2011 Freshman Trip Itinerary

(Please note some very minor changes to April 12/13, mainly involving the swapping of Colosseum and Capitoline Museum.)

Saturday, April 2

• 7:30am - All students arrive at Phoenix Sky Harbor
• 10:20am - Depart Phoenix

Sunday, April 3 - Athens: Acropolis Museum

• 5:30pm - Touch down in Athens
• 6:30pm - Arrive AthenStyle guesthouse
• 7pm - Dinner, Athens stroll

Monday, April 4 - Athens: Day-trip to Mycenae, Epidaurus

• 9am - Mycenae: Ruins from the land of Agamemnon and Menelaus 
• 1:30pm - Epidaurus: Home to the ancient world's perfect theater

Tuesday, April 5 - Athens: Acropolis, Agora, National Archaeological Museum

• 8am - Acropolis: The defining landmark of Ancient Greece
  
• 10:15am - The brand new Acropolis Museum
• 1:30pm - Agora: The center of Athenian democracy
  

Wednsday, April 6 - Athens: Day-trip to Delphi

• 11am - Delphi Ruins: We will follow in the footsteps of the many kings a visit to the oracle in search of advice...
• 8pm - Return to Athens

Thursday, April 7 - From Athens to Naples

• 10:30am - Depart Athens
• 11:30am - Arrive Rome, catch chartered bus to Tivoli
• 1pm - Hadrian's Villa: The most opulent villa of its era, though sadly raided over the years.
• 6pm - Arrive Villa Vergiliana

Friday, April 8 - Naples: Pompeii, Oplontis, Vesuvius

• 9am - Pompeii: A city buried alive by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 and one of our best glimpses into life in Ancient Rome 
• 12:30pm - Oplontis: Emperor Nero's wife's villa, this boasts some of the best preserved frescoes from the era
• 2:30pm - Mt. Vesuvius: We will climb to the top of the mountain that punished Romans but rewarded historians...

Saturday, April 9 - Naples: Herculaneum, NAM, Sibyll's Cave

• 9am - Herculaneum: Though less famous than Pompeii, this is still a rich site, offering us another perspective on life in Ancient Rome - in this case, the perspective of an affluent town.
• 11:30am - National Archaeological Museum: Houses the richest finds from Pompeii, Herculaneum, and other ancient sites in the region
• 1pm - Free afternoon in Naples

Sunday, April 10 - Naples: Capri

• Full day in Capri, including visits to Villa Tiberio and Arco Naturale

Monday, April 11 - Rome: Hadrian's Villa, Vatican

• 8:30am - Depart Villa Vergiliana 
• 9am -  Cumae Acropolis: Ruins of a Greek colony in Italy, upon which our villa was later built
• 11am - Sibyll's Cave: The entrance to Hades?  Perhaps...
• 3:30pm - Arrive Vatican Apartment
• 4:30pm - St. Peter's Basilica: A short, ten-minute stroll from our apartment takes us to the pope

Tuesday, April 12 - Rome: Colosseum, Forum, Palatine

• 8am - Shop for lunch in Campo dei Fiori
• 9am - Palatine Hill: Romulus founded Rome here, Augustus ruled from here, and many other emperors followed
• 10am - Roman Forum: The heart of the Roman government for many years
• Picnic lunch in Circus Maximus
• 1:30pm - Capitoline Museum: The collection is massive. We will focus on the frescoes and stuccoes that tell the story of Rome and the tombstones that reveal a great deal about Roman religious beliefs
• 3pm - Free time in Field of Mars

Wednesday, April 13 - Rome: Capitoline, Trajan, Borghese

• 8am - Colosseum: We who are about to die salute you!
• 10am - Trajan's Column: Set in the Imperial Forum, this is one of the most impressive monuments from the ancient world
• Noon - Capuchin Crypt: Bones, Bones, Bones
• Picnic in Borghese Park
• 5pm - Borghese Gallery

Thursday, April 14 - Rome: Morning Options, Afternoon in Field of Mars

• Morning - Students will choose morning activity.  Options include the Vatican Museums, Villa Tiberio in Sperlonga, Etruscan tombs in Cerveteri, the Villa d'Este in Tivoli, or Ostia Antica
• Afternoon - Walking tour of remaining Roman highlights in Field of Mars, including Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Capuchin Crypt, and Trevi Fountain after dark

Friday, April 15 - Arrivederci Roma, Hello Phoenix

• 11:30am - Depart Rome
• 8:40pm - Arrive Phoenix