Sordevolo, The Path to Rome

Your Tour includes:

Arrival and departure transfers
9 nights’ accommodation:
- Oropa – 3 nights
- Pistoia – 2 nights
- Rome – 4 nights
Meals
- Buffet breakfast daily
- 8 dinners
- 1 lunch
- 1 wine tasting

Local guided tours in:
- Biella
- Sordevolo
- Turin
- Florence
- Assisi
- Siena
- Classical Rome
- Imperial Rome
Entrance fees for:
- Turin Holy Shroud or Cinema Museum
- Oropa Museum (Oropa)
- o Accademia (Florence)
- Battistero (Florence)
- St. Francis Basilica (Assisi)
- Vatican Museums (Rome)
- Coliseum (Rome)
Premier seating at Passion Play
Professional English-speaking Tour Director throughout
Private motor-coach for all included services
Porterage of 1 suitcase at hotels
Hotel taxes and service charges

Tour does not Include:

International or domestic airfares
Taxes related to airfares
Visas
Travel insurance
Optional tours and activities
All alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
Other meals not mentioned in the itinerary
Extras and gratuities
Early check-in, late check-out (Most hotels begin check-in around 2:00pm)
Expenses of personal nature
Any service not listed under "included”
City stay tax

Hotels in your Tour:

City	Hotel Name	Tripadvisor
Biella	Relais Santo Stefano	4
	Agora Palace	4.5
	Santuario Oropa	4
Pistoia	Villa Cappuggi	4.5
Rome	Giulio Cesare	4
Rome	Donna Camilla Savelli	4.5

Hotels will be confirmed at time of booking

Since about 1490, the play was performed on Good Friday in the Colosseum, by the Roman Company of Gonfalon Confraternity, with a large attendance of people, pilgrims, travelers and notables. This tradition was interrupted in 1539 by Pope Paul III ‘s prohibition of such representations, due to the dramatic Reformation period and the subsequent Luther’s, Calvino’s and other religious movements detachment from the Roman Catholic Church. The “Roman” passion text reached Sordevolo through still mysterious ways. The first hypothesis is that the original text may be arrived in Piedmont thanks to the relation-ships existing between the Roman Gonfalon Confraternity and Sordevolo St Lucy Confraternity, its direct affiliate. A second hypothesis takes into consideration the commercial contacts between the family Ambrosetti, weavers and merchants of Sordevolo “fine cloth”, and its own buyers in Rome. Since about two centuries, the entire community of Sordevolo has been representing the Passion of Christ, in a complete organizing and artistic autonomy.

The next appointment with the public is foreseen for June-September 2020. Sordevolo, 2,133 feet above sea level, is situated on the first hills north of Biel-la, protected by the next Mt. Mombarone and Mt. Mucrone, more than 6,662 feet high. The village may take its name either from super Elvum, the brook which flows close to it, or from surdibulum, a vulgar Latin word indicating a spring waters site, or else from the idiom Solo riverir Deo volo, written on the front façade of an ancient pilgrims’ hospice. In this natural setting of hills, woods and mountains, for over two centuries from the beginning of ‘800, the representation of the Passion takes place every five years. Expression of the ancient popular theatre, the event actively involves the entire community of Sordevolo, about 1,300 inhabitants.

The ancient Popular Theatre Committee of Sordevolo Passion, founded in 1816, has been replaced in 1991 by Sordevolo Popular Theatre Association, an independent non-profit organization, aiming to preserve, to perpetuate and to hand down this tradition, which dates back to the origins of this small community, expression of an olden-day subalpine culture. Special focus has to be placed on the deeply free and independent spirit of this genuine local culture and on the great involvement of the modern heirs of this tradition, who face the various aspects of the staging mere-ly through local human resources and techniques: overall organization, costumes and setting making, scenery plan, direction, drama school, stage setting.

Day 1: Milan, Oropa (Biella)

After arrival formalities at Malpensa airport you’ll be met by our Tour Director and transferred to Oropa Sanctuary. The Oropa Sanctuary is the most important and largest Sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin Mary to be found in the Alps. It is located in a unique, natural and unspoiled setting at 3,337 feet. Upon arrival in Oropa there will be time to freshen up. Afternoon depart for Biella for a walking tour of this Medieval village. Free time to walk enjoy a pizza lunch (on own). Return to Oropa. Dinner at Sanctuary. [D]

Day 2: Oropa (Turin)

Breakfast as hotel. Today enjoy a full day excursion to Turin. The highlight of this visit is the Chapel of the Holy Shroud located in the Cathedral of St. John, where you will view the authentic Holy Shroud. We also will have the chance to visit the National Cinema Museum. And yet it’s not a museum. At least not in the traditional sense of the term. Those who have already visited it understand what we mean. And those of you who are planning on visiting it will be surprised to discover what a special and unique place it is. The Museum is one of the most important of its kind in the world thanks to it vast collection and the many different scientific and educational activities it carries out. But what makes it truly unique is its special exhibit setup. The museum is located inside the Mole Antonelliana, a bizarre and fascinating monument which is the symbol of the City of Turin. And the various areas inside the Mole Antonelliana were the starting point for the Swiss set designer François Confino who, with talent and imagination, multiplied the museum’s itineraries. He created a spectacular presentation that offers visitors continuous and unexpected visual and acoustic stimuli, just like when we watch a film that involves and moves us. The Museum is more than a museum and whoever enters it isn’t just a visitor but also an explorer, an author, an actor, a spectator… to whom the Museum offers the emotions of an experience we hope won’t be easily forgotten. Return to Oropa for dinner and overnight. [B/D]

Day 3: Oropa (Recetto di Candelo - Sordevolo Passion Play)

Breakfast at hotel. Today we depart for the Re cetto di Candelo, a medival fortified village built between the 13th and 14th century to protect food supplies as well as the farmer’s possessions in moments of extreme danger. Return to Oropa for a guided tour of the Sanctuary. Enjoy some free time. Depart for Sordevolo. Enjoy dinner at a local restaurant before we attend the Passion Play performed by actors of the local village. Return to Oropa. [B/D]

Day 4: Oropa, Florence, Pistoia

Breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast we depart Oropa for Florence and enjoy a walking tour. You’ll stroll through the historic streets of the city to arrive in the Square of the Duomo, here you will learn the secrets of Giotto’s Bell Tower and discover the beauty of the Baptistery with its golden bronze doors. Nest we visit the Accademia Gallery, famous for its David by Michelangelo. After the tour, continue to Pistoia for dinner and overnight. [B/D]

Day 5: Pistoia (Sienna)

After breakfast, we depart to Siena for a guided tour. Siena is a UNESCO world heritage site and this itinerary takes us through its most important sites, from the Basilica of St. Dominic, where Saint Catherine relics are located. We see the headquarters of Monte dei Paschi, the oldest bank in Europe, Tolomei square and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption which is a superb example of gothic architecture with rich art patrimony left by artists such as Michelangelo, Donatello, Bernini and Nicola and Giovanni Pisano. We end at the famous Campo square. Return to Pistoia for overnight. [B]

Day 6: Pistoia, Assisi, Rome

Morning departure for a tour of Assisi. Famed as the birthplace of Italy’s Catholic patron saint, St Francis of Assisi, the sleepy little town documents all the highs and lows of his life. On a walking tour, see the stall where he was said to be born, his childhood home, and the spot where he pledged his life to his vocation. Hear of the town’s other, lesser-known saint, St Clare, who became one of St Francis’ first true followers. We continue to Orvieto seeing highlights like the 14th-century Orvieto Cathedral – a masterpiece of Gothic architecture with a glistening façade of stained glass, mosaics and sculptures. Soak up Orvieto’s charms and admire the countless churches that are scattered around its center. Our journey takes us to Rome for dinner and overnight. [B/D]

Day 7: Rome (Vatican Papal Audience, Classical Rome)

Breakfast at hotel. This morning transfer to St. Peter’s Basilica for Papal Audience (Subject to Pope Francis schedule). After the Papal Audience enjoy a tour of Classical Rome. Our tour begins with a stop at Trevi Fountain, one of Rome's most spectacular sites. Hidden in a tiny piazza, this marvelous spectacle of marble and water has been featured in several films. Most can't resist the temptation of throwing a coin in the fountain, which ensures a return to Rome! We continue to the Pantheon, one of the best-preserved monuments of antiquity. Its harmonious design, fashioned after a Greek Temple, is capped by a magnificent dome, a supreme achievement of Roman architecture. Our next stop is the Piazza Navona, known as the heart of Rome. The current piazza actually traces an ancient stadium and contains Bernini's beautiful "Fountain of the Four Rivers". It is the perfect place for an evening stroll or to sip a cappuccino and "people watch". Return to hotel for dinner and overnight. [B/D]

Day 8: Rome (Imperial Rome)

Breakfast at the hotel. Our morning tour will highlight the ancient and modern aspects of this cosmopolitan city. Don't be alarmed by the hectic pace of modern Rome; it's all part of what makes this vibrant city so remarkably unique! From our coach we will see Rome's ancient past; the monument to Vittorio Emanuele in Piazza Venezia; the Roman Forum, the civic heart of Imperial Rome; the Arch of Constantine and Circus Maximus. We'll stop at the Coliseum, the most famous monument of ancient Rome and an impressive testament to her past greatness. One can still imagine the roar of the crowds watching fierce gladiator fights. We continue our drive alongside the banks of the Tiber River for an incomparable view of Rome's oldest and most authentic sections, passing the Synagogue, Theater of Marcello, Tiberina Island and Castel Sant’Angelo, the fortress that for hundreds of years guarded the Vatican. Balance of the day free. Dinner included at the hotel. [b/D]

Day 9: Rome (Vatican City)

Breakfast at the hotel. We depart our hotel this morning for a very special, privately guided tour of the priceless collection of art, maps and tapestries of the Vatican. We'll tour Raphael's rooms, decorated with frescoes by the artist Raphael, whose paintings inspired the revolutionary style of the high Renaissance. But the highlight of our tour is the Sistine Chapel, where Michelangelo's famous frescoes are to be seen in new splendor after their recent renovation. The scene on the ceiling is literally a painted Bible and the story of humanity, a task that took four years of mental and physical anguish. The scene of the "Last Judgment" painted 30 years later behind the main altar, is a powerful and dark expression of the moment of final judgment. We return to our hotel, where the balance of the day is free. Balance free to last minute shopping. Enjoy farewell dinner at a local restaurant. [B/D]

Day 10: Rome, USA

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and be ready for your transfer to Rome’s Fiumicino Airport where you’ll board your flight back to the US or continue your trip to the next destination of your choice. [B]

[B] = Breakfast | [D] = Dinner | [B/D] = Breakfast and Dinner

Tour Prices:

No. in Party	15-20 Pax	21-25 Pax	26-30 Pax	31-35 Pax	36-40 Pax	41-26 Pax	46-50 Pax
Double	$3,749	$3,439	$3,119	$2,985	$2,885	$2,785	$2,719
Single	$4,525	$4,215	$3,899	$3,765	$3,665	$3,559	$3,499

Prices are per person and may change without notice

Tour Code: IT08MUC20TX

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Sordevolo Passion Play Calendar:

June 2020			August 2020
13	Saturday	9:00 PM	1	Saturday	9:00 PM
14	Sunday	4:30 PM	2	Sunday	9:00 PM
20	Saturday	9:00 PM	14	Friday	9:00 PM
21	Sunday	9:00 PM	21	Friday	9:00 PM
26	Friday	9:00 PM	22	Saturday	9:00 PM
27	Saturday	9:00 PM	28	Friday	9:00 PM
28	Sunday	9:00 PM	29	Saturday	9:00 PM
25	Saturday	9:00 PM	September 2020
July 2020			4	Friday	9:00 PM
3	Friday	9:00 PM	5	Saturday	9:00 PM
4	Saturday	9:00 PM	6	Sunday **	8:00 PM
10	Friday	9:00 PM	11	Friday	9:00 PM
11	Saturday	9:00 PM	12	Saturday	9:00 PM
17	Friday	9:00 PM	13	Sunday	4:30 PM
18	Saturday	9:00 PM	18	Friday	9:00 PM
24	Friday	9:00 PM	19	Saturday	9:00 PM
** Children performance			20	Sunday	4:30 PM
			22	Tuesday **	10:00 AM
			25	Friday	9:00 PM
			26	Saturday	9:00 PM
			27	Sunday	4:30 PM

Purpose:	Faith, Discovery, Culture, History
No. of days:	10 days - 9 nights
First & Last Cities:	Milan, Rome
Other cities:	Oropa, Biella, Turin, Recetto di Candelo - SORDEVOLO PASSION PLAY, Florence, Pistoia, Sienna, Assisi, VATICAN
Starting cost:	$3,749