Day 1: Sunday, August 16, 2009

We meet 3:20 p.m. sharp at JFK Airport, Terminal 1. Check-in, Mincha, snack and board plane for our 5:20 p.m. American Airlines direct Flight #263S to Fiumicino Airport in Rome.

Day 2: Monday, August 17

Arrive at Fiumicino Airport, Rome at 7:55 a.m. where we are warmly welcomed by our wonderful Rome tour director. We will daven Shacharis in a private area at the airport, followed by a small breakfast.

We begin our day/evening of touring with a panoramic ride around this wonderful city. Our walking tour of Rome begins with a stroll through Via del Portico d’Ottavia, the main street of the old Jewish Ghetto (1555-1789), in the San Angelo neighborhood, and its smaller, quaint sidestreets, followed by a visit to the Great Synagogue and its excellent Jewish Museum. Special lecture by Mrs. Supino, the charming Museum Curator. In addition to its unique collection of very rare artifacts and ceremonial objects, there is a permanent display commemorating the victims to the Nazi persecutions and deportation of Rome’s Jews.

The second part of the day will be devoted to Ancient Rome. We will visit  the Roman Forum, the ceremonial center of the Empire, the Arch of Titus, Basilica of Constantine, the Forum of Caesar, the Arch of Constantine and conclude with a thorough exploration of the Colosseum. A well-deserved dinner of gourmet Italian cuisine will follow. An exciting evening panoramic tour of the city covering especially the Vatican and Trastevere areas on the way back to our hotel. Plunk into bed!

OVERNIGHT:  Rome

Day 3: Tuesday, August 18

We start our day with an 8 a.m. Shacharis at the Great Synagogue, followed by breakfast.

We will visit some of Rome’s must-see stops: the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the Piazza Navona and the Piazza di Spagna, the most famous square in Rome, and the Campo de’Fiori where thousands of Jewish books were burned in 1553. This will be followed by a wonderful picnic lunch near the Castel Sant’ Angelo. We then embark upon an afternoon exploration of Piazza San Pietro (St. Peter’s Square) and the Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel (optional) and the nearby Basillica (optional).

Mincha and Ma’ariv at the Great Synagogue. Early dinner in the Ghetto. Guest Speaker: Rabbi Shmuel Di Segni, Chief Rabbi of Rome. Free time for evening stroll to the Trevi Fountain or shopping.

Day 4: Wednesday, August 19

We start the most packed day of the tour with an unusually early rise, leaving Rome at 8:30 am sharp after a delicious breakfast, for one final morning panoramic tour in Rome for those important places we haven’t see yet! We then take a two-and-a-half hour trip to lovely Siena, along the Italian countryside. Siena is one of the surviving examples of a medieval city; it is also the home of Italy’s most lovely piazza, the Piazza del Campo. We will explore this piazza, one of Europe’s greatest medieval squares, and the narrow streets and alleys around it. We will end our exploration of this city with a visit to the 1756 synagogue, one of the most beautiful in Tuscany, followed by a late picnic lunch at the Fonte Gaia, the famous 19th-Century fountain, whose water is still supplied by a 500 year-old aqueduct.

Afterwards, one final trip on this busy day: a one-hour ride due North to Florence, Italy’s vast and beautiful monument to the Renaissance. A comprehensive, panoramic tour all around the city is to be concluded with Mincha and an unbelievable view of the glorious sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo!

We end the day with a delicious, well-deserved dinner and Ma’ariv, followed by a free evening to stroll along the romantic Arno River.

Day 5: Thursday, August 20

We will discover Florence in one full day! We start with a 10 am visit to the Moorish-style Great Synagogue (1874) and its Jewish Museum. We then head straight for either theUffizi, Italy’s greatest art gallery built in 1560 to house offices (uffici) for Duke Cosimo, or a visit to the Academia to visit Michaelangelo’s “David”. We will then explore the 1345 bridge Ponte Vecchio and theBell Tower of Giotto in the Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie.

Next, we take a beautiful walking tour, which includes stops at the Giardino di Boboli, Piazza Santa Maria Novella, and all other major Florence attractions. Mincha right before sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo!

Wash-up, short rest, and a late dinner with guest speaker Rabbi Eliyahu Borenstein, Chabad Rabbi of Florence and Bologna, followed by an evening stroll and free time.

OVERNIGHT:  Florence

Day 6: Friday, August 21

We rise early for to daven Shacharis at 7:30 am, followed by leisurely breakfast. We will leave at 9:15 am sharp for a one-hour trip west to Pisa to explore the Leaning Tower, mankind’s open challenge to the laws of gravity. We then view the nearby Duomo, one of the finest Romanesque buildings in Tuscan, and visit one of the most well-preserved Jewish cemeteries in Italy! We end our visit to Florence with one final panoramic tour.

After Pisa, we embark upon a 250-km trip eastward via Bologna towards the Adriatic Coast. Renowned all along the Adriatic coast in the Le Marche region of central Italy. Known for its excellent facilities and classy service, this state-of-art-the-hotel is located on the promenade of Gabicce Mare, one of the most elegant seaside resorts in Italy, between Rimini and Ancona. Its facilities include a large indoor heated pool, as well as two full-size outdoor swimming pools and a kiddie pool. The internationally-acclaimed Beauty Centre on premises offers customers hydro massages, sauna, two Turkish baths and a selection of beauty and health treatments. A beautiful synagogue and well-stocked Beis Medrash is also available. After a speedy check-in,  the remainder of the afternoon will be devoted to hotel orientation, discovering the beach (a visit to the Mikva for the men), sampling of delicious kosher ice-cream at about 5 pm, and some quaint shopping in town, with Shabbat candle-lighting no later than 7:30 pm. Friday evening Kabbalat Shabbat at the beautiful shul in a huge AC tent, Seudat Shabbat (1) with our guest speaker, Rabbi Benilow of Milan. After the seudah, socializing with hotel's guests, board games and delicious snacks and drinks throughout the night.

OVERNIGHT:  Gabbice Mare

Day 7: Shabbat Kodesh, August 22

Delicious Glatt kosher (Pas and Chalav Yisrael) five- star cuisine will be served throughout Shabbat under the strict Rabbinical supervision of the Milan Rabbinate, supervised by Rav Yitzchak Belinow and his dedicated staff of Mashgichim. A wonderful, properly run, tea room — Italian- style — will be available 24/7. Late Shacharis with sermon by Ha'Rav Rabinowich, an unbelievable Kiddusha Rabbah, followed by an enjoyable, leisurely stroll along the gorgeous beach.

Parshat Ha’Shavua with Ha’Rav Dr. Rabinowich; Seudat Shabbat (2), More Divrei Torah and then, a well-deserved shluf. Pirkei Avot shiur at 6:45 pm with our rabbi, followed by Mincha at 7:30 pm, and a delicious dairy shalosh seudos. 

On Motzoei Shabbos, there are a variety of shows and musical entertainment in the area. Art enthusiasts can also enjoy a Mini Montmartre, where dozens of painters and sculptors work and converse with the public. A charming road zigzags up to Gabicce Monte, part of the Mount San Bartolo Regional Park, set up in 1994. From there a breathtaking panorama can be enjoyed, as the blossoming mountain offers a colourful contrast to the absolutely crystal-clear waters of the coast.

OVERNIGHT: Gabbice Mare 

Day 8: Sunday, August 23

Very early morning rise, Shacharis at 6:45 a.m., followed by breakfast. We leave Gabbice Mare at 8 a.m. sharp, and embark upon the longest journey of our trip, a northeast drive to Venice (2.5 hours, appx. 200 miles) passing the famous 16th-17th century Jewish cities of Bologna, Modena and Ferrara. We arrive in glorious Venice to check in to our luxurious hotel.

We begin our first full day in Venice with a 11:00 a.m. visit to the Jewish Museum, in the Ghetto Nuovo which stores some fascinating early 16th Century Jewish books! As part of the visit we will view Venice’s famous synagogues: The Spanish Synagogue (1555), the Levantine Synagogue (1538), right across it, the German Synagogue (1528) — the oldest in Venice — and the Italian Synagogue (1531).

After a picnic lunch in the Ghetto, we take a short trip by vaporetto (waterbus) to Lido, site of the famous Cemetery of Venetian Jewry — probably the second oldest existing cemetery in the diaspora, with one tombstone dating as far back as 1386. From there, time permitting, back on the vaporetto to Murano, a cluster of small islands that has been the center of the glassmaking industry since 1290! Do some serious, discounted, opportunity-of-a-lifetime, Glass Shopping! We then return to the mainland to explore the Piazza San Marco — the most "elegant drawing room in Europe,” according to Napoleon) and, of course, the Rialto.

Optional: Explore the Palazzo Ducale (Doges’ Palace) and visit the Accademia, one of the world’s most famous museums. At 6 pm, Rabbi Rabinowich will give his famous walking tour of the ghetto, including the Ghetto Vecchio and the Ghetto Nuovissimo, both added to the original Ghetto in the 1541 and 1633, respectively. We will then daven Mincha and Ma’ariv in the Spanish Synagogue with Chief Rabbi Elya Richetti, followed by a delicious dinner at the popular GAM GAM restaurant. There will be plenty of free time after dinner to explore this unbelievable city on your own and to do some evening shopping. Why not treat your wife or date to a very romantic Gondola ride? (No, it’s not free… But she’s worth it!)

OVERNIGHT: Venice

Day 9: Monday, August 24

Free time to do some self-touring of Venice. We have a noon departure from our hotel (Shacharis at 7:30 am sharp) for the most relaxing and fun day of our excursion. We begin with a short 3/4 hour trip to the old university town of Padua to pray at the 16th & 17th century gravesites of the very holy Abravanel and Rebbi Meir Katzenellenbogen (Maharam of Padua). We then visit the Italian-style Synagogue of Rebbi Moshe Chaim Luzatto (Ramchal) to daven Mincha.

We will then take a beautiful drive due west to Sirmione, on Lake Garda, the largest and easternmost of the stunning Italian Lakes. Marvelous fun on the motor boat trips (optional) around the Sirmione Peninsula, observing the Roman ruins at its tip, and the boiling sulphur springs along its rim. Picnic lunch as we view the splendid scenery of the impressive rocky cliffs and snow-covered mountains of Austria and Switzerland at the northern tip of the lake. We then take a wonderful scenic drive farther west to Milan — the chic and busy metropolis of Northwest Italy — for a panoramic tour of the city, quick shopping, Ma’ariv and a delicious dairy dinner. Our final scenic drive in Italy is one hour north to the simply breathtaking Lake Como, set in an idyllic landscape of mountains and rugged hillsides. Check-in and completely free time to be inspired by this unique lake. An unforgettable evening!

OVERNIGHT: Lake Como

Day 10: Tuesday, August 25

An early wake-up to experience the simply stunning sunrise over the spectacular Lake Como at 5:00 am. Daf Yomi at 6:15 am, Shacharis at 6:45 a.m., followed by a delicious, healthy breakfast.

We depart the hotel at 8:10 a.m. sharp to Malpensa Airport for our 10:35 a.m. AA Flight #199S to JFK International Airport, arriving at 1:40 pm.

All shiurim and prayer sessions are voluntary!

Extensions to Israel possible,
before and after trip

**************************************************************

Rabbi Dr. Nosson Dovid Rabinowich: Rav and Scholar-in-Residence,is a noted historian and Talmid Chacham, author of ten critically-acclaimed books on topics varying from Jewish history to Geonic literature to Chassidus.

**************************************************************