Just Such a Lovely Way to Spend Six Weeks

AHA's short course, whatever they call it, the one where it's six weeks long and it's in Italy, is that one which I did, and let me tell you, dear reader, it's just lovely. The course travels around Italy for six weeks visiting, more or less in order, Rome, Naples, Titignano, Sienna, Florence, Verona, Castelfranco, and last but more than least, la bella Venezia. As you may have gathered from the name of the program, it deals with art history, in quite the best place possible, i.e. right up close and very personal with the art. Drawing from the greats of the three canonical extra-double-important Renaissance art, those being painting, sculpture, and architecture, AHA really shows you round the block. You see the big names (did you know they just leave the Colosseum lying out in the open? They don't throw a tarp over it or nothing) like Michelangelo, and Caravaggio, and Giotto, and Titian, all them fancy-ass folks. More importantly, you'll be in the company of the AHA tutors, which are a group of people that are as friendly as they are bonkers intelligent, which is quite a bit. Seriously speaking, the tutors know a staggering amount about the art you're looking at, and they will share it with you. They also have usually done the trips several times before, and will know useful little tidbits like when you need to book two slots for looking at a Giotto chapel. Just perk-type things. On a day to day basis, you'll start somewhere between 9:00 and 10:00, following (or not, you can probably do without it) what is admittedly a usually meager hotel breakfast. Fear not, however, because after a morning of art and adventure you will get to sample of the great Italian traditions, i.e. lunch. Also dinner, but more on that later. Meals will be exclusively at restaurants, and there are some good ones. Apologize to your local pizza place in advance, because upon your return they will seem lackluster in the face of the world-class Neapolitan stuff. After lunch, you will continue on till five-ish or so looking at, learning about, and marveling over the choicest bits of artistic fare available. Bear in mind for you Americans, anywhere from all to half of the people you'll be with will be British, which is just looooooovely. Dinner will be with a whole group of you, and following that the tutors will likely take all those disposed to a local drinkery for some drinking. Incidentally, the drinking age in Italy is 18, now isn't that wonderful. Highlights will include nights to remember (or forget), as well as such things as Michelangelo's Pieta and David, Caravaggio's Amore Dormiente and Calling of Saint Mathew, Bernini's Pluto and Proserpine, Titian's Venus of something or other, all close enough to spit (please don't), as well as some of the best food you'll have ever had.