Piemonte Walk - Stanford Alumni Association - Stanford University

STANFORD TRAVEL/STUDY

Piemonte Walk With the French Riviera and Cinque Terre May 30 to June 11, 2013 Two of Europe’s most outrageously gorgeous seacoasts, Italy’s Cinque Terre and France’s Côte d’Azur, lie close enough to the Piemonte region for us to include them on our newest walk. With Professor Ed Steidle and popular host Peter Watson as our guides, ramble through vineyards and enjoy sweeping views of the Mediterranean. During our invigorating walks, sample the superb wines and fragrant white truffles of the Langhe district and dine at the restaurant where the Slow Food Movement began. Walk through the forested valleys of France’s La Turbie natural reserve above the Riviera, then visit swank Monte Carlo and sunny Nice. Join us as we walk through this land of exquisite terrains and terroirs!

FACULTY LEADER Ed Steidle, who is fluent in several languages, was born and educated in Europe and lived in Nice as a child. His fascination with the regions we visit stems from their wealth of history, art and literary traditions, spanning from classical times through the medieval era and into the Renaissance. “These regions are the cradle of the Renaissance, yet have a wonderful medieval past that is equally appealing,” says Dr. Steidle. He looks forward to traveling to “sites known to great artists and writers, where we can delve into their lives and works while strolling through settings that cannot be equaled anywhere in the world.” Dr. Steidel has served as a faculty leader on more than 20 previous Travel/Study trips. A Program of the Stanford Alumni Association

FACULTY LEADER (continued) • • • •

Stanford faculty member since 1984 in the English and graduate humanities departments and the Continuing Studies program, where he developed the Crossroads series BA, English language and Eastern philosophy, Franklin and Marshall College MA, comparative literature, Johns Hopkins University PhD, medieval comparative literature, UC-Berkeley

ITINERARY Thursday & Friday, May 30 & 31 U.S. / GENOA, ITALY / SANTA MARGHERITA Depart the U.S. on overnight flights to Genoa. Upon arrival, transfer to our hotel in Santa Margherita. This evening, join fellow walkers at a welcome reception and dinner. GRAND HOTEL MIRAMARE (D) Saturday, June 1 CINQUE TERRE Take a short train ride to famed Cinque Terre, a group of five picturesque fishing villages strung along the scenic Ligurian coast. Today we walk among Vernazza, Corniglia and Manarola, perched above the dazzling Mediterranean Sea. Return to our hotel by train. GRAND HOTEL MIRAMARE (B,L) Sunday, June 2 PORTOFINO / SAN FRUTTUOSO Today’s walk takes us from the elegant resort town of Portofino with its pastel seafront façades and enormous yachts lying at anchor along the coast to the isolated Abbey of San Fruttuoso. After visiting the abbey, return to our hotel by boat. A less strenuous option is to travel both to and from San Fruttuoso by boat. GRAND HOTEL MIRAMARE (B,L) Monday, June 3 CINQUE TERRE Today walk among the famed five villages at a higher elevation and explore the ridge separating the Cinque Terre from the rest of Liguria. The views from this vantage point are magnificent. Return to our hotel after a brief train ride. GRAND HOTEL MIRAMARE (B,L) Tuesday, June 4 GENOA / BENEVELLO Drive along the Ligurian Coast to the bustling port city of Genoa, the birthplace of Christopher Columbus. Visit the magnificent Palazzo Reale, then continue to the famed wine region of Le Langhe in Piemonte (“at the foot of the mountains”). Our home for the next four nights is the small village of Benevello. RELAIS VILLA D’AMELIA (B,L,D)

Stanford Travel/Study • Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center • 326 Galvez Street • Stanford, CA 94305 (650) 725-1093 • [email protected] • alumni.stanford.edu/goto/travelstudy

Wednesday, June 5 BARBARESCO / ALBA Walk from our hotel through leafy vineyards to the tiny village of Barbaresco, familiar to wine lovers throughout the world. Continue to the town of Alba, known for its wines and also its treasured and expensive white truffles, a gourmet delicacy. Explore the delightful town, once home to the Count of Cavour, an important political figure in il Risorgimento, the 19th-century movement for a united Italy. RELAIS VILLA D’AMELIA (B,L,D) Thursday, June 6 BAROLO / BRA Our walk today takes us to Barolo, another of the well known wine villages of Le Langhe. Enjoy a comparative tasting of wines at the local wine museum. This evening, drive to the modern town of Bra to dine in its famous restaurant, Osteria Boccondivino, birthplace of the now-worldwide Slow Food Movement, dedicated to leisurely, fine dining on local products. RELAIS VILLA D’AMELIA (B,L,D) Friday, June 7 ROERO Amble through the Roero, another region of equally fine but less expensive wines that faces Le Langhe across the valley. After our picnic lunch, return to our hotel by coach. RELAIS VILLA D’AMELIA (B,L,D) Saturday, June 8 ALPES MARITIMES / NICE, FRANCE Say arrivederci to Italy as we drive past the provincial capital of Cuneo and cross the southern Alps to France’s Alpes Maritimes. Our walk today explores the forested Roya Valley; afterwards we drive to the Côte d’Azur and check in to the famed Hotel Negresco in the sunny resort city of Nice. HOTEL NEGRESCO (B,L,D) Sunday, June 9 ST.-PAUL-DE-VENCE Drive inland to the arrière-pays (“backcountry”) for a stunning walk from the Col de Vence through beautiful countryside, with views in every direction. After lunch, visit the medieval village of St.-Paul-de-Vence, replete with local artists’ shops and galleries. Continue to the Maeght Foundation, in a woodland area just outside of town, to view its magnificent collection of modern paintings, drawings, and indoor and outdoor sculpture. HOTEL NEGRESCO (B,L) Monday, June 10 LA TURBIE / MONTE CARLO On our walk today, traverse the high corniche in La Turbie natural reserve, overlooking the Côte d’Azur. Visit the Roman monument known as the Trophée des Alpes, an ancient memorial to the conquests of the Roman emperor Augustus Caesar, at the highest point of the Appian Way. This afternoon visit, either on foot or by coach, the cosmopolitan city of Monte Carlo, strung along the stunning coastline of the Mediterranean. Enjoy a farewell cocktail reception with fellow walkers before dinner this evening. HOTEL NEGRESCO (B,L,D)


Tuesday, June 11 NICE / U. S. Depart from the Nice airport on flights to the U.S. (B) WHAT TO EXPECT The terrains of southeastern France and northwestern Italy consist of mountain ridges, rolling hills and valleys, and some open farmland and dense forests. The excellent countryside trails are often farm tracks that wind among vineyards, olive groves and shaded woodlands. The paths are sometimes rocky or have exposed roots and can be muddy or wet at times. The weather in this region will be warm, but may be overcast at times. We consider this to be a fairly strenuous and physically demanding program, depending in part on your choice of the two walk options offered on most days. Daily walks range in length from approximately three to six miles for our moderate walks, or five to 12 miles for our more challenging walks. All are led by experienced guides. To participate fully in this walking tour, you need to be physically fit, agile and used to moderate exercise. Several of our daily excursions might be considered by some participants to be hikes rather than walks. You should plan to walk with the group you’ve chosen for the entire day. We welcome travelers 15 years of age and older on this program.


INFORMATION DATES May 30 to June 11, 2013 (13 days) SIZE This program is limited to 32 participants. COST* $8,595 per person, double occupancy $10,610 per person, single occupancy *Association nonmembers add $200 per person. INCLUDED • 11 nights of deluxe hotel accommodations • 11 breakfasts, 10 lunches and 7 dinners • Welcome and farewell cocktail receptions • Bottled water on excursions • Gratuities to porters, guides and drivers for all group activities • All tours and excursions as described in the itinerary • Transfers and baggage handling on program arrival and departure days • Minimal medical, accident and evacuation insurance • Educational program with lecture series and pre-departure materials, including recommended reading list, a selected book, map and travel information • Services of our professional tour manager to assist you throughout the program NOT INCLUDED • International and U.S. domestic airfare • Passport and visa fees • Immunization costs • Meals and beverages other than those specified as included • Independent and private transfers • Trip-cancellation/interruption and baggage insurance • Excess-baggage charges • Personal items such as internet access, telephone and fax calls, laundry and gratuities for nongroup services


TERMS AND CONDITIONS DEPOSIT AND FINAL PAYMENT A $1,000 per-person deposit is required to hold your space. Complete and return the attached reservation form or sign up online at alumni.stanford.edu/trip?piemonte2013. Final payment is due 120 days prior to departure. As a condition of participation, all confirmed participants are required to sign a Release of Liability. CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS Deposits and any payments are fully refundable, less a $500-per-person cancellation fee, until 120 days prior to departure. After that date, refunds can be made only if the program is sold out and your place(s) can be resold, in which case a $1,000-per-person cancellation fee will apply. INSURANCE Stanford Travel/Study provides all travelers who are U.S. or Canadian citizens with minimal medical, accident and evacuation coverage under our group-travel insurance policy. We strongly encourage that you subscribe to optional baggage and trip-cancellation insurance. A brochure offering such insurance will be mailed with your confirmation. The product offered in this brochure includes special benefits if you postmark your insurance payment within a specified window: 15 days of the date listed on the confirmation letter for the Waiver of Pre-Existing Conditions and coverage for Financial Insolvency; 21 days for the Cancel for Any Reason benefit. ELIGIBILITY We encourage membership in the Alumni Association, as the program cost for nonmembers is $200 more than the members’ price. For more information or to purchase a membership, visit alumni.stanford.edu/goto/membership or call (650) 725-0692. RESPONSIBILITY The Stanford Alumni Association, Stanford University and our operators act only as agents for the passenger with respect to transportation and exercise every care possible in doing so. However, we can assume no liability for injury, damage, loss, accident, delay or irregularity in connection with the service of any automobile, motorcoach, launch or any other conveyance used in carrying out this program or for the acts or defaults of any company or person engaged in conveying the passenger or in carrying out the arrangements of the program. We cannot accept any responsibility for losses or additional expenses due to delay or changes in air or other services, sickness, weather, strike, war, quarantine, force majeure or other causes beyond our control. All such losses or expenses will have to be borne by the passenger as tour rates provide arrangements only for the time stated. We reserve the right to make such alterations to this published itinerary as may be deemed necessary. The right is reserved to cancel any program prior to departure in which case the entire payment will be refunded without further obligation on our part. The right is also reserved to decline to accept or retain any person as a member of the program. No refund will be made for an unused portion of any tour unless arrangements are made in sufficient time to avoid penalties. Baggage is carried at the owner’s risk entirely. The airlines concerned are not to be held responsible for any act, omission or event during the time passengers are not onboard their plane or conveyance. Neither the Alumni Association, Stanford University nor our operators accept liability for any carrier’s cancellation penalty incurred by the purchase of a non-refundable ticket connected with the tour. Program price is based on rates in effect in July 2012 and is subject to change without notice to reflect fluctuations in exchange rates, tariffs or fuel charges. California Seller of Travel Program Registration #2048 523-50


Stanford Travel/Study

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Mail completed form to Stanford Travel/Study, 326 Galvez Street, Stanford, CA 94305-6105 or fax to (650) 725-8675 or place your deposit online at alumni.stanford.edu/trip?piemonte2013. Please submit your payment only once to avoid multiple charges to your account. 8741