Italy Tour - To Hell and Back with Dante: The Flowering of the Late Middle Ages in Italy

Dante, Divine Comedy (selections); St. Francis of Assisi and Jacopone da Todi (selected poetry); Giotto, fresco cycles Florence is one of the worlds most beautiful cities, with its domes, towers and frescoed palazzos. The home of Leonardo and Michelangelo, here the Italian Renaissance was born. Yet for many Florentines, the citys most illustrious son is not an artist, but a poet: Dante Alighieri. Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita mi retrovai per una selva oscura che la diritta via era smarrita. In the middle of the road of our life I awoke in a dark wood where the straight way was lost. Thus opens The Divine Comedy, an epic journey thorough hell, purgatory, and paradise. Along the way, Dante sees the full range of the human soul, from sin and sorrow to love and wisdom. We will follow this remarkable journey by reading excerpts from the Comedy, which weaves together myth, theology, history, and vivid portraits of Dantes contemporaries. Two of his contemporaries, Giotto and St. Francis of Assisi give a fuller picture of Dantes faith and times. Francis, with his mystical vision, vows of holy poverty, and love for all of Gods creatures, continues to have a profound influence. Giotto, often called the father of Western art, painted a series of frescoes that gave visual form to the new humanism of Dante and Francis. With a bold new naturalism he modeled the outer form of men and women to reveal their inner feelings. Discussion Leader(s): Tom Govero teaches classics and humanities at John Cabot University in Rome. Tom proposed this trip linking Dante, St. Francis and Giotto since their works reflect the medieval synthesis of the natural and divine. Sean Forester is a painter and poet living in Florence. Sean teaches art history at the Florence Academy of Art and looks forward to sharing the terrors of hell, the transformation of purgatory, and perhaps the bliss of paradise as we journey with Dante. Advertisement: Location: Italy, Florence, Italy, with excursions to Assisi and Siena; and Fiesole - May 13-23 2007 Date(s): May 13-23 2007 Fees: $3,800 U.S. $510 U.S. single supplement Fees include books accommodation two meals a day discussions walking tours talks excursions admissions Accomodations: We will spend the first six nights staying at Hotel Silla, a charming 17th Century villa in a quiet location on the left bank of the Arno River but within an easy walk to all the sites, then decamp to Pensione Bencist, a family-run villa set among olive groves and lemon trees in the hilltop town of Fiesole. Authors: Dante, Divine Comedy (selections); St. Francis of Assisi and Jacopone da Todi (selected poetry); Giotto, fresco cycles Advertisement: