human rights, legal institutions and social issues in Poland with Rome Center alumnus John Kurowski. The trip begins in Krakow which is considered to be one of the trendiest destinations in all of Europe for young artists and musicians. The group will continue to Warsaw and will arrive in Torun on Sunday evening. Monday and Tuesday the Rome Center group will be hosted by faculty and students from the School of Law at Nicolaus Copernicus University. Seminar topics may include perspectives on torture in the context of war, the war in Afghanistan and the influx of refugees into Poland. The role of government in Polish society today will also be explored and compared with similar American institutions. The formal program ends on October 13 allowing for five full days of independent travel to other destinations during the fall break.

Approximate cost: €250.00
The price includes two nights' accommodations, daily breakfast, two lunches, two dinners and guided tours. Students are asked to purchase their own airline tickets to and from Poland. Discount fares can easily be secured ranging from 50 euro roundtrip up to 225 euro roundtrip. Do not purchase your airline ticket until mid September while in Rome. Register and pay in the Rome Center Business Office.

Approximate amount of deposit: €150.00
The non-refundable deposit is necessary to secure your place on the study trip. Register and pay in the Rome Center Business Office.

Approximate number of students: 25. A minimum of 15 students is required in order for the trip to be offered.

Facilitator: Associate Director for Student Life, Todd W. Waller.
Questions about logistics may be directed to: RomeSLA@luc.edu.

 

   Pompeii

October 30

A unique visit to the Roman city of Pompeii which was buried by lava flowing from Mt. Vesuvius in the year 79 AD. Except for the lucky few, Pompeiians suffered a live burial. The amazing exhibits are visible all over the ancient site. The excavation is ongoing, from the first unearthing in 1784 through the present.

Approximate cost: €25.00
The cost includes all transportation, guided tours, all museum entrance fees, a box lunch and a box dinner. Register and pay in the Rome Center Business Office.

Approximate number of students: 50

Approximate length of trip: 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.
This Study Trip is a day trip.

Facilitator: Prof. John Nicholson.
Questions about logistics should be directed to: RomeSLA@luc.edu.

For more information about Pompeii, visit http://www.pompeiisites.org/database/pompei/pompei2.nsf?Open Database.

 

   Montecassino

November 7

Founded by St. Benedict on a spectacular mountain top, this for many years was one of the most important and influential monastic complexes in the Christian world. The monastery has been repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt; the most devastating attack was during World War II. This is a unique day Study Trip and a chance to see a part of Lazio that few tourists encounter.

Approximate cost: €25.00
The cost includes all transportation, guided tours, museum entrance fee and formal lunch at a restaurant. Register and pay in the Rome Center Business Office.

Approximate number of students: 50

Approximate length of trip: 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.
This Study Trip is a day trip.

Facilitator: Prof. Grazia Sotis.
Questions about logistics may be directed to: RomeSLA@luc.edu

 

   Small Towns of Tuscany

November 13-15

One has to work hard not to have a fantastic time in Tuscany, with its rolling hills covered in olive groves and grapevines and medieval towns with cobblestone streets. This Study Trip includes guided historical tours, long meals, and opportunities to learn about local wines and olive oil in scenic settings.  Students will visit the towns of San Gimignano, Casellina in Chianti, and San Casciano (the town where Machiavelli lived when he was in exile).

Approximate cost: €300.00
The cost includes all transportation, 2 nights' accommodation in a typical Tuscan hotel (2 students per room), daily breakfast, two dinners, a wine tasting, guided tours and all museum entrance fees. Register and pay in the Rome Center Business Office.

Approximate number of students: 25
A minimum of 20 is required in order for the trip to be offered.

Facilitator: Dr. Susanna Cavallo, Assistant Director of the John Felice Rome Center.

Questions about logistics should be directed to: RomeSLA@luc.edu.

For more information about Tuscany, visit: http://www.regione.toscana.it/prehome_1024.htm.

 

Tentative Tuscany Itinerary

Day 1  7:30 a.m. Depart via bus from the Rome Center for Tuscany.

We will make a rest stop where you eat breakfast (not included).
12:00 p.m. Tour and wine tasting at the family owned Tenuta Torciano Winery.
3:00 p.m. Free time in San Gimignano to explore the town center and eat lunch (not  included).
6:00 p.m. Check in at the hotel.
9:00 p.m. Dinner (included) at the Restaurant adjacent to hotel.

Day 2   Breakfast (included) at the hotel.

9:00 a.m. Depart via bus from the hotel for an all day guided tour of Chianti Region.
Lunch (not included) in the Chianti Region.
9:00 p.m. Dinner (included) at the Restaurant adjacent to hotel.

Day 3   Breakfast (included) at the hotel.

Itinerary to be determined.
4:00 p.m. Depart the Chianti region for the Rome Center
7:30 p.m. Arrival at the Rome Center

 

   Northern Ireland

November 26-29

The purpose of this trip is to learn about peace-building and conflict resolution programs in Belfast. Conflict resolution is a growing field of academic study dedicated to exploring how and why religious, ethnic and cultural identities underlie most conflicts across the globe. There is an increasing demand for international relief workers, lawyers and diplomats to be trained in areas of conflict resolution studies. A trip to Belfast represents a unique opportunity to observe, first hand, problems in a real world situation.

Approximate cost: €250.00
The cost includes all bus transportation while in Ireland, three nights' accommodations, daily breakfast and guided tours.

Approximate amount of deposit: €150.00
The non-refundable deposit is necessary to secure your place on the Study Trip. Register and pay in the Rome Center Business Office.

Approximate number of students: 23
A minimum of 16 is required in order for the trip to be offered.

Transportation to and from Ireland: Students are responsible for their own transportation. Students pay for their air travel separately from the cost of the study trip. Low-cost fares can be found on the Internet. Fares are likely to range from €100.00 to €200.00 round-trip.

Facilitator: Mr. Todd Waller.

Questions about logistics should be directed to: RomeSLA@luc.edu.

For more information, visit: http://www.irlgov.ie and http://www.nio.gov.uk.