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Programs in Italy
Our Programs in Italy offer educational travel opportunities in various Italian cities. Each program addresses the art, history, food, wine and culture of a specific city (Florence, Rome, Venice or Siena) or of a specific Italian region (Northern Italy). Group size is normally limited to approximately 10 people in order to create an intimate learning environment.

All of our Programs in Italy can also be scheduled and customized upon request for friends, family and colleagues traveling to Italy outside of our scheduled program dates.

Why travel with Rocky?

Expert Knowledge
Rocky brings more than 20 years of academic and professional experience to you.
Learn Art History
Immerse yourself in Renaissance culture and the extraordinary artistic heritage of Italy.

To celebrate the bicentenary of the National Gallery, join Dr. Rocky in London in April 2024 to explore the world class collection of Italian Renaissance art at the National Gallery which is one of the most impressive outside of Italy and contains some of the most iconic works of the Italian Renaissance. All the while, you can enjoy the timeless elegance of one of London’s top hotels – the Claridge’s – as well as some of the finest Italian food and wine outside of Italy!

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This week-long program in Italy will examine the Renaissance art and architecture of Northern Italy. Although Florence and Rome are usually considered to be the centers of Renaissance art, many cities north of the Apennines were also centers of extraordinary artistic production. Many believe that this was the result of an artistic “contamination,” as many of Florence’s greatest artists, such as Giotto, Donatello, Alberti, and Leonardo da Vinci, traveled to northern cities, exposing them to the ideas and movements of the Renaissance.

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Twice a year, on July 2 and August 16, the city of Siena transforms its main medieval square into an arena of unbridled fury. Ten bareback horses and their respective jockeys race three laps at breakneck speed around a dirt-covered piazza that is filled with fifty-thousand people! That is the Palio, and for the past seven centuries winning it has been the most important objective of every Sienese citizen.

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Main Attractions
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Twice a year, on July 2 and August 16, the city of Siena transforms its main medieval square into an arena of unbridled fury. Ten bareback horses and their respective jockeys race three laps at breakneck speed around a dirt-covered piazza that is filled with fifty-thousand people! That is the Palio, and for the past seven centuries winning it has been the most important objective of every Sienese citizen.

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Main Attractions
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Sightseeing Tickets
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The Amalfi Coast, Capri and Naples Program is the perfect manner to explore one of the most naturally beautiful, historically rich and gastronomically appealing areas of Italy. There is also no better time to do it than in early fall with warm Mediterranean water and mild temperatures.

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Sicily truly does have something to offer to everyone. Whether it’s natural beauty, archaeology, medieval, Renaissance or Baroque art and architecture, theater, opera, food, or wine, you will find it all at an exceptionally high level on this magical island.

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Ring in the New Year with Dr. Rocky, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael in London, England!

Don’t miss this extraordinary opportunity to usher in the New Year 2025 in London with Dr. Rocky and visit the “Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael” exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts (November 9, 2024 – February 16, 2025). This exhibition explores the rivalry between Leonardo and Michelangelo and the influence both had on the young Raphael.

We shall also take advantage of the extraordinary amount of world-class Italian Renaissance art located in various other London museums such as the National Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Wallace Collection. Few cities outside of Italy can boast such an extensive and high-quality collection of Italian Renaissance masterpieces.

All the while, you can enjoy the timeless elegance of one of London’s top hotels – the Claridge’s – as well as some of the finest Italian food and wine outside of Italy!

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Main Attractions
Guide
Sightseeing Tickets
Meals

Puglia one of Italy’s most beautiful regions. From the natural beauty of its countryside and coastline, to the man-made beauty of its architecture, to the beauty of its artisanal and culinary traditions, Puglia is simply astonishing. 

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"What is the Renaissance? Spend one day with Rocky Ruggiero and you will have your answer. Rocky brings the Renaissance to life in a manner that befits both the student and the scholar, eloquently weaving the paintings, sculptures and architecture of the age into his narrative."
Lisa Marie Browne
Executive Board of Directors, Friends of the Uffizi
"Rocky is absolutely one of the most articulate and knowledgeable experts on the history and art of Florence and Tuscany. He is also a blast to be with for an afternoon or an extended course or event. He also knows food and wine and where to enjoy it."
Edgar M. Cullman
Managing Member, Culbro, LLC
"The thing that made Rocky so valuable was his ability to build a story that placed a building, painting or architectural feature in its historical context. Sometimes I felt that he was a composer, using a path through a museum to build towards an artistic climax."
Vance Lemmon, Ph.D.
Professor of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
"Rocky is a star and with him you will experience the hidden Florence and see what life was truly like in the 14th Century. Never has an art education been so enjoyable."
Lynda Resnick
Vice Chairman, The Wonderful Company
Affiliations
NBC News
The Smithsonian Associates
The History Channel
Travel + Leisure
Nova
National Geographic
Young Presidents' Organization
CEO
Friends of the Uffizi Gallery
Eataly
Syracuse University
Palazzo Tornabuoni
Ohio Kent State University
Boston College

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