09/29/10 bdb

HAYS, Kan. -- Martha Holmes, assistant professor of art and design, and Charmion Arthur, instructor of art and design at Fort Hays State University, have planned a nine-day trip to Italy over spring break 2011.

Day 1 is the flight across the Atlantic, but day two takes participants to Rome and Day 3 includes guided sightseeing and a walking tour of the city. Day 4 includes a visit to Vatican City, the world's smallest country.

On the fifth day, travelers will head to Florence and stop in Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis and St. Clare, en route. In Florence, participants will take a guided tour of the city on Day 6, visiting the Piazza della Signoria, where Michelangelo's "David" originally stood; Ponte Vecchio, one of the city's only bridges to survive World War II; Chiesa di Santa Croce, the final resting place of Michelangelo, Machiavelli and Galileo; Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, sculptor and architect Brunelleschi's finest work; and Ghiberti's legendary "Gates of Paradise" at the baptistry opposite of the Duomo. Travelers will also visit Accademia, where Michelangelo's original statue "David" resides.

Day 7 takes travelers to Venice via Bologna, one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe. Bologna is also home to the oldest university in the western world, the University of Bologna, founded in 1088. In Venice, travelers will take a guided sightseeing tour of the city on Day 8, including, St. Mark's Square, "the finest drawing room in Europe," according to Napoleon; the Grand Canal; and the 324-foot Campanile, or bell tower, whose steps were originally built so that a noble could ascend on horseback.

While in Venice, travelers will visit the Doges' Palace, the famous 14th-century pink and white palace from which mighty Venetian dukes once ruled, and see a demonstration of Venice's famous glassblowing. Day nine returns the travelers home.

The starting price for the trip is $1,725. Both students and the public are welcome to attend. For more information, contact Holmes at 785-628-4300 or Arthur at 785-628-4310.

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