THE TOUR INCLUDES: Top Category seats for 4 (Idomeneo, I Due Foscari, Nabucco and La traviata) 9 nights in deluxe accommodations (Hotel Manzoni Milan, Palazzo dalla Rosa Prati Parma, Corte degli Angeli Lucca, Grand Hotel Sitea Torino) Full breakfast daily, 2 lunches, 3 dinners and 1 Welcome Reception (light meal with cocktails) Custom private tours in Milan (with The Last Supper), Cremona, Parma, Busseto (Verdi sites), Lucca (Puccini sites), Pisa and Torino Private airport-hotel transfers Tour Direction by an Aria Tours representative A comprehensive Tour Guidebook, with travel and performance info and a detailed daily itinerary Cost: $6995 US Single Supplement: $1150 US Deposit: $2500 US Balance due: August 13, 2009

OPTIONS FLIGHTS We will be happy to make any flight arrangements, including reward travel with your preferred carrier, for $75 per person. AIRPORT-HOTEL TRANSFERS We offer one group transfer for arrivals/departures; please book arrivals in Milan on October 14 before 10 am and departures from Milan on October 23 after 10 am. TOUR ADDITIONS The itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and desires. Please call us to discuss any changes or amendments you wish to make. INSURANCE We strongly recommend that all tour members purchase cancellation insurance upon registration. We can assist you with this, though you are welcome to purchase a policy at your own discretion. If you would like information on the policies offered by our supplier, please contact us for details, or click HERE for an insurance brochure and application.

Three of operas greatest geniuses in a country that loves them all well: this tour is a feast of music, history and art (and at times, a more literal feast, as we experience some of the finest cuisine and wine in the country). We use charming and elegant hotels in each city, located in the historic centres, close to venues and major sights. Our guides are the very best in each location, and are particularly knowledgeable about the composers and their music, as well as, of course, the history and art of their respective regions. Transfers between cities are by luxury coach, and the tour schedule will be such that we avoid early mornings and full days of touring. And our seats are, as always, top category in each venue.

In Milan, we attend a performance of Mozart's Idomeneo at opera's mecca, Teatro alla Scala, and we also enjoy a guided tour of the La Scala museum. In addition, we explore the magnificent Duomo, visit Verdi's final resting place at the Casa di Riposo and behold Leonardo's The Last Supper at the Church of Santa Maria della Grazie.

In the tour's second act, we feature I Due Foscari and Nabucco at the Verdi Festival in Parma and Modena, and we explore the Maestro's homeland in Busseto. In addition to guided tours in Cremona and Parma, we also enjoy the region's cuisine to the full (as did Verdi, famously so).

The third act is Lucca, one of the most charming cities in Italy, with some of the finest cuisine in all of Tuscany. This medieval walled city has countless treasures, among which are the many sites associated with Giacomo Puccini, who was born here in 1858.

The finale is Torino, where we hear La traviata at the famous Teatro Regio in addition to exploring one of the most overlooked cities in Italy. The attractive Baroque town centre is cosmopolitan and gracious, with an atmosphere that is more serene than many larger Italian cities. From its elegant arcaded streets, Baroque and Art Nouveau cafés and architecture, abundant and noble equestrian statues of Savoy princes, and important galleries and museums, there is much to explore.

THE ITINERARY

Tuesday, October 13
Departure flights (own arrangements) from North America to Milan. We can assist with flights ($75 per person fee).

Wednesday, October 14
Upon arrival in Milan, you will be met and transferred to the Hotel Manzoni, a small, elegant hotel in the heart of the city's prime shopping district, walking distance to La Scala, the Duomo and Galleria. After settling in, we meet for introductions and a Welcome Reception (light meal and cocktails).

Thursday, October 15
Late morning we meet in the hotel lobby for a guided tour of Milan featuring, the magnificent Duomo, the Casa di Riposo (the lovely home endowed by Verdi to house "retired" musicians), and the Church of Santa Maria della Grazie to view da Vinci's The Last Supper. Our tour ends with a festive lunch at a charming family-run restaurant near the church. This evening we make the short pilgrimage to La Scala for a performance of Mozart's Idomeneo (Chung; Ciofi, Remigio, Polverelli, Davislim).

Friday, October 16
After breakfast and check out, we transfer by private coach to Parma, stopping in Cremona for a brief tour of the Old Town centre, where we view the priceless collection of instruments (Stradivari, Guarneri, etc.) in the City Hall before lunch in one of the city's best restaurants. Afterward it is on to Parma, where we check in at the Palazzo Dalla Rosa Prati, a remarkably set jewel in the historic core. The evening is at leisure in Parma.

Saturday, October 17
Late morning we meet for a guided tour of Parma, including the wonderful Romanesque Cathedral, Benedetto Antelami's Baptistry (one of the greatest Romanesque buildings in all of Italy), Toscanini's birthplace and the spectacular Teatro Farnese (the prototype of the modern playhouse and the oldest surviving theatre with a permanent proscenium arch). Following an afternoon at leisure, we attend a performance of Verdi's I Due Foscari in Modena (Cond. D. Renzetti with T. Serjan, M. Malagnini, R. Tagliavini).

Sunday, October 18
After a morning at leisure, we depart by private coach for a tour to Busseto. We visit Verdi's modest birthplace at Le Roncole, then the villa in Sant'Agata to which the Maestro retired with his wife, Giuseppina Strepponi, and finally the Casa Baresi (home to a collection of Verdi memorabilia). After an elegant lunch at our favourite restaurant in Busseto, we return to Parma. This evening, we attend a performance of Nabucco at Teatro Regio in Parma (Cond. M. Mariotti, with Dimitra Theodossiou and Leo Nucci).

Monday, October 19
After checking out of the hotel, we depart by private coach for Lucca, a gem in northwest Tuscany near the Ligurian coast. Once settled into our rooms at the charming Alla Corte degli Angeli, we enjoy a guided tour. We visit the house on the Corte San Lorenzo, near the central Piazza San Michele, where Puccini was born on December 22nd, 1858. We then visit the Romanesque church of San Michele in Foro, on the site of the Roman forum. We also visit the San Paolino where Puccini played the organ, and stop for a brief tour of the Palazzo Mansi, a Baroque palace with a noteworthy art collection and finely decorated apartments. The evening is at leisure in Lucca.

Tuesday, October 20
After breakfast we depart by coach for a guided tour of the Villa Puccini in Torre del Lago. Following the success of Tosca, Puccini purchased the house and set about having it completely restructured. This villa, where he composed many of his best known operas, is now a museum. A small chapel inside the house holds the composer's remains and those of his wife, Elvira, and his son, Antonio. Following the tour, we stop for lunch at the Chalet del Lago, overlooking Lake Massaciuccoli. Before our return to Lucca, we stop in Pisa to visit the Piazza dei Miracoli, home of the celebrated Leaning Tower, the Romanesque Cathedral (with inside visit), the Baptistry and other important monuments. This evening we enjoy an unforgettable dinner at one of Lucca's best kitchens.

Wednesday, October 21
After checking out of our hotel, we depart by private coach for Torino, stopping in Chiatri to see the Villa Puccini, the first house owned by Puccini where, in the summer of 1908, he composed most of the first act of Fanciulla del West. We then continue to Genoa, where we stop briefly to explore the Old Town. In Torino, we check in at the luxurious Grand Hotel Sitea. This evening we gather and walk to our final performance of the tour, Verdi's La traviata at Teatro Regio (Noseda; Álvarez, Meli, Mosuc).

Thursday, October 22
This morning we meet for a private guided tour of the city, including the Duomo San Giovanni, the Sanctuario della Consolata, the Palazzo Reale and the San Lorenzo Church. Following the tour we include a Farewell Lunch at a superb and historic restaurant near the hotel. The evening is at leisure.

Friday, October 23
Transfers included (90 minutes) to Malpensa in Milan. Please book departure flights for late morning or later.